Declan Hamblin

Declan Hamblin BA (Hons), PGCE

Senior Lecturer in Secondary Education

Declan is the Course Lead for the Secondary PGCE Physical Education at the University of Greenwich having previously worked with numerous London teacher education providers. Before being involved in teacher education he was a member of a school sport partnership and led school departments and was a Borough Advisor for physical education. He is an experienced tutor in teacher and coach education courses and former Vice-Chair of the Association for Physical Education (national subject association). He is able to foster strategic partnerships for reciprocal gain, be it with community or national bodies. He has extensive overseas experience in the Caribbean working in pre-school settings right through to university. His pragmatic approach facilitates projects from conception through to sustainability. He is determined to ensure education is a fantastic experience for all to engage and flourish in.

Posts held previously:

  • September 2023 - July 2025, IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, London. Programme Leader Secondary PGCE
  • September 2018 - August 2023, Kingston University, London. Course Lead Secondary Education, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education
  • January 2013 - August 2018, University of East London, Stratford. Senior Lecturer in Physical Education
  • September 2011 - December 2012, Highbury Fields School, London. Head of Physical Education
  • September 2005 - August 2011, Cambridge Education @ Islington, London. Partnership Development Manager/School Sport Coordinator
  • September 2002 -  August 2005, Islington Green School, London. Head of Physical Education
    May 2002 -  August 2002, Youth Sport Trust, (Temporary contract). Sport Development Officer
    April 1999 – March 2002, Oracabessa Foundation/Island Sport Trust, Jamaica. Sport Development Officer
  • January 1996 - March 1999, Nevis Island Administration Education Department, Eastern Caribbean (VSO). Physical Education Adviser
  • September 1993 - December 1995, Carmel R.C. Comprehensive, Darlington. Physical Education Teacher

Teacher training

Responsibilities within the university

Declan is Subject Leader for the Secondary PGCE Physical Education course within the School of Education and is the School Credit for Learning Lead.

Awards

Oct. 2024, Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) Gordon Kirk Travel Scholarship; research trip focussing on the implementation of the Meaningful Physical Education framework at Brock University, Ontario, Canada.

Recognition

Declan has held various External Examiner positions and is currently in tenure with Loughborough University (Secondary PGCE Physical Education course) and St. Mary’s University, London (Physical Education, Sport and Youth Development, BA Hons. programme).

Tutor for the Youth Sport Trust Learning Academy.

Research / Scholarly interests

Declan is a doctoral student who is interested in researching the impact of using the Meaningful Physical Education framework.

Key funded projects

2023 Kingston University: School of Education, Midwifery and Social Work Fund for Emerging Researchers; Pedagogies of Physical Education Teacher Education - the impact of a jigsaw puzzle metaphor, £4k

Media activity

Recent publications

Journal articles:
Fletcher, T., Ní Chróinín, D., Dillon, M., Beckey, A., Bowles, R., Hamblin, D., Harrison, L., Kitching, N. (2024). Learning about meaningful physical education in physical education teacher education: two case studies of sustained implementation. Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/25742981.2024.2442926
Ní Chróinín, D., Iannucci, C., Luguetti, C., & Hamblin, D. (2024). Exploring teacher educator pedagogical decision-making about a combined pedagogy of social justice and meaningful physical education. European Physical Education Review, 30(4), 671-687. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X241240400
Iannucci, C., Ní Chróinín, D., Luguetti, C., & Hamblin, D. (2023). Is meaningful physical education and social justice a complimentary combination? A physical education teacher educator collaborative self-study. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2023.2271497
Hamblin, D. and Beckey, A. (2022) Target setting: mentoring in physical education. Physical Education Matters, Summer, pp. 72-74. ISSN 1751-0988.
Beckey, A. and Hamblin, D. (2022) ‘The metaphor of a jigsaw puzzle as a pedagogy of PE teacher education’, Impact 14 (Spring). Available at: https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/the-metaphor-of-a-jigsaw-puzzle-as-a-pedagogy-of-pe-teacher-education/ (Accessed: 31 January 2022). 
Beckey, A., Gumbrell, D. and Hamblin, D. (2022) Open all hours. Physical Education Matters, Spring, pp. 66-68. ISSN (online) 1751-0988
Beckey, A. and Hamblin, D. (2022) The review process: mentoring in physical education. Physical Education Matters, Spring, pp. 75-77. ISSN (online) 1751-0988
Hamblin, D. (2021). Inclusive Practice in Physical Education, Sport and Activity. In: Peters, M.A. (eds) Encyclopaedia of Teacher Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-*******1179-6_419-1
Hamblin, D. (2021) ‘Book Review: Debates in Physical Education,’ Physical Education Matters, 16 (3), p.94. 
Hamblin, D. and Beckey, A. (2021) ‘Gradually removing the stabilisers: mentoring in physical education,’ Physical Education Matters, 16 (3), pp.60-62.
Hamblin, D. (2014). Physical Education assessment from 2014: assessing without limits. Research in Teacher Education. 4 (2), pp. 25-33. https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.8580y

Book Chapters:
Hamblin, D. (2020) 'Managing your workload, resilience, health and well-being', in Capel, S, Cliffe, J. & Lawrence, J. (eds.) A Practical Guide to Teaching Physical Education in the Secondary School. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, pp.305-318.

Presentations
  • 2025 British Education Research Association (BERA) Conference, Brighton, England.
    Oral Presentation: In what ways does the Meaningful Physical Education framework allow for articulation of practice?
  • 2024 AIESEP International Conference, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland.
    Oral presentation: The puzzling nature of PETE.
  • 2023 Norwegian School of Sport Sciences Meaningful Physical Education Conference [Online].
    Oral presentation with Alex Beckey: Teacher Education case study.
  • 2022 Bath Spa University Education Conference [Online].
    Oral presentation: Can using a Meaningful Physical Education framework offer a greater gender-sensitive pedagogy?