Mr. Astle leads PE throughout school.

“I'm proud of the way I've dealt with setbacks... you have to pick yourself up again. That's what makes you a better athlete.” — Jessica Ennis-Hill

Physical Health

Taking part in sport and physical activity has significant benefits for children’s physical health and development. Regular activity helps children to develop strength, stamina, coordination and fitness, while also encouraging healthy habits that can be carried forward into adulthood. By developing an enjoyment of physical activity from a young age, children are more likely to remain active and make healthy choices throughout their lives.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Sport can also have a hugely positive impact on children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. Being physically active can help children to manage stress and emotions, build confidence and self-esteem, and develop resilience. Team sports and shared activities also provide valuable opportunities for children to develop friendships, communication skills and a sense of belonging. For some children, PE and sport can provide an opportunity to experience success, challenge themselves and recognise their own strengths.

Our Approach

This is why we believe it is important that all children experience active, enjoyable and inclusive PE lessons each week, alongside a wide range of clubs, competitions and sporting events. By providing opportunities to experience different sports and activities, including those they may not have encountered before, we can help children discover something they genuinely enjoy and encourage them to remain active both within and beyond school.

PE Curriculum

PE is taught across the school in mixed-ability classes, with teachers adapting lessons to meet the needs and abilities of all pupils. Teachers use the Lancashire PE plans to support their planning and delivery, ensuring that lessons are accessible, appropriately challenging and engaging for every child. We aim to ensure that pupils enjoy their PE lessons by providing varied and interesting activities, supported by high-quality resources and equipment. The school has a wide range of resources which support both teachers and pupils and help to maximise participation and engagement.

PE also provides valuable opportunities for cross-curricular learning. Dance lessons incorporate subject-specific links, while all areas of PE provide clear connections to healthy living, physical wellbeing and science. The aims of PE are closely aligned with the wider aims of the school, and we strive to deliver high-quality lessons that enable every child to develop their skills, build confidence and discover a genuine enjoyment of physical activity.

PE at Euxton helps children to develop important personal and social skills, including resilience, perseverance, teamwork, communication and sportsmanship. These skills complement and reinforce the school’s focus on the British Values and support children in becoming confident, respectful and responsible individuals. We recognise the significant contribution that PE and physical activity make to children’s health and wellbeing, and all pupils are actively encouraged to participate in the Daily Mile.

We also recognise the value of providing opportunities beyond the classroom. Research has demonstrated positive links between participation in extra-curricular activities and pupil attainment, and we offer a wide range of sporting clubs, competitions and activities after school to cater for different interests, abilities and levels of experience. Our approach is inclusive, ensuring that every child feels welcome and has the opportunity to participate. We also provide information about external clubs and sporting opportunities to encourage children to remain active and involved in sport beyond school.

Each class receives two PE lessons each week. Lessons focus on developing fundamental movement and sporting skills, while also providing regular opportunities for pupils to develop communication, teamwork, resilience and sportsmanship. Through this approach, we aim to ensure that every child has the opportunity to be active, develop their skills and experience the many physical, social and emotional benefits that PE and sport can provide.

Knowledge

Our PE curriculum is carefully structured into progressive strands, ensuring that children build on their knowledge, skills and understanding as they move from EYFS and Key Stage 1 into Key Stage 2.

Children begin their PE journey in EYFS and Key Stage 1 by developing the fundamental movement skills that underpin participation in all sports and physical activities. These include running, hopping, skipping, jumping, underarm and overarm throwing, rolling, bouncing, kicking and catching. As children progress through Key Stage 1, they have increasing opportunities to apply these fundamental skills within games, while beginning to develop an understanding of simple tactics and strategies to improve their performance and work successfully with others.

Throughout Key Stage 2, these fundamental skills are revisited, refined and developed through increasingly specific sporting activities. Children are taught to apply their skills and strategies in a range of different contexts, developing greater confidence, control and understanding. The curriculum is organised into the following strands: invasion games, target and creative games, net/wall games, striking and fielding games, Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA), athletics, gymnastics, dance and swimming.

This progressive approach ensures that children continually develop their physical competence while also building the knowledge, confidence and skills needed to participate successfully in a wide range of sports and physical activities.

Assessment

Teachers monitor pupils’ progress and adapt their teaching accordingly, using the PE Passport app to support assessment and tracking. Teachers use their professional judgement to adjust planning from week to week, adapting lessons to meet the needs of the children in their class through the STEPS principle.

As class teachers, staff have a strong understanding of the individual abilities, strengths and needs of their pupils. This enables them to anticipate where adaptations may be required, providing additional support where needed or increasing the level of challenge to ensure that all pupils are appropriately stretched and have opportunities to experience success.

The PE Passport App provides teachers with clear assessment criteria and a focus for what to look for when assessing specific skills. Teachers use the app to record evidence and assess individual pupils, with this information being available to the PE subject leader and SLT. This allows progress and standards across the school to be monitored and supports the identification of areas for further development.

The quality of PE provision is monitored through lesson observations, review of curriculum maps and discussions with pupils. This information is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and inform future action planning and school improvement priorities. Governors are updated annually on standards and developments within PE.

Enrichment

There are a wide range of opportunities for enrichment in PE across our school, ensuring that all children have opportunities to participate, develop their skills and experience new activities.

Every child has the opportunity to take part in extra-curricular clubs across a range of different sports and physical activities. We also regularly provide opportunities for groups of children to represent the school at competitions and festivals alongside pupils from other schools. These experiences allow children to develop their sporting abilities while also promoting teamwork, resilience, confidence and sportsmanship.

Our annual Sports Day provides every child with the opportunity to represent their team and participate in a range of sporting events, celebrating effort, teamwork and achievement.

We also provide additional opportunities to promote physical activity and wellbeing throughout the school year. During Wellbeing Week, children took part in activities including parachute games, yoga sessions and climbing activities. For Children in Need, we created a Gladiators-inspired assault course in the hall, providing an exciting and engaging physical challenge for all children to enjoy.

Through these opportunities, we aim to ensure that PE extends beyond the curriculum and that every child has the chance to discover activities they enjoy, challenge themselves and develop a lifelong enthusiasm for being active.

Competitive Sports

We recognise the important role that competitive sport can play in developing children’s confidence, resilience, teamwork and sportsmanship. Throughout the year, we provide opportunities for children to represent the school in a range of competitive tournaments, festivals and inter-school events. We aim to ensure that these opportunities are accessible to children with a range of abilities and experiences, allowing pupils to compete against others while developing their skills and confidence.

Children are encouraged to demonstrate respect for teammates, opponents and officials, while learning how to respond positively to both success and disappointment. Taking part in competitive sport provides valuable opportunities for children to put the skills and tactics developed in PE lessons into practice in a different environment.

We celebrate participation, effort, teamwork and individual improvement alongside competitive success. Our aim is for children to develop a positive attitude towards competition and to understand that representing their school is an achievement in itself.