PE

Intent

At Rolls Crescent, our PE curriculum is underpinned by the CLIC trust 'active ingredients.' These active ingredients have been chosen using research-based evidence on how children learn and how they commit knowledge to their long-term memory.
We recognise the unique role Physical Education plays in the development of the whole child — physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. Our PE curriculum is underpinned by a clear rationale: to ensure that all children, regardless of background, need or starting point, leave us physically literate, resilient, and motivated to lead active, healthy lives.

Our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and responsive to our diverse, multicultural context. Key concepts such as movement and control, teamwork and fairness, fitness and health, resilience and reflection are taught explicitly and revisited throughout all key stages, supporting schema-building and helping pupils to know more and remember more over time.

The PE curriculum is designed to be coherently planned and sequenced, enabling children to build progressively on their prior knowledge and physical development. We ensure a balance of physical competence, cognitive understanding, and emotional wellbeing. Our provision reflects the NHS physical activity guidelines, and actively promotes both physical and mental wellbeing, offering opportunities for children to regulate, connect and flourish.

We explicitly plan for cultural capital by exposing children to a diverse range of physical activities, and opportunities to represent the school in competition or festival settings. We draw on the richness of our local area — including links to community clubs and role models — to raise aspirations, celebrate identity and broaden horizons.

Through Physical Education, we intend for pupils to:

• Develop physical competence through a broad and balanced range of activities.
• Build essential knowledge of tactics, rules, and movement principles.
• Explore values such as resilience, respect, fairness, and cooperation.
• Understand and articulate the benefits of an active lifestyle, both physically and mentally.
• Use subject-specific vocabulary to analyse, evaluate and improve performance.
• Engage in structured physical activity that contributes to daily activity guidelines and forms part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Implementation

Our PE curriculum is deliberately designed to meet the expectations of the National Curriculum while providing clear progression from EYFS to Year 6. It is structured around key domains of learning — physical skills, healthy lifestyles, cognitive understanding and personal development — and makes effective use of the Primary PE Passport, which supports curriculum coverage, teacher development and assessment.

Key features of implementation:

• Curriculum design builds schema by repeatedly revisiting key movement concepts and vocabulary over time (e.g. spatial awareness, coordination, attack/defence, control).
• Each unit identifies essential knowledge and is mapped against long-term progression documents to ensure coherence across year groups and key stages.
• Lessons begin by activating prior knowledge, and use bridge-back questions and regular retrieval routines to deepen understanding and secure long-term memory.
• The use of the “filing cabinet analogy” helps pupils make connections between prior and new learning, supporting cognitive organisation and schema development.
• Key vocabulary is explicitly taught, rehearsed in context, and retrieved throughout the unit.
• EYFS focuses on gross/fine motor development, spatial awareness, and core strength — aligning with the Prime Areas of Learning.
• In KS1, children develop secure fundamental movement skills through play and structured lessons. In KS2, these skills are transferred into increasingly complex activities and sports contexts.
• Apart from Year 4, pupils access two hours of structured PE per week, delivered by the class teacher. Activities include dance, athletics, gymnastics, games, OAA and fitness.
• Swimming is delivered weekly for Year 4 throughout the year, taught by specialist instructors at a local pool. Pupils are supported to meet or exceed the national requirement of 25m plus safe self-rescue.
• Teachers adapt teaching responsively to meet the needs of SEND and EAL pupils, using clear modelling, visuals, repetition, and graduated challenge. Every pupil is supported to access the full curriculum. The STEP principle is encouraged for adults and children to self adapt.
• PE provision includes opportunities for leadership, competition, and collaboration, including intra- and inter-school events, sports crew roles and enrichment clubs.
• A diverse and inclusive offer of after-school clubs supports wider participation and pupil interest, co-planned with School Council, ensuring representation and engagement across all groups.

Impact

The impact of our PE curriculum is evaluated through a range of strategies including pupil voice, lesson visits, video evidence, teacher feedback, and assessments via PE Passport.

Children at Rolls Crescent:

• Demonstrate improved physical competency, including control, coordination, balance, and game understanding.
• Can confidently articulate their learning using age-appropriate technical vocabulary and demonstrate how prior knowledge links to new tasks.
• Understand the mental and physical benefits of exercise and show growing confidence in using physical activity for regulation, resilience and stress relief.
• Show high levels of engagement, motivation and teamwork, both in lessons and in wider sporting opportunities.
• Achieve well over time, knowing more and remembering more due to regular retrieval, sequencing, and schema-building strategies.
• Participate in physical activity beyond the curriculum — through clubs, playground games, or community sport — reflecting increased motivation and self-esteem.
• Leave the school physically literate, equipped with the knowledge, motivation, and competence to continue participating in physical activity throughout secondary school and beyond.

As part of our curriculum monitoring cycle, the subject lead evaluates provision termly through drop-ins, planning scrutiny, pupil discussion and tracking of participation data (especially for disadvantaged, EAL and SEND groups). This informs continuous improvement and ensures PE remains a high-quality, inclusive, and essential part of the curriculum offer at Rolls Crescent.

• PE Curriculum Impact download_for_offline
  download_for_offlinePE Curriculum Impact