Aims – Our Intent
The study and practise of Physical Education at Ashurst CE Aided Primary School develops children’s abilities to explore, appreciate and understand the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle and lifelong participation in physical activity and sport.
As they progress from EYFS through KS1 and into KS2 children practise and refine key skills before applying them in different contexts both individually and as a team.
It is our aim for the children to:
- develop competence and control in both gross and fine motor skills in order to extend their agility, balance and coordination.
- develop as successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
- become effective participants both as individuals and as part of a team or group.
- select and use skills and tactics as appropriate.
- begin to develop their understanding of risk in order for them to participate safely and independently in physical activity.
- understand that PE and sport are an important part of a healthy, active lifestyle.
- begin to understand the contribution physical activity has on having a healthy body and mind.
- develop an understanding of how to improve their performance and how to evaluate and recognise their own success.
- develop stamina, suppleness, strength and the mental capacity (determination and resilience) to keep going.
- be able to swim 25m by the end of KS2.
Teaching and Learning Approaches – Our Implementation
Physical education is an essential contributor to the development of the whole child and helps children develop personally and socially. Through a high-quality physical education programme children develop physical competence and confidence and are given opportunities to be physically educated and become physically literate. This in turn contributes to the personal development, health and well-being, enjoyment, success and achievement of all children across the whole curriculum and beyond.
The Early Years Foundation Stage
Physical development within the EYFS framework is one of three prime areas for learning. These include:
Moving and handling – Children are given opportunities to develop good control and co-ordination in small and large movements e.g pushing, patting, throwing and catching. They learn how to balance and to move confidently and safely in a range of ways, negotiating spaces and each other.
Health and self-care – children have opportunities to talk about and discuss the importance of being well, in good health, eating a healthy range of foods and of physical exercise. Children learn how they can make healthy choices in relation to healthy eating and exercise. They are encouraged to dress and undress independently, successfully managing fastening buttons or laces.
In KS1 and KS2 children build on their skills and face up to different challenges as individuals and in groups and teams, developing concepts of fairness and of personal and social responsibility. Children take on different roles and responsibilities, including leadership, officiating and coaching. They become more able to discuss and give examples of positive attitudes towards a healthy and active lifestyle. Children learn how to think in different ways and make decisions in response to creative, competitive and challenging activities. They learn how to reflect on their performance, plan, perform and evaluate actions, ideas and performances to improve the quality of their work.
PE Planning
The school has a long term PE plan which includes the main objectives of the curriculum that children will learn in EYFS, KS1, LKS2 and UKS2. The objectives are progressive and linked directly to the National Curriculum Framework. PE, like other subjects at Ashurst is taught in vertically grouped classes. This provides opportunities for differentiation and peer learning. Activities and learning opportunities are maximised so that children experience a wide range of physical activities, these may be in a half term block in school or weekly sessions utilising outside provision e.g. swimming and some gymnastic skills. We plan so that over the school year children have at least, if not more than, the government’s recommended time allocation for PE.
SEND Provision and Equal Opportunities
There are children of differing ability at Ashurst. We recognise this fact and provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child.
Children identified as needing extra support in PE will be given appropriate help to access the PE curriculum. Planning in PE takes into account the differing abilities of the group and children’s learning will be supported to enable them to learn, make progress and be successful. Children will be provided with challenges matched to their needs through a range of teaching strategies and different equipment.
Ashurst C of E Aided Primary School, has universal ambitions for every child, whatever their background or circumstances. Children learn and thrive when they are healthy, safe and engaged. In order to engage all children cultural diversity, home languages, gender and religious beliefs are all celebrated. Our curriculum includes a wide range of texts and other resources which represent the diversity and backgrounds of all our children.
Outcomes – Our Impact
At Ashurst we strive to enable our children to be fully literate and articulate; children who are prepared for their secondary education and later life. Through engaging lessons, we aim to foster a love of PE and for children to develop the skills to work independently or collaboratively. Children will be able to ask, as well as answer, questions relating to physical activity, physical safety and keeping healthy. Children are knowledgeable about key Local, National and International sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup. They engage freely and respectfully in discussions with guests to elicit more information and are respectful of others experiences.
They consider the different roles played by people at sporting events including teams, captains, referees and their assistants and coaches. Children have opportunities for completion appropriate to their individual stage of development.
Ashurst children are encouraged to have a growth mind-set and to develop the skills of perseverance and resilience. All children in KS1 and KS2 have access to an after-school programme of sporting activities which extends and enriches the curriculum and provides additional opportunities for progress and success. Children have the confidence to get involved in PE and sport and are committed to making it a central part of their lives both in and out of school. Children are encouraged to reflect on their aptitudes, abilities and preferences and make informed choices about how to get involved in lifelong physical activity.
All children deserve the opportunity to experience happy, fulfilled and successful lives. At Ashurst CE Aided Primary we acknowledge that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health.
At Ashurst CE Aided Primary we nurture our bodies, minds, each other and our environment. By providing opportunities for learning outdoors, we aim to connect children and staff with their natural environment. We embrace the benefits this brings for mental health and physical and emotional wellbeing.
We promote pupils’ self-control and ability to self-regulate, and recommend strategies for doing so. This will enable them to become confident in their ability to achieve well and persevere even when they encounter setbacks or when their goals are distant, and to respond calmly and rationally to setbacks and challenges. This integrated, whole-school approach to the teaching and promotion of health and wellbeing has the potential to positively impact on behaviour and attainment.
Pupils are also taught about the benefits of hobbies, interests and participation in their own communities. We encourage children to recognise that they are social beings and that spending time with others, taking opportunities to consider the needs of others and practising service to others, including in organised and structured activities and groups, are beneficial for health and wellbeing. Engaging in activities that promote mental well-being can indirectly contribute to improving overall health by alleviating stress, improving sleep patterns, improving attention span and boosting the immune system.
Children are inspired to follow their dreams when they leave school, whether that be to secure a job, begin vocational training or go on to further education.
At Ashurst CE Aided primary School we recognise that we have a shared responsibility to prepare our children to achieve mental, physical and economic wellbeing in a local, national and global context.
It is important that pupils are taught, and understand, the benefits to mental wellbeing of physical exercise and time spent outdoors. PE in all forms contributes to positive mental health and wellbeing by developing resilience and strengthening our bodies. Physical activity is known to benefit mental health by releasing endorphins and reducing stress.
Team sports require cooperation and communication and foster a sense of community and belonging whilst creative movement and dance affords pupils the opportunity to express their emotions physically.
By teaching pupils about physical health and mental wellbeing we aim to give them the information that they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing. It enables them to recognise what is normal and what is an issue in themselves and others and, when issues arise, know how to seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.
Cultural Capital:
At Ashurst we aim to support every child to gain the confidence and the ability to understand and contribute to a varied cultural awareness. We believe that taking children’s learning experiences beyond what they already know is a fundamental part of becoming an educated citizen in society.
PE contributes to this through
• engaging children on a journey beginning with themselves and then developing an understanding of the role of others in physical activity including key sports people throughout the world.
• providing rich opportunities for personal development, through its teaching of world knowledge, cultural diversity and understanding others’ values through listening to their views and beliefs
• reflecting on their achievements and those of others and making informed choices of their own in the future.
• enabling children to understand how different individuals and groups’ work together towards a common goal.
• prompting children to ask questions and seek explanations about how our bodies move and develop and how to keep ourselves and our bodies healthy.
• Visitors and coaching staff who inspire and encourage pupils to set goals for themselves and question what skills and attributes are important to attaining these goals.
• providing children with opportunities to identify people and groups who have been successful and in questioning why, to understand the role of failure and resilience in achieving that success.
- encouraging children to reflect and analyse their performance and that of their opposition prior to reporting back e.g. in a whole school assembly
• helping children begin to identify different types of activity and how they might be able to access these.
• participating in PE, children have the opportunity to develop their understanding of their own and others cultural heritage.
• being aware of the importance of professional sports people as role models and reflecting on how they should conduct themselves.
Changing Provision
The children’s right to dignity and privacy will be maintained. When deciding the level of supervision for changing, we will take into account the children’s age and abilities as well as the gender and behaviour of the group.
Acceptable risk and Managing risk
The importance of safety in PE is stressed when children enter the school. From the youngest age, children will be encouraged to look around them and identify what they perceive could harm them and they are continually reminded of the need to look after themselves and others whenever they are participating in PE, sport or playing in the playground. Planning includes opportunities for explicit teaching of safe practice, particularly in potentially dangerous areas like the classroom and playground. Teachers and children help to identify possible hazards in lessons.
PE clothing and personal effects
Clothing and correct attire for PE represent are contributory factors of safe practice.
- Children from the earliest ages should change into suitable clothing for PE so that they can participate safely.
- Clothing for PE and school sport should be well suited to its function. The school PE kit requirements are available on the school website. Clothing should allow good freedom of movement, but will also need to offer some insulation from cold weather in the winter months. It should be remembered that children who are insufficiently warm and experiencing discomfort will not be sufficiently focused and may lack concentration.
- Footwear that is fit for purpose is essential. It should demonstrate effective grip, support and reasonable protection from the weather in the case of outside PE.
- For indoor activities such as gymnastics and dance bare feet offer a better alternative.
- If children have a foot infection such as a verruca, they should wear a swim sock when swimming and one of their PE socks when participating in dance or gymnastic activities to minimise the risk to others.
- Long hair worn by both staff and children should always be tied back with a suitably soft item to prevent entanglement in apparatus and to prevent obscuring vision.
- Personal effects, such as jewellery and watches should always be removed by children before participating in PE. Any exception to the recommendation of complete removal needs to be carefully considered and always comply with a suitable risk assessment.
- Disclaimers from parents about the wearing of any item of jewellery by a children should be declined. Such indemnities appear to have no legal status. The duty of care remains firmly with the school on such matters.
Equipment and Resources
The PE equipment is stored in the PE shed and in the boxes on the playground.
The equipment suitability is reviewed to ensure it is appropriate to the range of ages, abilities and needs of children in order to enhance learning.
Children are encouraged to:
- Look after resources
- Use different resources to promote learning
- Return all resources tidily and to the correct place (Staff to supervise)
- Be told of any safety procedures relating to the carrying or handling of resources.
Assessment:
All children are tracked using the in-school tracking system. After each unit of work, class teachers assess children based on their PE skills, knowledge and understanding linked to the objectives in the National Curriculum.
Roles and Responsibilities
Subject Leader - To have an impact on raising standards of attainment for PE across the whole school.
Adapt and use the Programme of Study for PE across the whole school to meet the needs of our children.
To monitor the whole schools and individual needs.
To be able to assess individual professional development opportunities and needs.
To monitor and maintain high quality resources.
To maintain an overview of current trends and developments within the subject.
To ensure, together with the Head Teachers an effective programme of moderation and assessments.
To ensure a regular and effective programme of analysis of short-term planning is in place.
Health and Safety
Travelling to sports venues and events are an essential part of the PE at Ashurst. Children learn best when the learning environment is ordered and they feel safe, so every visit is well organised and provides a stimulating and valuable experience. The children prepare for their visits by discussing the arrangements and the means of travel. They are involved in selecting, with their teacher, teams and tactics if necessary and, on their return, use their experiences to good effect in future lessons.
Monitoring and Evaluation
This policy will be reviewed by the PE subject leader, in consultation with the staff, as and when elements of PE are identified or prioritised within the School Development Plan.
This policy was adopted in: September 2025
The policy is to be reviewed in: September 2026