At St Mary’s, PE is taught by class teachers. We believe this has many benefits because class teachers know their pupils extremely well. They understand each child’s strengths, confidence levels, learning needs, friendships, behaviour, personal targets and any barriers that may affect participation. This means PE lessons can be adapted effectively so that all children are supported, challenged and able to succeed.

Because class teachers teach PE, they are able to make strong links between physical education and the wider curriculum. They can reinforce key vocabulary, encourage teamwork and resilience, and support pupils’ personal development in the same way they do across the rest of the school day. Teachers are also able to notice how children work with others, respond to challenge, show leadership, manage competition and demonstrate our school values.

Using Get Set 4 PE supports teachers with clear lesson structures, progressive activities, vocabulary, assessment opportunities and adaptations. This ensures that lessons are well planned, purposeful and focused on developing both physical skills and wider personal qualities. In dance and gymnastics, teachers continue to use realDance and realGym to support children’s creativity, control, coordination, expression and confidence.

Our approach means that PE is not seen as separate from the rest of school life. It is part of how we help children grow as confident, healthy, respectful and resilient individuals.

Assessment in PE at St Mary’s is ongoing, purposeful and used to support children’s progress. Pupils are assessed against the fundamental movement skills appropriate for their year group, as well as the specific skills, knowledge and understanding linked to each PE unit or sport.

Teachers use both formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment takes place during lessons, as teachers observe pupils, question them, provide feedback and adapt activities where needed. This helps teachers identify children who may need extra practice, additional support or further challenge. It also allows teachers to respond quickly so that pupils can improve within the lesson.

Summative assessment is used at the end of a unit to consider how well children have developed the key skills and knowledge taught. This may include their ability to perform a skill, apply it in a game or performance situation, understand tactics or rules, work as part of a team, evaluate their own performance, or demonstrate personal qualities such as resilience, fairness and leadership.

Assessment in PE is not only about sporting ability. We also value effort, improvement, confidence, participation, teamwork and attitude. This helps us recognise progress for all children, including those who may not see themselves as naturally sporty. Assessment information supports future planning, helps teachers adapt learning and enables the PE subject leader to monitor the impact of the curriculum across the school.

PE at St Mary’s is inclusive, ambitious and accessible for all children. We believe that every child should have the opportunity to participate, make progress and experience success in physical education, regardless of ability, confidence, need or prior experience.

Teachers adapt PE lessons so that all pupils can access the learning. This may include changing equipment, adjusting the space, modifying rules, altering groupings, providing visual demonstrations, giving additional adult support, simplifying tasks or increasing the level of challenge. These adaptations ensure that children with SEND, children who are less confident, and children who need additional physical or emotional support can take part fully and meaningfully.

We also provide opportunities for children to take part in inclusive sporting events across the borough. These events allow pupils to represent the school, experience competition, develop confidence and celebrate their achievements. Children are supported before these events through practice and training, helping them to feel prepared, proud and successful.

Our use of Moki bands also helps us identify pupils who may not be meeting the recommended active minutes during the school day. Where children are identified as being less active, we use this information positively and supportively. We offer targeted opportunities, including clubs and additional movement activities, to help these children become more active, build confidence and develop a love of movement.

Our aim is for every child to feel that PE is for them. We want all pupils to enjoy being active, recognise their own progress and understand that physical activity can support their health, happiness and wellbeing.

Swimming and water safety are an important part of our PE curriculum at St Mary’s. Pupils in Year 4 and Year 5 attend swimming lessons at Hillingdon Leisure Centre, where they are taught by qualified swimming instructors.

During swimming lessons, children develop confidence in the water and are taught a range of important skills. These include different swimming strokes, floating, breathing techniques, body position, movement through the water and safe entry and exit. Pupils are also taught water safety so that they understand how to keep themselves and others safe in and around water.

We recognise that swimming is a vital life skill. Our aim is for pupils to become more confident, capable and safe in the water. Children are encouraged to make progress from their individual starting points, whether they are developing basic water confidence or refining their technique across different strokes.

Swimming lessons also support children’s wider personal development. Pupils build resilience, independence, self-belief and perseverance as they learn new skills and overcome challenges. We want all children to leave St Mary’s with a clear understanding of the importance of water safety and the confidence to enjoy swimming as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

At St Mary’s, we recognise that physical activity is not limited to PE lessons. We want movement to be part of everyday school life, helping children to be healthier, happier and more ready to learn.

We follow The Daily Mile, giving children regular opportunities to walk, jog or run outside with their classmates. The Daily Mile is simple, inclusive and accessible, and it supports children’s fitness, stamina, concentration, resilience and wellbeing. It also gives children a positive break from classroom learning and helps them return to lessons more focused and alert.

We are also developing our use of Moki, a child-friendly activity tracker designed for schools. Moki helps us monitor steps and active minutes across the school day, giving staff a clearer picture of how active children are. This allows us to celebrate movement, motivate pupils through class challenges and identify children or groups who may need additional encouragement to become more active.

Government guidance encourages children to be active for at least 60 minutes each day, with schools supporting access to at least 30 active minutes during the school day. Through PE lessons, The Daily Mile, active playtimes, clubs, competitions and Moki challenges, we work hard to help children meet this expectation.

Where Moki data or staff observations show that a child is not regularly meeting the recommended level of physical activity, we will use this information positively and supportively. This may include encouraging participation in lunchtime or after-school clubs, providing targeted opportunities for movement during the day, speaking with parents and carers, or signposting families towards ways to be active outside school.

Our aim is not simply to record activity, but to use the information to make a difference. By making movement visible, enjoyable and inclusive, we help children understand the benefits of being active and support them in building healthy habits for life.