Physical Education in Reception focusses on developing the children’s fundamental movement skills. These are the crucial building blocks which support our children’s physical literacy journey. As the children move into Key Stage 1, these skills are built upon and applied to conditioned games. The children are introduced to competitive activities and learn to apply their fundamental movement skills within these. As the children enter Key Stage 2, the children are introduced to a wide variety of sports which become the vehicle for teaching key skills that can be applied across all sports and physical activity. Each year group spends time focusing on gymnastics and dance, which enables the children to design, create and evaluate their own performances. Across the year groups, we divide physical education into its 7 strands (invasion games, gymnastics, dance, striking & fielding, net/wall games, athletics and outdoor adventurous activities). We value the importance of each strand and use sports to support the children’s learning. Additionally, we teach the children that the skills they master are transferable and we should draw upon what we already know.

Threading through our physical education offer is physical literacy. We aim for our children to become competent athletes who are not only motivated to partake in physical activity in school, but to stretch this love of movement outside the school day. To support this, we offer a wide range of extra-curricular clubs which supports the learning happening within our physical education lessons. Our overarching aim is for the children at South Molton United C of E Primary School to have the competence and confidence to live physically active lives which supports their health and wellbeing.