Our first approach is always high-quality teaching, where the learning objective remains the same for all pupils. We do not routinely lower expectations. Instead, we focus on identifying and removing barriers to learning, adapting how pupils access the curriculum through:

• carefully planned scaffolding and breaking movements or skills into manageable steps
• explicit modelling, demonstrations and use of visual prompts
• focus on core vocabulary
• clear, concise instructions and opportunities to rehearse skills
• adaptation of equipment, space, rules or level of challenge where appropriate
• flexible grouping, peer support and adult support where appropriate

Where needed, pupils may demonstrate their understanding in different ways, including:

• demonstrating a movement or physical skill
• explaining, identifying or evaluating techniques verbally
• completing an adapted version of a physical activity
• using visual prompts, adapted equipment or assistive resources to participate successfully

For pupils working significantly below age-related expectations, learning is adapted so that they remain fully included in the same curriculum experiences, themes and contexts as their peers, while working towards personalised targets linked to their individual needs. This may include developing fundamental movement skills, coordination, balance, spatial awareness, communication or physical confidence within the context of the whole-class PE curriculum.

Support is planned and reviewed through the school’s graduated approach of assess, plan, do, review, ensuring that provision is responsive, builds over time, and leads to meaningful progress and increasing independence.

Physical Development is an important part of our Early Years provision. We provide children with a wide range of opportunities to develop their gross and fine motor skills, balance, coordination, strength, control, and confidence.

Children take part in weekly PE sessions, where they develop fundamental movement skills including running, jumping, hopping, balancing, throwing, catching, and moving safely in different ways. Our PE sessions are carefully planned to build children’s skills and confidence as they progress through the Early Years.

Physical Development is also embedded throughout our continuous provision, both indoors and outdoors. Our environment is carefully resourced to encourage children to be active, take risks safely and develop physical skills through purposeful play. Children have access to opportunities such as climbing, balancing, large construction, bikes and scooters, ball games and energetic outdoor play.

Our balance bikes provide children with valuable opportunities to develop balance, coordination, spatial awareness, and control, while building confidence and independence as they prepare for future cycling.

We place a strong emphasis on developing fine motor skills through our everyday provision. Children have regular opportunities to strengthen their hands and fingers and develop hand-eye coordination through activities such as playdough, threading, tweezers, peg boards, puzzles, cutting, painting, drawing, mark-making and using a range of tools and equipment.

We also support children’s physical development through everyday routines and encourage them to become increasingly independent in managing their own personal needs. This includes putting on and taking off coats and shoes, managing fastenings, using cutlery, tidying resources and caring for their belongings.

Our EYFS environment is designed to make physical development fun, purposeful and accessible every day, helping children to develop the physical skills, confidence and independence they need for the next stage of their learning and beyond.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils build knowledge and develop skills progressively over time. We use PE Planning.org to support curriculum design, drawing carefully on its progression of knowledge and skills to ensure learning builds securely from pupils’ starting points towards increasingly complex concepts and outcomes.

The scheme is not used as an off-the-shelf curriculum. Leaders and teachers carefully select, adapt and supplement its content to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and the needs of our pupils. This includes adding our own learning where appropriate and considering pupils’ backgrounds, cultures, experiences and local context, ensuring that the curriculum is relevant, representative and ambitious for the children at St Nicholas.

Progression mapping is carefully applied across our mixed-age classes, ensuring pupils access their age-appropriate curriculum entitlement while making meaningful connections with learning across the class. Teachers use progression documents to identify what pupils should know, understand and be able to do, building deliberately on prior learning, avoiding unnecessary repetition and preparing pupils for what comes next.

This ensures that, while PE Planning.Org provides a strong structure and progression framework, the curriculum pupils experience is distinctly our own: carefully designed, inclusive and responsive to the St Nicholas community.

Across the school, our PE curriculum is explicitly aligned with the National Curriculum for Physical Education, ensuring that pupils develop progressively from KS1 through to KS2. In KS1, children develop fundamental movement skills, including running, jumping, throwing and catching, while improving their balance, agility and coordination. They participate in a range of competitive and cooperative activities, team games and dance, developing simple attacking and defending tactics and learning to work collaboratively with others. As pupils progress into KS2, they apply and develop a broader range of skills, using them in different ways and linking movements to create actions and sequences. They develop running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and combination, participate in competitive games and apply principles of attacking and defending. Through athletics, gymnastics and dance, pupils develop flexibility, strength, technique, control, balance and movement patterns, alongside opportunities for outdoor and adventurous activity challenges. Throughout KS1 and KS2, pupils are encouraged to communicate, collaborate and compete, evaluate their own performances, recognise their successes and identify ways to improve, supporting them to become physically confident, active and healthy individuals while developing values such as fairness, respect, resilience and teamwork.

In Year 4, pupils receive dedicated swimming and water safety instruction in line with the National Curriculum for Physical Education. Children are taught to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and develop the skills needed to perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. Developing strong swimming and water safety skills is particularly important in helping children understand how to keep themselves and others safe around water, build confidence in the water and respond appropriately in potentially dangerous situations.

Teachers assess pupils’ progress in PE throughout every lesson, observing how well children develop, apply and perform the skills being taught and monitoring how confidently they pick up new skills. Photos and videos are also taken of children participating and demonstrating skills, providing additional evidence of their progress and development. Teachers use these observations and evidence to identify where children may need further practice, support or challenge, and to inform future planning by adapting activities, revisiting key skills, adjusting the pace of learning and providing appropriate support or challenge. Each sport includes a final lesson where pupils combine and apply the skills they have developed, allowing teachers to assess whether children have retained and can independently apply the knowledge and skills taught throughout the unit. This assessment also identifies areas for future development, ensuring that subsequent lessons and units build effectively on pupils’ prior knowledge and skills.

At St Nicholas we believe that PE and physical activity should be an enjoyable and inclusive part of every child’s school experience. Alongside our PE curriculum, we provide a wide range of enrichment opportunities that encourage children to be active, develop new skills, build confidence and experience the enjoyment of sport and physical activity.

Outdoor Learning and Residential Experiences

Our school trips and residential experiences provide children with exciting opportunities to be physically active in different environments. Children take part in activities such as walking, orienteering, archery and obstacle courses during experiences at Herd Farm, PGL and Nell Bank. These experiences encourage children to challenge themselves, work as part of a team and develop resilience and independence.

Extra-Curricular Clubs

We offer a varied programme of after-school sporting and physical activity clubs throughout the year. These include:

• Netball
• Football
• Tag Rugby
• Multi-Sports
• Cross Country
• Irish Dancing

Our clubs provide children with opportunities to discover new interests, develop their sporting skills and enjoy being active with their friends.

Developing New Skills

We work with external sporting organisations to provide children with specialist experiences and opportunities to develop skills beyond the classroom.

Pro Ride visit school to deliver biking training, helping children to develop their cycling skills, confidence and awareness of how to stay safe when cycling.

We also work with Skipping School, who provide skipping sessions for our pupils. Children in Years 2 and 4 have the opportunity to take part in skipping competitions alongside other schools in the local area, giving them the chance to showcase their skills and represent our school.

Lower Key Stage 2 pupils also enjoy Northern Ballet workshops, combining movement, creativity and dance while developing coordination, expression and confidence.

Competitive Sport

We provide opportunities for children to represent our school and compete against other schools. Our pupils take part in football fixtures and leagues, while our Upper Key Stage 2 girls participate in a netball league, giving them valuable experience of teamwork, competition and sportsmanship.

We are also committed to ensuring that competitive sport is accessible to all pupils. Our children take part in a KS1 Triathlon competition for pupils with SEND, providing an inclusive opportunity for children to experience competition, celebrate their achievements and enjoy being active.

Physical Activity Throughout the School Day

We encourage children to be active beyond PE lessons. Our school grounds include a climbing frame and a MUGA, providing dedicated spaces for children to enjoy activities such as football and netball during playtimes.

We also make regular use of our running track to promote physical activity across the school. This includes whole-school events such as our Big Lenten Walk, where children come together to be active and support our wider school community.

Through our PE enrichment programme, we aim to ensure that every child has opportunities to be active, try something new, develop their talents, work as part of a team and experience the joy of physical activity.

At St Nicholas we recognise that reading opportunities can be found throughout PE and physical activity. Our PE provision encourages children to read for pleasure, information and inspiration, with a range of sports-related books available for children to explore.

Our collection includes biographies and autobiographies of inspirational sportspeople, including footballers and athletes, helping children to discover the journeys, achievements and challenges of sporting role models. We also provide sports-themed stories, fact books and information texts linked to different sports and physical activities.

Alongside sport-specific reading, we provide opportunities for children to explore health and wellbeing texts linked to the importance of physical activity, healthy lifestyles, sleep, nutrition and looking after our bodies. These texts help children to understand how being active contributes to their overall health and wellbeing.

Reading is also embedded within PE lessons through sport-specific vocabulary, written instructions, rules, tactics and information. Children are encouraged to develop their understanding of key PE terminology and apply this language when discussing and evaluating their own performance. Through our PE reading opportunities, we aim to inspire children to read about sport, learn from sporting role models, understand the importance of an active lifestyle and develop a lifelong interest in both reading and physical activity.

We value what our children have to say about PE and use their views to help us celebrate what they enjoy and identify ways we can continue to develop our provision. Here is what some of our pupils say about PE at our school:

“I like PE because we get to play different games. My favourite is football because I like playing with my friends.”
Year 1 pupil

“I really like doing gymnastics because you can make up your own movements and show it to the class.”
Year 2 pupil

“Skipping is fun because we get to practise loads of different skips, and my favourite is the pretzel skip.”

Year 4 pupil

 “I enjoy PE because there are lots of different sports that I can keep practising and get better.”
Year 6 pupil

“PE is good because it gives us a chance to try things that we don't normally do. My favourite was the outdoor activities on our residential.”
Year 6 pupil

Our pupils tell us that they enjoy PE because it gives them opportunities to be active, try new activities, work with others and develop their skills and confidence. We are proud that our PE provision gives every child the opportunity to find activities they enjoy and feel successful in.