At Lings Primary School, we believe that PE is a subject that every child can enjoy and be successful in. This means that all children can create a positive relationship with physical activity and movement, and that their effort, work and progress will be recognised and celebrated. We feel that the role of PE lessons is to equip children with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes for them to choose to be active when staff are not around. We provide an inclusive and positive learning environment containing inclusive language and make every child feel valued. Lessons provide a clear focus for learning which every child feels is achievable and relevant. Every child can access all parts of the lesson and praise is mostly based around positive behaviours and progress.

We also believe that there should be opportunities for all children to be stretched and challenged to make the most amount of personal progress. This means that children may start an activity doing the same thing but can then progress through an appropriate level of challenge which will usually be different for different children. This personalised approach includes both their physical development as well as their broader skills and abilities, with children of all ages encouraged to take ownership of when they feel ready to move onto a greater challenge. Activities should be purposeful, enable children to have lots of goes and there should be large amounts of cumulative time where children have high heart rates and their muscles are warm and tired.

In PE lessons, activities are deliberately chosen and sequenced because they are age appropriate and engaging, they meet the needs of all children in the lesson, and are aligned to support the particular learning focus. For example, if the focus is on creativity, the activity will provide opportunities for children to explore, use their imaginations and develop their own ideas. Skills learned are applied in as many contexts as possible. Children are given opportunities to learn and practise skills in isolation but these are soon applied in fun and engaging activities which also allow children to work on broader abilities including making decisions, problem solving, exploring adapting and adjusting, and learning from and with others.

The child is very much placed at the centre of all learning. Younger children can apply and develop new skills in stories, songs, adventures and thematic games, as well as in gym or dance contexts. Later, paired or small group activities using cooperative and collaborative opportunities as well as personal best challenges by themselves or in teams. Small sided non-traditional games, athletic challenges and outdoor and adventurous activity contexts then work well for those who are ready. Even our most able children will be better served later if they experience a broad base of early activities.

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