The Code of Practice of the Department for Education (1994) establishes the role of special
educational needs coordinator (SENCO) to help facilitate the inclusion of pupils with special
educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools. SENCOs, thus, should form an integral part of the
culture of all departments, including physical education (PE). This paper draws on the concept of
hegemony to examine the processes and practices that shape the experiences and views of
SENCOs and ultimately, the extent to which they facilitate an inclusive culture in PE. Our findings,
generated via an online survey, suggested that most SENCOs are not a part of the senior
management team (SMT) and do not have control of the SEN budget. The majority of SENCOs
acknowledge, and often reinforce, the hegemonic status of English, mathematics and science vis-a`-
vis the prioritisation of SEN resources, which may constrain the ability of teachers to provide
meaningful experiences for pupils with SEN in other subjects, such as PE. While 93% of SENCOs
did not have PE-specific training for their role, 52% suggested that the learning support assistants
(LSAs) in their school are not adequately trained to include pupils with SEN in PE. This is perhaps
surprising, given that it is SENCOs themselves who are largely responsible for the training of LSAs.
In conclusion, from the evidence provided by SENCOs, PE does not appear to constitute a