PE

Curriculum Intent

Our PE curriculum aims to ensure that every pupil can succeed, participate and make progress in a broad range of physical activities. We want children to develop secure movement foundations, increasing control and coordination, and the ability to apply skills in games, dance, gymnastics, athletics, outdoor activity and swimming where appropriate. PE also develops teamwork, communication, resilience, leadership and respect for rules and others. Competition is taught positively, helping pupils learn to perform under pressure, respond to success and disappointment and demonstrate fair play. Alongside physical competence, pupils learn why activity, exercise and healthy choices matter. The curriculum is inclusive and designed to help pupils experience success at an appropriate level while maintaining ambition. By the time pupils leave Rookery, they should have the physical literacy, confidence, knowledge and positive attitudes needed to participate in sport and physical activity at secondary school and throughout later life.

Curriculum Implementation

Physical Education is implemented through a progressive programme that develops pupils’ physical competence, confidence and understanding of healthy, active lifestyles. Pupils build fundamental movement skills including agility, balance, coordination, running, jumping, throwing and catching, and apply these with increasing control in games, gymnastics, dance, athletics and other physical activities. They also learn about rules, tactics, teamwork, leadership, fair play and how to evaluate and improve performance.

Learning is sequenced so that secure movement foundations are established before pupils apply skills in increasingly complex activities, combinations and competitive situations. Core movement patterns are revisited while expectations for technique, decision-making, tactical understanding and performance increase. Swimming provision supports pupils in working towards the statutory end-of-key-stage expectations for swimming competence, confidence and water safety.

Lessons combine clear demonstration, purposeful practice, feedback and opportunities to apply learning. Teachers break complex movements into manageable components, model safe and effective technique and provide sufficient practice for pupils to develop fluency. Pair, group and team activities develop communication and cooperation, while appropriate competition enables pupils to apply skills and tactics. Teachers assess performance through observation and questioning and adapt tasks so that pupils receive suitable support and challenge while remaining engaged in ambitious physical learning.

Reading, Vocabulary & Oracy

PE has its own subject vocabulary, including movement, technique, tactics, rules, fitness and evaluation language. Teachers model these terms and require pupils to use them when describing performance, giving feedback and explaining decisions. Structured talk before and after practical activity helps pupils develop clearer understanding of how and why skills are performed.

Inclusion & Adaptation

Adaptations ensure pupils with different starting points can participate meaningfully in the same curriculum goals. Teachers may adjust equipment, space, task complexity, groupings, demonstrations or the amount of repetition without removing the core learning. Pupils with SEND are supported to build competence and confidence, while pupils with greater prior experience are challenged through precision, tactical decision-making, leadership and evaluation. Safety and dignity remain central to all adaptations.

Assessment

Assessment is primarily formative and happens through observation, questioning, pupil demonstration and performance in applied contexts. Teachers consider whether pupils can perform key skills with increasing control, understand rules and tactics and transfer learning into games or routines. Assessment information informs future practice and helps identify pupils who need additional opportunities to secure foundations. Swimming outcomes and participation information are monitored separately where required.

Enrichment & Wider Opportunities

Curriculum PE is complemented by clubs, lunchtime activity, school competitions and opportunities to represent the school. The source also refers to daily physical activity such as the Daily Mile and playground games. These experiences should broaden participation, help pupils discover activities they enjoy and strengthen links between physical activity, wellbeing, teamwork and the wider school community.

Curriculum Impact

Impact is evident when pupils perform age-appropriate skills with increasing fluency, make informed decisions in physical contexts and participate confidently and safely. Pupils should understand fair play, cooperate effectively, evaluate performance and recognise the importance of an active lifestyle. They should have experienced a broad range of physical activity and be prepared to continue participating at secondary school. Leaders review impact through lesson evidence, pupil voice, participation, assessment and statutory swimming information, considering whether all groups have equitable access and whether less-active or less-confident pupils are supported to engage.