At Nelson School, we believe that physical education (PE) plays a crucial role in shaping children's lives. Our intent is to provide high-quality PE education that leads to a positive lifelong relationship with physical activity. We want children to understand the importance of physical activity in their lives, both for their physical and mental wellbeing.

Our Approach

We have a holistic approach to teaching PE that focuses on developing fundamental movement skills, social skills, teamwork, tactical and problem-solving skills, and leadership skills. We believe that competition should not be the sole focus of PE, and we aim to provide pupils with the experience of winning and losing in a non-threatening environment, so they can develop coping skills.

Fundamental Skills

Fundamental skills are an integral part of every PE lesson and are taught and practiced at a range of levels from reception through to Year 6. We use Real PE as a foundation for our ambitious PE curriculum, which builds children’s fundamental movement skills. This allows them to participate in a variety of sports confidently and fully as they progress into KS2.

Sports Variety

In addition to the development of fundamental skills, we also aim to teach pupils a wide range of sports so that they may find a sport that they enjoy and may pursue as they grow up. We believe that this will encourage them to continue to engage in physical activity and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Water Safety

We recognize the importance of water safety, and pupils in Year 3 participate in swimming lessons throughout the year. With further lessons given later in Key stage 2 to ensure pupils are able to meet and exceed national curriculum expectations.

Beyond the Classroom

We extend pupil learning beyond the classroom with structured sports activities at lunchtimes, providing children with further opportunities to develop key skills, enjoyment, and engagement. We believe that this will encourage children to engage in physical activity outside of school and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Overall, our PE curriculum is designed to develop pupils' physical and mental wellbeing, fundamental movement skills, social skills, teamwork, tactical and problem-solving skills, and leadership skills. We aim to provide pupils with a positive experience of physical activity, which will lead to a lifelong engagement with sport and physical activity.