A new study published in Education Sciences finds that "tandem teaching"—pairing generalist classroom teachers with a PE specialist—can measurably boost how confident teachers feel about delivering quality physical education in primary schools. Surveying 618 teachers across Slovakia and North Macedonia, the researchers show that the structure of the partnership matters: longer, consistent co-teaching appears to build broader readiness than short, rotating support.

Primary PE is often taught by generalist teachers who don't feel fully prepared—yet PE is one of the few subjects that can reach every child, shaping movement confidence, health habits, and classroom wellbeing early on. Done right, tandem teaching can function as "professional development on the job," strengthening everyday PE delivery rather than relying on one-off workshops. responses between the two national models using chi-square tests.

· The biggest weak spot was teaching children with diverse learning needs, flagged as a significant deficiency.

· Teachers in North Macedonia—co-teaching all three weekly PE lessons with the same PE teacher—reported stronger preparedness across most domains than Slovak teachers working with rotating coaches in just one of three lessons.

· Bottom line: long-term, stable partnerships seem better for teacher growth than "drop-in" support.

The team used a structured questionnaire across 11 PE domains and compared

In line with the paper's conclusion, lead author Gabriela Luptáková might put it like this: "When support is embedded in every lesson, teachers don't just 'cope', they grow." And: "Our clearest warning sign is inclusion: confidence rises, but adapting PE for diverse learners still needs focused training."

Editor: Bashir Mehvish

First-Round Review Editor: Guo Enkai

Second-Round Review Editor: Peng Xiyang