PE

PE Intent, Implementation & Impact

Intent

The intent of our Physical Education curriculum is to inspire pupils to lead active, healthy lifestyles and to develop a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity. We aim to provide a rich, engaging, and coherent PE programme that allows children to:

• Develop physical competence and confidence: Build a range of fundamental movement skills and develop proficiency in different sports and physical activities.
• Promote health and wellbeing: Understand the importance of regular physical activity, healthy habits, and personal fitness.
• Foster teamwork and collaboration: Learn to work effectively with others, developing communication, leadership, and sportsmanship skills.
• Encourage resilience and personal challenge: Set goals, take risks, and persevere to improve performance and self-confidence.

In the Early Years, our intent is to introduce foundational movement skills through play-based activities. Children are encouraged to explore balance, coordination, and spatial awareness through games, dance, and guided physical activities. This provides a strong foundation for more structured PE learning in later years.

Implementation

Curriculum Design

We have a clear progression framework from Early Years to Year 6, covering team and individual sports, dance, gymnastics, outdoor adventure, and fitness.

• In Early Years, children develop fundamental skills through play, obstacle courses, and games.

Teaching Strategies

• Lessons use demonstration, modelling, games, and guided practice to enhance engagement.
• Pupils are taught to reflect on performance, set goals, and evaluate improvement.

Experiential Learning

• Sports days, competitions, and community events provide real-world experiences.
• Activities encourage creativity, including choreographed dances, collaborative games, and fitness challenges.
• In Early Years, children participate in outdoor learning and mini-sports events.

Adaptive Teaching

• Adaptive teaching strategies ensure that pupils of all abilities can access and enjoy PE.
• Lessons are differentiated through varied activities, equipment, and challenges, allowing all pupils to develop at their own pace.

Assessment and Feedback

• Formative assessments monitor skill development, fitness, and engagement. Feedback encourages reflection and improvement.
• Assessments track progress against national curriculum expectations, allowing for targeted support where needed.

Impact

The impact of our PE curriculum is measured through various outcomes and indicators:

Pupil Engagement and Enthusiasm

• Observations show high levels of enjoyment and participation during PE lessons. Pupils demonstrate motivation to improve skills and participate actively in all activities.

Knowledge Retention and Understanding

• Assessment data indicates that pupils consistently achieve age-related expectations in PE. They can demonstrate skills confidently, understand rules, and apply techniques effectively.

Skills Development

• Pupils leave St Thomas’ with well-developed physical skills, including coordination, agility, balance, and teamwork. They are able to set goals, evaluate their performance, and develop resilience.
• In Early Years, children exhibit emerging confidence in fundamental movement skills and can engage in simple team games and physical challenges.

Health, Wellbeing, and Personal Development

• Through their learning, pupils develop a strong understanding of personal health, fitness, and the importance of regular activity. They demonstrate positive attitudes towards active lifestyles.

Community Involvement

• The curriculum fosters connections with the local community through inter-school competitions, sports clubs, and events, enhancing the relevance of PE in pupils’ lives.

In summary, our intent, implementation, and impact statements reflect our commitment to delivering an outstanding PE curriculum that not only meets the educational standards set by Ofsted but also nurtures physically confident, healthy, and socially responsible pupils prepared to engage actively with their own wellbeing and that of others.

Overview of PE

Progression of Skills in PE

The national curriculum for physical education aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
• Are physically active for sustained periods of time
• Engage in competitive sports and activities
• Lead healthy, active lives.

Attainment Targets

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study. Schools are not required by law to teach the example content in [square brackets].

Subject Content

Key Stage 1

Pupils should develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They should be able to engage in competitive (both against self and against others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations.

Pupils should be taught to:

• Master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities
• Participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending
• Perform dances using simple movement patterns.

Key Stage 2

Pupils should continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.

Pupils should be taught to:

• Use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
• Play competitive games, modified where appropriate [for example, badminton
• Basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis], and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
• Develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics]
• Perform dances using a range of movement patterns
• Take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team
• Compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

All schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or key stage 2. In particular, pupils should be taught to: 

• Swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres 
• Use a range of strokes effectively [for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke] 
• Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

This long term progression map connects each of our units to the strands of the National Curriculum. At the top of each page is the corresponding NC strand alongside the units designed to fulfil it.

PE in the Early Years

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Physical Education (PE) is not taught as a separate subject but is part of the Physical Development area of learning. Through active play and movement, children build strength, coordination, and confidence in their bodies. PE in the EYFS helps children develop control, balance, and spatial awareness, laying the foundations for a healthy and active lifestyle.

Children develop gross motor skills by running, jumping, climbing, and balancing in both indoor and outdoor spaces. They use equipment such as bikes, balls, climbing frames, and obstacle courses to practise moving in different ways and with increasing confidence. These activities help them explore how their bodies work and move, while developing stamina and resilience.

Fine motor development is also supported through activities like throwing and catching, threading, using tweezers, and mark-making. These strengthen the hands and fingers, supporting later skills such as writing and self-care.

Dance and movement to music help children express themselves creatively. They learn to move rhythmically, follow patterns, and explore how their bodies respond to different sounds and moods. Action songs, rhymes, and role play also support physical development while building coordination and memory.

Through simple games and group activities, children begin to follow instructions, take turns, and understand basic rules. They learn how to move safely in shared spaces, developing awareness of themselves and others. Activities such as yoga, mindfulness, and movement stories help children to develop control, focus, and a sense of calm.

Children are also encouraged to understand the importance of physical activity for their health. They begin to notice how exercise affects their bodies - such as feeling out of breath or their hearts beating faster - and talk about why keeping active is important. Alongside this, they learn about healthy eating, hygiene, and self-care as part of developing independence and well-being.

Throughout these experiences, children develop physical skills, confidence, and self-awareness. They use vocabulary like “fast,” “slow,” “stretch,” “balance,” and “jump,” and begin to talk about what their bodies can do. Practitioners support this through modelling, encouragement, and planned opportunities for both free and structured movement, helping children to build physical competence in a fun and age-appropriate way.

Achievements & Celebrations in PE