Mrs Alison Carney

I joined Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) on a secondment, working one day a week while serving as Head of Girls’ PE at a large mixed comprehensive school. This experience led to a full-time role at CCCU, where I initially focused on teaching PE for the Primary UG QTS course and served as a link tutor for students on placements.

My role soon expanded to include Head of Year 2 for the Primary degree, where I oversaw the organisation and structure of the course, supporting students through their academic and personal learning journeys. With the introduction of the BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Sport & Exercise Science degree, my teaching commitments included lecturing across all three years groups for this course and increased further to include the Foundation Degree and BA (Hons) ‘top up’ Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport employment-based degrees.

Over the years, I have also taught on the PGCE and School Direct primary and secondary courses. Currently, I am the Course Director for the BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Sport & Exercise Science degree and the Foundation Degree and BA (Hons) ‘top up’ Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport. I am also a Personal Academic Tutor and prioritise student wellbeing and student voice to support academic achievement and like to support a collaborative, team focused way of working with my fellow colleagues. Building a community based on transparency, trust and cooperation is an integral way of working with both students and colleagues in the PE team.

In addition to my academic roles, I have a rich background in netball, having represented England from U16 through to Senior level and coached at the County level. Following a full knee replacement my netball playing days are over but I now enjoy Concept 2 rowing as my physical activity of choice. 

Teaching Focus: Pedagogy in Physical Education (PE).

I specialize in pedagogy within Physical Education, teaching a variety of modules at Levels 4, 5, and 6 across multiple courses. My focus is on pedagogy and practical application of theoretical frameworks, particularly in the synthesis of theory and practice for all the PE degree courses.

Roles and Responsibilities: Personal Academic Tutor: I work closely with students to enhance their academic experience and foster a strong learning community alongside other PE tutors.

Educational Background: BEd (Hons) in Secondary Specialist Physical Education, with Special Educational Needs as a subsidiary subject, at Brighton University.

Taught in secondary schools in Surrey and was Head of PE before moving to Kent to join Canterbury Christ Church University.

Module Leadership:

Foundation Degree in Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport

• Year 1 (Level 4): Module Lead for ‘Academic Study Skills and Research’ and ‘Principles of Teaching and Coaching’
• Year 2 (Level 5): Module Lead for ‘Application of Teaching and Coaching Principles’.

BA (Hons) ‘top up’ in Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport

• Year 3 (Level 6) Pedagogy for Practical Activities

BSc (Hons) Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science

• Year 3 (Level 6) Pedagogy for Practical Activity
• Supervisor for Year 3 (level 6) students for the research module, Individual Study.

Previously: School Direct (Primary and Secondary): Tutor for Physical Education. PGCE (Secondary): Tutor for Physical Education.

Member of the Organising Group for Secondary PE Teachers Conference held at CCCU in June 2023 and 2024. A very successful knowledge exchange conference to support teaching, learning and staff development across secondary physical education in Kent, Medway and surrounding boroughs.

Invited alumni from the BSc Physical Education & Sport and Exercise Science and BA Physical Education and Physical Activity degrees to present key findings from their Independent Studies at the Faculty of Education ‘Research and Teaching and Learning Conference’ (February 2019)

Carney. A. (2018) Workshop presentation ‘Academic progression on an employment based degree programme’ for the Learning and Teaching Conference and Scholarship Day, February 2018

Howells, K., Carney, A., Castle, R., and Little R. (2017) Mastering Primary Physical Education. Bloomsbury.

Carney, A. (2014) Using Laban’s Analysis of Movement to support Lesson Planning in Dance. Kent PE Conference

Carney, A. (2012) Creativity and PE. Kent PE Conference

I am a Trustee Governor for a secondary school and have responsibility for Curriculum (design, development and implementation.)