Intent

At Rockcliffe, our PE curriculum is designed to support our children to succeed and excel in physical activities and competitive sports, which in turn, will help them to build important life skills such as resilience, cooperation, teamwork and determination.

We support our pupils’ health and fitness and provide them with opportunities to become physically confident and develop their physical literacy. It is our aim to inspire our pupils to be involved in competitive sport and other activities to help build character and embed both our Rockcliffe Learning Superpowers and the 3 R’s (Ready, Responsible, Respectful). 

The National Curriculum  aims to ensure all pupils:

• Develop competence to excel in various physical activities.
• Are physically active for sustained periods of time.
• Engage in healthy, competitive sports and activities
• Lead healthy, active lifestyles

Implementation

 At Rockcliffe, the Early Years  has a significant impact on the development of Physical Education skills, as it lays the foundation for children’s physical growth, coordination, and confidence in movement. Through activities that encourage gross motor skills—such as running, jumping, and climbing—children build strength, balance, and spatial awareness. Fine motor activities, like threading or using small equipment, also support control and precision, which are essential for later sporting skills. By promoting active play, exploration, and outdoor learning, EYFS ensures children develop the physical literacy, confidence, and enjoyment needed to participate successfully in P.E. as they progress through school.

All pupils from Reception to Year 4 engage in two PE lessons per week; at least one of those sessions will be delivered by a PE specialist (providing CPD for teaching staff). At our school, we offer a broad and balanced sports curriculum that allows all children to experience a wide range of physical activities throughout their time with us. Pupils will learn the skills needed for invasion games, net and wall games, striking and fielding sports, dance, gymnastics, orienteering, fitness and swimming skills. We ensure that they develop diverse physical skills and a lifelong enjoyment of being active. These activities are delivered through PE lessons, extra-curricular clubs, inter-school festivals, swimming and other sporting events, giving every child the opportunity to participate, learn new skills, and build confidence in a variety of sporting contexts.

 Extra-Curricular Clubs: We offer children the chance to participate in after-school sports clubs delivered by P. Specialists. These clubs support children in staying active, developing teamwork and leadership skills, and building confidence outside the classroom. At Rockcliffe, our after-school sports clubs allow children to explore their interests, build upon their social connections and maintain a balanced lifestyle that supports both academic and personal growth.

Inter-Schools Festivals: We ensure that all children are given opportunities to participate in inter-schools ‘festivals’ throughout their time at Rockcliffe. These inter-school festivals build upon the skills and knowledge children are taught within their PE lessons, acting to consolidate skills they have learned in competitive environments. The festivals provide children with the chance to develop teamwork and resilience outside of the classroom, as well as the opportunities to participate in activities with schools in the local community.

Swimming: In Key Stage 2, all children attend swimming lessons at the local leisure centre where they are taught to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of 25m using a range of strokes. Children will develop an understanding of how to act safely whilst in the water.

Year 4 Residential: In Year 4, children will have the opportunity to visit the Robinwood Activity Centre for 3 days where they will participate in a wide range of outdoor and adventure activities. This will cover the orienteering aspect of the curriculum for Year 4.

Curriculum Links:

 PSHE – Children are taught about the importance of physical education, keeping fit and leading an active and healthy lifestyle. In PSHE and Science children are taught how to achieve a healthy diet, learning how different food groups impact our bodies. Children are also exposed to a wide range of mindfulness activities such as yoga and meditation to support not only their physical health but also their mental wellbeing.

Science – In Science, children are taught about the human body, movement, and health. Children learn about the skeleton, muscles, and the importance of exercise, nutrition, and hygiene, while in P.E they apply this knowledge by exploring how their bodies move and respond during physical activity. This connection helps pupils understand how to keep their bodies healthy and why regular exercise is essential for overall wellbeing.

Assessment

At Rockcliffe, children are assessed in a variety of ways which enable pupils to demonstrate what they know, what they understand and what they can do. Children’s declarative knowledge ‘knowing what’ is assessed through spoken or written observations. Children’s procedural knowledge ‘knowing how’ is assessed through observation of physical demonstrations. In PE, formative assessment is ongoing, through observations during lessons and sporting events. At the end of each unit we use the ‘PE Planning’ whole class and individual assessment grids to ensure children are meeting the milestones. 

 Impact

Using our carefully planned two-year cycle as well as specialist PE provision, children develop both the declarative and procedural knowledge required to successfully engage in physical activities both inside and outside of the school setting. From Eearly Years, children develop their fine and gross motor skills, building strength, flexibility and agility through a range of activities. Children go on to learn the necessary skills to engage in competitive and team sports and become successful team players in a range of games. 

Children learn how to be responsible for their own health and wellbeing through links to the wider curriculum. Our PE curriculum provides children with the opportunities to foster a love of sports as well as a clear understanding of the importance of physical activity.