PHYSICAL EDUCATION
PE
'Learning Gods Way'
Intent
At St Mary’s Primary School, we believe that Physical Education, delivered in a safe and inclusive environment, is essential to children’s physical, emotional and social development. Our curriculum is designed to inspire all children to enjoy, succeed and participate in PE. It supports their well-being, promotes lifelong healthy habits, and develops fundamental movement skills applicable across a range of sports and physical contexts.
Through PE, we aim to foster resilience, teamwork, cooperation and communication skills, while also teaching values such as fairness, equity, respect, and sportsmanship. All children are encouraged to develop confidence, strive for personal excellence and celebrate both effort and achievement. PE also equips pupils with life skills, including water safety and the ability to swim competently.
Our aim is that children leave our school with the confidence, knowledge and skills to lead active, healthy lives and to enjoy sport and physical activity in a wide range of contexts.
Implementation
We provide a broad and balanced PE curriculum that includes a range of activities. PE is taught covering both indoor and outdoor disciplines. We follow a structured scheme of work - The PE Hub, which builds knowledge and skills progressively from EYFS to Year 6.
In EYFS, physical development is supported through targeted provision and a discrete PE lesson that focuses on fundamental skills such as balance, coordination, and movement following lessons from our chosen scheme The PE Hub. In KS1, children build on these foundations and begin to engage in structured games and explore basic tactics. In KS2, children refine and apply their skills in more complex and competitive contexts and develop their ability to evaluate performance and set goals.
Swimming lessons are delivered in Year 1-6, where children are taught to swim competently and confidently over at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in water-based situations. Year 5 have the opportunity to take part in an extended period of swimming lessons and we provide catch up session to support those working towards achieving 25m.
PE is fully inclusive and adapted where necessary to ensure every child can access and succeed. Activities are differentiated to support and challenge all learners. Assessment is ongoing and supports teachers in planning and tracking progress, using tools such as The PE Hub assessment and reporting tool/process.
Enrichment opportunities include extra-curricular clubs, inter- and intra-school competitions, and enrichment experiences such as taster sessions in alternative activities delivered by coaches such as dance, football and cheerleading. Leadership roles such as Sports Leaders or Playground Pals give children responsibility and ownership. Initiatives like the Daily Mile and Forest School help to increase overall activity levels across the school.
Impact
At St Mary's we assess impact through pupil progress, engagement, and wider personal development. Teachers use formative and summative assessment to track skills, knowledge, and effort, supported by The PE Hub assessment and reporting tool or tracker tool. At the end of each unit, children are judged as working towards, meeting, or exceeding age-related expectations. We expect pupils to reflect on their progress, show resilience and take pride in personal achievements. Participation in extracurricular clubs and events is celebrated and additional sessions are provided with a focus on supporting and engaging those with SEND, SEMH or from disadvantaged backgrounds. PE also supports teamwork, communication, and leadership, underpinned by values such as resilience and respect which are promoted in lessons, clubs and competitions. We celebrate pupil success through assemblies and newsletters helping to build a positive culture of physical activity.
