At St Joseph’s, we believe that Physical Education is essential for developing healthy bodies, confident minds, and positive attitudes towards movement and wellbeing. Our PE curriculum is designed to inspire all children to enjoy being active, to understand the importance of physical health, and to develop the fundamental movement skills that will support them throughout their lives.

We use the Get Set 4 PE platform to plan and deliver high-quality lessons. This scheme ensures clear progression and increasing challenge as children move through the school, helping them to build on prior learning and develop a broad range of physical skills.

EYFS

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, physical development is a prime area of learning. We focus on two key strands: Moving and Handling and Health and Self-care. Children have daily access to outdoor play, where they engage in energetic activities that promote coordination, strength, and spatial awareness.

Reception children also take part in timetabled PE lessons, which introduce fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, balancing, rolling, throwing, catching, and kicking. These sessions prepare children for the more structured PE curriculum in Key Stage 1.

Key Stage 1

In KS1, children continue to develop their fundamental movement skills through a variety of activities including gymnastics, dance, games, and athletics. Lessons are designed to encourage teamwork, resilience, and enjoyment of physical activity. Children work individually, in pairs, and in groups to build confidence and competence.

By the end of Key Stage 1, our aim is for children to:

• Master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing, and catching
• Develop balance, agility, and coordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities
• Participate in team games, learning simple tactics for attacking and defending
• Perform dances using simple movement patterns

Enrichment Opportunities

As part of our wider PE offer, all children in EYFS and KS1 have access to karate and Forest School sessions during the school year. These experiences support physical development, promote mental wellbeing, and encourage a lifelong love of movement and the outdoors.