Intent

Why do we teach this?

Physical Education helps children to build confidence, resilience, teamwork and self-discipline while developing fundamental movement skills and physical competence. We want pupils to understand the importance of being active for both physical and mental wellbeing, while encouraging them to challenge themselves, persevere and enjoy participation in a wide range of sports and activities.

Why do we teach it in the way that we do?

At Our Lady of Lourdes, we believe that every child should be given the opportunity to flourish physically, emotionally and socially. We aim to inspire children to develop a lifelong love of physical activity and healthy living, while understanding the importance of caring for their bodies as part of their responsibility as stewards of God’s creation. We teach Physical Education in a progressive, inclusive and engaging way that supports all pupils to develop competence, confidence and enjoyment in physical activity. Lessons are carefully sequenced to build knowledge, skills and understanding across different areas of PE, including games, gymnastics, dance, athletics and outdoor activities.

Our PE curriculum is rooted in our school’s five core values:

 

Implementation

How do we implement our vision in our school?

We teach the aims of the Early Years Framework (2026) and the National Curriculum (2014), which provide a broad framework and outline the knowledge and skills taught in Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. We use the Complete PE scheme to support the delivery of our Physical Education curriculum.

What does it look like in our classrooms?

In Early Years, children develop their physical skills through play, movement, outdoor learning and adult-led activities within continuous provision. Children are encouraged to develop balance, coordination, control and spatial awareness through a range of active experiences.

From Reception through to Year 6, pupils follow a progressive PE curriculum that develops fundamental movement skills, tactical understanding, teamwork and physical fitness. Children participate in a broad range of activities, including invasion games, net and wall games, striking and fielding, gymnastics, dance, athletics and outdoor adventurous activities.

Lessons encourage active participation, collaboration and reflection, helping children to build resilience, confidence and sportsmanship. Pupils are also given opportunities to participate in extra-curricular clubs, competitions and sporting events throughout the school year.

Our lessons follow a clear five-part structure:

1. Review of Knowledge
We begin each lesson by revisiting prior learning through carefully chosen questions and tasks that require pupils to recall and apply previously taught knowledge. This strengthens retrieval, builds secure foundations and supports knowledge being retained in long-term memory.

2. Direct Instruction – 'I Do'
Teachers introduce new learning in small, manageable steps through clear explanations, questioning, modelling and worked examples. Appropriate scaffolds are provided to ensure all pupils can access new knowledge while being appropriately challenged.

3. Guided Practice – 'We Do'
Pupils practise new knowledge and skills alongside the teacher through carefully structured activities. Teachers continually check for understanding, provide additional models, scaffolds and checklists where needed, and address misconceptions before independent learning begins.

4. Independent Practice – 'You Do'
Pupils apply their learning independently using models, scaffolds and success criteria appropriate to their needs. This enables children to develop confidence, apply new knowledge and skills, and become increasingly independent learners.

5. Self-Review and Response to Feedback
Each lesson ends with time for pupils to review their own work using success criteria or checklists and respond to feedback. This encourages pupils to become reflective learners by identifying strengths, correcting errors, addressing misconceptions and deepening their understanding, while also providing teachers with valuable assessment information to inform future planning and teaching.

Teachers use a range of assessment for learning strategies to monitor understanding throughout lessons and provide verbal feedback ‘in the moment’ to support progress. Assessment is based on physical competence, teamwork, understanding of tactics and children’s ability to apply skills effectively in different contexts.

Impact

At Our Lady of Lourdes, we measure success not only in the skills and knowledge pupils develop, but in the kind of people they are becoming. We know our curriculum is working when our children:

• can talk confidently about what they have learned, using subject-specific vocabulary
• show clear progress in physical skills, coordination and teamwork
• can explain how exercise and physical activity contribute to a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing
• show competence in selecting and applying skills, tactics and strategies in different activities and sports
• have acquired the knowledge and skills to build on in the next stage of their education
• approach physical activity with confidence, perseverance and a desire to do their very best
• respond to success and challenge with resilience, respect and good sportsmanship
• understand the importance of teamwork, fairness and supporting others in physical activity and sport

How do we monitor and review the impact of PE at our school?

The PE subject leader uses the following lines of enquiry to assess the impact of the PE curriculum:

• The profile of physical development in Early Year
• Opportunities for physical activity in the indoor and outdoor classroom environments in Early Years
• The quality of physical skills and teamwork across the school
• PE assessment data
• Evidence of the profile of PE and sport around our school
• Discussions with pupils and evaluations of their confidence and enjoyment in PE#
• Discussions with teachers
• Learning behaviour in PE lessons
• Culture of physical activity and healthy living across the school
• Opportunities for extra-curricular sports clubs and competitions