The preparation of effective teachers continues to be a critical issue in the literature since what teachers know and are able do is the most significant influence on what students learn. Teacher education programmes are considered to be the best places for teacher candidates to learn the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to educate children. Physical education initial teacher education (PE-ITE) for generalist primary teachers is being challenged with regard to quality. The purpose of this article is to stimulate discourse on how teacher education for primary school teachers teaching physical education might be structured more effectively. The article begins with a description on how the PE-ITE programme for generalist teachers is designed and delivered at the University of Cyprus. The article then presents and discusses the most effective features of exemplary teacher education programmes and the most common qualities of newly qualified teachers who have been identified in the literature. Finally, the article presents some concluding thoughts on how the existing body of research should be used effectively by teacher educators.