“The body achieves what the mind believes.” — Unknown
At Abingdon, Physical Education develops more than physical skills. It gives children the knowledge, confidence and experiences they need to move well, stay healthy, work with others and enjoy being active.
We want every child to see themselves as someone who can participate, improve and belong in physical activity. PE provides opportunities to develop physical competence alongside resilience, teamwork, communication, self-discipline and confidence.
A broad and progressive curriculum
Our PE curriculum is delivered through the Get Set 4 PE progression framework, providing a clear and progressive journey of physical development from Reception to Year 6. Lessons build knowledge, skills and understanding over time, enabling children to become increasingly confident and competent movers.
Our curriculum reflects the National Curriculum expectation that high-quality PE should enable pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and physically demanding activities, while developing physical confidence in ways that support health and fitness.
Children progressively develop:
- fundamental movement skills, including running, jumping, throwing and catching;
- balance, agility and coordination;
- games skills and increasingly sophisticated tactics;
- dance and movement;
- gymnastics;
- athletics;
- swimming and water safety;
- teamwork, communication and leadership;
- the ability to compete both against themselves and others;
- the ability to cooperate, follow rules and demonstrate fairness and respect.
The progression from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 is deliberate. Children move from developing and applying fundamental movement skills towards greater competence, confidence, tactical understanding and independence in increasingly challenging situations.
Key Stage 1: building the foundations
In Key Stage 1, children develop the fundamental movement skills that underpin future physical activity. They learn to:
- run, jump, throw and catch;
- develop balance, agility and coordination;
- apply these skills in different activities and contexts;
- participate in team games and begin to understand simple attacking and defending tactics;
- perform dances using simple movement patterns;
- participate in both competitive and cooperative activities.
These experiences build the physical and social foundations for future participation.
Key Stage 2: applying, refining and competing
In Key Stage 2, children continue to refine their fundamental movement skills and apply them with increasing confidence and control.
They develop their ability to:
- perform and combine movements with greater accuracy and fluency;
- apply skills in increasingly challenging situations;
- develop and use tactics in team games;
- work effectively with others;
- compete against themselves and others;
- perform and develop dance and movement sequences;
- demonstrate fairness, respect and positive sporting behaviours.
The intention is not simply that children can perform a skill. It is that they can apply it, adapt it, make decisions and use it purposefully.
Every child participates
PE is for every child.
We deliberately remove barriers to participation so that children of different abilities, experiences and starting points can experience success. Adaptations to equipment, space, grouping, teaching and challenge enable children to participate meaningfully without lowering expectations.
The ambition remains high; the route to achieving it may be different.
Our approach recognises that participation itself matters. A child who develops the confidence to join in, have a go, work with others and persevere when something is difficult is developing skills that reach far beyond the PE lesson.
Beyond the PE lesson
Our commitment to physical activity is strengthened through a wider school offer. Children have opportunities to represent the school and participate in both competitive and non-competitive local events, ensuring that competition is one part of a much broader culture of participation.
Swimming provides an important part of this entitlement, developing both physical competence and essential water safety.
Our extensive after-school provision provides further opportunities for children to discover activities, develop interests, practise skills and experience the commitment that comes from belonging to a team or club. The offer creates multiple routes into physical activity so that children can find something that motivates them.
Our Personal Development Lead supports the wider development of PE, while external expertise is used where it can further strengthen the quality and breadth of our provision.
Character, wellbeing and Armour for Life
The National Curriculum recognises that competition can build character and develop values such as fairness and respect. At Abingdon, these are deliberately taught through our wider Personal Development approach.
Children learn to follow rules, communicate, cooperate, handle success and disappointment, solve problems and show resilience. They learn that being active is not simply about winning. It is about participating, improving, supporting others and responding positively to challenge.
PE therefore makes a significant contribution to our Armour for Life. Children develop practical independence, self-management, teamwork, responsibility and an understanding of how physical activity contributes to lifelong health and wellbeing.
For some children, sport and physical activity also provide a powerful route into friendship, confidence and school community. Children learn to encourage others, include different abilities and interests, resolve minor disagreements and contribute positively to a shared experience.
Living our ARCH through PE
Physical Education provides a natural context for living our values:
- Aspirations – setting goals, developing skills and believing that improvement is possible.
- Resilience – keeping going when a skill is difficult, a game does not go as planned or a result is disappointing.
- Harmony – working as a team, including others, respecting opponents and celebrating collective success.
- Commitment – practising, participating consistently, following rules and taking responsibility for ourselves and others.
Through PE, children learn to move, participate, compete, collaborate and lead.
Our aim is that every child leaves Abingdon with greater physical confidence, positive attitudes towards activity and the knowledge that being active can contribute to lifelong health and wellbeing.
Belong → Participate → Move → Collaborate → Persevere → Flourish → Thrive → Achieve.
PE Progression Documents
Please find the link to the Physical Education programme of study https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239040/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Physical_education.pdf
