Physical Education

Link to long-term plan

At Arnot St Mary, we want every child to enjoy being active and develop the skills, confidence and motivation to lead a healthy, active life. Physical Education helps children discover their strengths, experience new challenges and recognise the benefits of movement for their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Rooted in our REAL values, PE provides opportunities to show resilience, work together, respect others and celebrate individual and team achievements.

Our PE curriculum

We use Get Set 4 PE to support a carefully sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge, skills and understanding from the Early Years to Year 6. A sports coach from Liverpool Football Club (LFC) delivers our PE curriculum, bringing specialist coaching expertise to lessons.

Our curriculum aims to help every child:

• Develop competence and confidence across a broad range of physical activities.

• Be physically active for sustained periods.

• Participate in competitive and cooperative activities.

• Understand how to lead a healthy, active life.

Children receive at least one taught PE session each week with our sports coach, with a second session provided wherever timetabling and facilities allow. Clubs, playtimes and wider activities offer further opportunities to be active.

Building skills progressively

In the Early Years, children develop fundamental movement skills through play and structured activities. They practise balancing, running, jumping, throwing and catching, while learning to move safely and share space and equipment.

In Key Stage 1, children develop greater control, coordination and confidence. They combine movements, practise simple tactics and learn to cooperate in games, dance and gymnastics.

In Key Stage 2, children refine their techniques and apply skills in increasingly challenging situations. They develop their understanding of rules, tactics and teamwork, create and perform movement sequences, and learn to evaluate and improve their performance.

Get Set 4 PE supports progression across activities such as games, athletics, dance, gymnastics and outdoor adventurous learning. Important skills are revisited so that children can practise, remember and apply them in different contexts.

Developing the whole child

Our approach develops children’s physical skills alongside their social, emotional and thinking skills.

Children learn to:

• Communicate, cooperate and contribute to a team.

• Persevere, practise and respond positively to feedback.

• Make decisions and solve problems during activities.

• Follow rules, demonstrate fair play and respect others.

• Recognise personal progress and handle winning and losing constructively.

Success includes developing a skill, making a thoughtful decision, supporting a teammate or approaching a new challenge with confidence.

How we teach PE

Lessons include clear demonstrations, guided practice and opportunities to apply skills through activities, sequences and games. Children learn relevant vocabulary and develop an understanding of how and why particular movements, techniques and tactics are effective.

Our LFC sports coach checks learning through observation, questioning and practical performance. Feedback helps children identify what they are doing well and what to practise next. Children also learn to reflect on their own performance and give constructive feedback to others.

PE for every child

We want every child to participate meaningfully and experience achievement. Activities are adapted through changes to space, equipment, rules, pace and support, while maintaining appropriate challenge.

Children with SEND and other additional needs receive support to develop their skills, confidence and independence. We encourage participation in ways that recognise different starting points and help children build a positive relationship with physical activity.

Healthy, active lives

Through PE and links with subjects such as science and PSHE, children learn how physical activity supports health and wellbeing. They explore the importance of preparation, safe movement, rest and recovery, and begin to recognise how their bodies respond to exercise.

We encourage children to discover activities they enjoy and develop habits that can continue beyond school.

Enrichment, clubs and competition

Our programme of after-school clubs offers children opportunities to develop their interests, try different activities and build their skills beyond lessons.

We host and attend competitions with local schools and participate in sporting festivals and events organised by external providers. These experiences offer opportunities for participation, teamwork, personal challenge and competitive sport.

Where available, outdoor and adventurous activities help children develop cooperation, problem-solving and confidence in unfamiliar settings.

By the time children leave Arnot St Mary, we want them to feel confident joining in, understand how to improve and enjoy being active - both independently and with others.