PE
Overview
Our physical education curriculum is carefully sequenced to develop children’s fundamental movement skills, physical competence, teamwork and understanding of healthy lifestyles.
The curriculum is built around a progression of motor competence, rules, strategies and tactics, and healthy participation, ensuring that children develop both the physical skills and the knowledge needed to be successful in sport and active lifestyles.
Children experience a broad range of activities, including:
- Invasion games (e.g. basketball, dodgeball)
- Net and wall games (e.g. badminton)
- Striking and fielding (e.g. cricket)
- Athletics
- Dance and movement
Learning is sequenced so that children build on prior skills each year, revisiting and refining key techniques such as running, jumping, throwing, catching and movement patterns. Opportunities for competition, collaboration and personal challenge are embedded throughout.
Children are encouraged to develop not only their physical ability, but also resilience, teamwork, leadership and a positive attitude towards physical activity.
Early Years Foundation Stage
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, physical development is a prime area of learning and is central to children’s overall development, wellbeing and readiness for learning.
Children are provided with daily opportunities to develop both their gross and fine motor skills through a balance of structured teaching and continuous provision.
They learn to:
- Develop core strength, balance, coordination and agility
- Move confidently in a range of ways, including running, jumping, climbing and balancing
- Use equipment safely and effectively
- Begin to develop control and coordination in smaller movements
Through carefully planned activities, children explore movement in a range of contexts, including:
- Outdoor physical play and climbing
- Movement and dance activities
- Games that develop spatial awareness and coordination
- Fine motor activities that support early writing development
There is a strong emphasis on:
- Building physical confidence and independence
- Developing body control and awareness
- Establishing positive attitudes towards being active
Adults model and support language throughout, helping children to talk about movement, describe what they are doing and begin to understand how their bodies work.
Provision is designed to ensure that all children, including those with additional needs, are able to access and succeed in physical development through adaptation, support and repetition.
By the end of the Early Years, children demonstrate:
- Good control and coordination in both large and small movements
- The ability to move confidently and safely in a range of ways
- Increasing independence in managing their own physical needs
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, children develop the fundamental movement skills that underpin all future physical learning.
They learn to:
- Run, jump, throw and catch with increasing control
- Develop balance, coordination and agility
- Explore movement through dance and simple games
- Begin to understand rules and how to play safely
Children take part in a range of activities that build confidence and enjoyment, including simple team games, movement sequences and basic competitive activities.
There is a strong focus on:
- Developing coordination and control
- Exploring movement and space
- Building confidence and participation
These early experiences ensure children are ready to access more structured sports and tactical learning in Key Stage 2.
Lower Key Stage 2
In Lower Key Stage 2, children begin to apply and develop a broader range of skills across different sports and activities.
They learn to:
- Use running, jumping, throwing and catching in combination
- Develop control, coordination and consistency across activities
- Begin to apply simple tactics and strategies in games
- Work effectively as part of a team
Children experience a wide range of units, such as athletics, badminton, basketball, cricket and dance, where skills are developed progressively.
For example:
- In athletics, children develop techniques in running, jumping and throwing, including pacing and combining movements
- In games, children begin to understand how to use space, attack and defend, and work collaboratively
- In dance, children create and perform sequences that communicate ideas and emotions
There is a growing emphasis on:
- Decision making in game situations
- Applying skills in increasingly competitive contexts
- Understanding how physical activity affects the body
Upper Key Stage 2
In Upper Key Stage 2, children refine and apply their skills with increasing control, confidence and independence.
They learn to:
- Perform skills with accuracy, fluency and consistency
- Apply more advanced tactics and strategies in competitive games
- Evaluate their own and others’ performance
- Understand how to improve their physical performance
Children engage in more complex and competitive activities, including:
- Advanced invasion, net and striking games
- Athletics with a focus on performance and personal bests
- Dance sequences with greater creativity and expression
There is a strong focus on:
- Working strategically as part of a team
- Adapting skills to different situations
- Leading warm-ups and understanding fitness and health
By this stage, children are able to take greater ownership of their learning, demonstrating independence, resilience and a clear understanding of how to stay active and healthy.
Impact
By the time children leave St Paul’s, they have developed:
- A strong foundation in fundamental movement skills and physical competence
- The ability to apply skills, tactics and strategies across a range of sports
- Confidence to participate in both competitive and non-competitive physical activities
- An understanding of how physical activity supports health and wellbeing
Children can:
- Perform a wide range of physical skills with control, coordination and confidence
- Work effectively as part of a team, showing communication and cooperation
- Make decisions in games using tactics and spatial awareness
- Reflect on and improve their own performance
Children show clear progression over time, developing from basic movement skills in Key Stage 1 to confident, independent and thoughtful participants in physical activity by the end of Key Stage 2.
Most importantly, children leave with a positive attitude towards physical activity, understanding its importance for both physical and mental wellbeing, and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.