Professor Lorraine Cale

Lorraine Cale is a Professor in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy and the Director of Teacher Education, overseeing the University’s Initial Teacher Education provision.  She contributes to teaching on the PGCE/MSc in Education with QTS (PE) programme as well as to undergraduate modules in the area of pedagogy.

Lorraine completed a BSc in Physical Education and Sports Science and Post-Graduate Certificate in Education in Physical Education at Loughborough University (1984 -1988).  She then continued her post-graduate study in the United States where she completed an MSc in Physical Education at California State University (Pomona) and at the same time taught physical education in a local school.  On returning from the United States, Lorraine taught in a high school in Leicestershire before taking a position as a Research Assistant (with teaching responsibilities) at Loughborough (1990-1993).  During this time she also completed her PhD.

Lorraine took her first lecturing post in the Division of Sport, Health and Exercise at Staffordshire University (1993-1996), before returning to Loughborough in January 1996.   She also completed a Diploma in Public Health and Health Promotion at the University of Manchester in 1996.

Lorraine is a member of the School’s ‘Sport Business and Society’ as well as ‘Lifestyle for Health and Wellbeing’ Research Themes.  Her research centres on the promotion of health and physical activity in young people and on the expression of health and the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles in schools both within and beyond the curriculum.  This includes critiquing policy and practice in these areas with the goal of enhancing teaching and learning, the physical education and school environment, and ultimately young people’s physical activity and physical education participation and experiences. 

Lorraine has published over 50 academic papers and around 40 professional journal articles, authored 4 books, over 20 book chapters, and edited two books.  In addition, she has given a number of keynote and invited presentations at international physical education conferences and numerous invited presentations at national conferences.  

Lorraine’s research which focussed on the teaching of health-related physical education (HRPE) in schools has led to key changes in HRPE policy, curricula, and practice globally, and to the expansion and enhancement of HRPE professional development. The research has furthermore informed UNESCO’s Quality Physical Education Guidelines for Policymakers which have resulted in the adoption of new PE polices in three developing countries (South Africa, Mexico and Zambia), as well as in Qatar. 

This research, which was submitted as an impact case study for REF2021, is featured in the University's Research Spotlight: Teaching children to be active.

Lorraine has been awarded research grants from bodies including the National Institute for Health Research, British Heart Foundation, National Assembly for Wales, Nuffield Foundation, Norwegian Research Council, Youth Sport Trust and the Amateur Swimming Association.  Examples of recently funded research include:

• ‘Stand Out in Class: restructuring the classroom environment to reduce sedentary behaviour - a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial’.  National Institute of Health Research Public Health Research Programme (2016 onwards)
• ‘Schools, learning and mental health: a study of school-level factors and processes’, a Norwegian Research Council funded project with Hedmark University College, Bergen University and the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (2015 onwards)
• Evaluation of ‘Get to the Start Line’, a Youth Sport Trust Programme, designed to address school-related stress and anxiety using physical activity and athlete mentors. Co-investigator. (2015-2016)
• ‘Move to Teach, Move to Learn’, a school-based programme to decrease sedentary time in primary school students.  NHS National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care – East Midlands. Co-investigator. (2014 onwards).
• Supporting secondary schools in the effective promotion of physical activity.   The British Heart Foundation. Principal Investigator. (2010-2013).

Lorraine is the former invited Chair and an on-going member of the Expert Subject Advisory Group for Physical Education http://www.afpe.org.uk/advice-on-new-national-curriculum, initially established and funded by the Department for Education. The aim of the group is to advise and influence policy and practice and provide curriculum and subject specific knowledge and advice to schools and teacher training providers.

Lorraine has furthermore been actively involved in the work of the Association for Physical Education (afPE) for a number of years, being twice an Elected Board Member and now an Honoured Member in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the association’s aims and objectives.  Her current contribution involves involves advocacy work and advising the PE profession on health-related policy and practice. For instance, her work has informed and is heavily cited within afPE’s Health Position Paper (2015) and she also co-authored their Position Statement on Fitness Testing. 

As a former practitioner and now teacher educator herself, Lorraine has also produced a number of practical resources and training courses for teachers as well as delivered professional development for physical education and health practitioners for many years.  In the past she has furthermore acted as an invited consultant in the area of health for key government strategies in England and Wales relating to Physical Education and School Sport.  More recently, she was also an invited contributor to a national Physical Literacy working group to develop a measure of physical literacy for testing as part of Sport England’s new Child Measurement Survey.

• Routen, A.C., Biddle, S.J.H., Danielle H. Bodicoat, D.H., Cale, L., Clemes, S., Edwardson, C.L., Glazebrook, C., Harrington, D.M., Khunti, K., Pearson, N., Salmon, J. & Sherar, L.B. (2017) Study design and protocol for a mixed methods evaluation of an intervention to reduce and break-up sitting time in primary school classrooms in the UK: The CLASS PAL (Physically Active Learning) Programme, BMJ Open  2017;7:e019428. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019428.
• Cale, L. (2017) Teaching about Healthy Active Lifestyles.  In C.D. Ennis (ed) Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies. Oxon: Routledge, 399-411.
• Harris, J., Cale, L., Duncombe, R. & Musson, H. (2016) Young people’s knowledge and understanding of health, fitness and physical activity: issues, divides and dilemmas. Sport, Education and Society.  DOI: 10.1080/13573322.2016.1228047
• Cale, L., Harris, J. & Duncombe, R. (2016). Promoting physical activity in secondary schools.  Growing expectations: same old issues, European Physical Education Review, 22(4), 526-544.
• Duncombe, R., Cale, L., & Harris, J. (2016) Strengthening ‘the foundations’ of the primary school curriculum, Education 3-13. DOI:10.1080/03004279.2016.1185137
• Cale, L., Harris, J. & Chen, M.H. (2014) Monitoring health, activity and fitness in physical education: its current and future state of health, Sport Education and Society, 19(4), 376-397.
• Cale, L. & Harris, J. (2013) ‘Every child (of every size) matters’ in physical education! Physical education's role in childhood obesity, Sport, Education and Society,18(4), 433-452.
• Cale, L. & Harris, J. (2013) Physical education and health: considerations and issues. In S. Capel & M. Whitehead (eds) Debates in Physical Education. Oxon: Routledge, 74-88.
• Alfrey, L., Cale, L. & Webb, L. (2012). Physical education teachers' continuing professional development in health-related exercise, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 17(5), 477-491.
• Alfrey, L., Webb, L. & Cale, L. (2012) Physical education teachers’ continuing professional development in health-related exercise: A figurational analysis, European Physical Education Review, 18, 361-379.
• Harris, J., Cale, L. & Musson, H. (2012) The predicament of primary physical education: a consequence of ‘insufficient’ ITT and ‘ineffective’ CPD?, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 17(4), 367-381.
• Cale, L. & Harris, J. (2011) Learning about health through physical education and youth sport. In K. Armour (ed) Sport Pedagogy.  An Introduction for Teaching and Coaching. Prentice Hall, 53-64.
• Harris, J., Cale, L. & Musson, H. (2011) The effects of a professional development programme on primary school teachers' perceptions of physical education, Professional Development in Education, 37(2), 291-305.