© 2013 Deborah Tannehill, Ann MacPhail, Ger Halbert and Frances Murphy. Hay and Macdonald (2010) challenge the concept of `abilityż. They explore the potential ways in which ability is constructed in order to suggest how to maximise the benefits of physical education and optimise physical education for all students. One of the most powerful findings from the study is that teachers appear to be the most influential factor in the gendered nature of ability construction. This finding directs the responses to focus on the preconceived notions of what will work and what will not work in physical education, our understanding of `abilityż in physical education and the extent to which this under - standing socially constructs and transmits the value of ability in physical education lessons.