Intent

At Steeple Claydon School, our aim is to design an ambitious, inclusive and well-sequenced PE curriculum that ensures all pupils — regardless of background, starting point or need — achieve well and develop the knowledge, skills and vocabulary they need to succeed, and to live healthy and active lives.

Our curriculum intent is to:

• enable secure, deep learning through carefully selected disciplinary knowledge and concepts;
• develop confident, independent learners with strong learning behaviours and resilience,
• provide all pupils with the opportunity to develop physically, socially and emotionally within a supportive and inclusive environment.
• ensure the curriculum is accessible and equitable for SEND, EAL and disadvantaged pupils;
• ensure pupils experience a broad and enriching curriculum that builds cultural capital and supports their personal development;
• support children’s well-being, curiosity and sense of belonging through meaningful sporting experiences.

We aim to ensure that all pupils:

- Develop competence in a broad range of physical activities

- Are physically active for sustained periods of time

- Engage in competitive sport and cooperative activities

- Lead healthy, active lifestyles

Physical Education develops children’s knowledge, skills and understanding, so that they can perform with increasing competence and confidence in a range of physical activities. These include fundamental movement skills, dance, gymnastics, games, swimming and water safety, athletics and outdoor adventure activities. Physical education promotes an understanding in children of their bodies in action. It involves thinking, selecting and applying skills, and it promotes positive attitudes towards a healthy lifestyle. We enable the children to make informed choices about physical activity throughout their lives.

The objectives of teaching P.E. in Steeple Claydon is to enable children to develop and explore physical skills with increasing control and coordination, to encourage children to work and play with others in a range of group situations, to develop the way children perform skills, and apply rules and conventions, for different activities. To show children how to improve the quality and control of their performance, to teach children to recognise and describe how their bodies feel during exercise, to develop the children’s enjoyment of physical activity through creativity and imagination, to develop an understanding in children of how to succeed in a range of physical activities, and how to evaluate their own success.

Our intent reflects the aims of the National Curriculum and our local school context. It prepares pupils for the next stage of learning and for life beyond primary education.

Implementation

Curriculum Design and Sequencing

Our PE curriculum is delivered through a structured, progressive programme that ensures full coverage of the National Curriculum. We use the planning developed by the specialist Sports Coaches at S4A. We use S4A as a core framework to support the teaching of PE, ensuring National Curriculum requirements are met. Teachers and Sports coaches review and adapt the framework to ensure it meets the needs of our pupils and aligns with our school context. Teachers and Sports coaches then further adapt and enhance the plans within lessons, responding to pupils’ emerging needs and ensuring a high-quality, personalised approach that addresses barriers to learning.

Teaching & Learning

Sports coaches deliver one lesson a week whilst class teachers deliver the second. Coaches and teachers work collaboratively to ensure consistency and fidelity across all PE lessons. 

We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in P.E. lessons. Our aim is to develop the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding, and we do this through a mixture of whole-class teaching and individual or group activities.

Every lesson includes:

Engagement – a high-paced warm up

Development – developing the new skills and knowledge taught

Application – applying the new skills and knowledge taught

Plenary – review, consulate and reflect on learning.

We draw attention to good examples of individual performance as models for other children, and we encourage the children to evaluate their own work as well as the work of other children. Within lessons, we give the children the opportunity both to collaborate and to compete with each other, and they have the opportunity to use a wide range of resources.

Inclusion (SEND, EAL, Disadvantaged)

We maintain high ambition for all pupils by ensuring:

• Explicit vocabulary instruction and visual resources support language development;
• Higher-attaining pupils receive challenges that deepen thinking and application.
• Curriculum content remains the same for SEND and EAL pupils, with scaffolds rather than simplification;
• Adaptive teaching ensures inclusion for all pupils

We provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies.

1. Setting common tasks that are open-ended and can have a variety of results (e.g. timed events, such as 80m sprint)

2. Setting tasks of increasing difficulty, where not all children complete all tasks. Grouping children by ability, and setting different tasks for each group (e.g. different games, progression and digression)

3. Providing a range of challenges through the provision of different resources (e.g. different gymnastics equipment).

Assessment & Monitoring of Learning

Ongoing formative assessment by both teachers and sports coaches informs teaching. 

Subject leaders monitor teaching, pupil outcomes, planning and progression to ensure the curriculum is delivered effectively. Staff receive ongoing CPD to strengthen subject knowledge and pedagogy. Working collaboratively with sports coaches from S4A, leaders regularly review the curriculum, adapting units annually in response to evaluation and emerging needs. Governors are kept informed of strengths, developments and priority areas within the subject.

Behaviour, Engagement & Well-being in Learning

Embedded within teaching are:

• Clear routines that promote focus and positive learning behaviours;
• High expectations for engagement, effort and collaboration;
• Opportunities for pupils to build confidence, resilience and independence;
• Supportive, calm learning environments that enable all pupils to succeed.
• Enrichment through lunchtime and after-school clubs, opportunities to attend regular sports-specific festivals and sports leader and play-leader opportunities for upper KS2 children.

Leadership & Quality Assurance (within the subject)

Both Subject leaders and senior coaches from S4A monitor teaching, pupil outcomes, planning and progression to ensure the curriculum is delivered effectively. Staff receive ongoing CPD to strengthen subject knowledge and pedagogy. Leaders regularly review the curriculum, adapting units annually in response to evaluation and emerging needs. Governors are kept informed of strengths, developments and priority areas within the subject.

The implementation of the subject is further detailed in the PE non-negotiables document.

Impact

The impact of the curriculum is seen in:

• Pupils’ secure knowledge, skills and vocabulary, demonstrated through work, talk and application;
• Strong progress from starting points for all groups, including SEND, EAL and disadvantaged pupils;
• High-quality outcomes that reflect depth of understanding and pride in their sporting achievements
• Pupils who can articulate their learning confidently and explain concepts using subject-specific vocabulary;
• Positive learning behaviours, independence and perseverance, and a positive pupil voice;
• Sustained engagement and attendance in lessons, reflecting enjoyment and motivation;
• Pupils who are ready for the next stage of their education, meeting or exceeding age-related expectations.
• Impact is monitored through:
• Work scrutiny, assessment data, pupil voice, teacher feedback, and lesson visits;
• analysis of progress for groups and individuals;
• evaluation of the balance, breadth and ambition of the curriculum;
• annual subject reviews identifying strengths and next steps.

Pupils leave Steeple Claydon school:

- Physically confident and competent

- With a clear understanding of how to lead healthy, active lives