The national curriculum for physical education aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
• are physically active for sustained periods of time
• engage in competitive sports and activities
• lead healthy, active lives

All pupils ought to be physically active every day, be it through PE lessons, daily activities or extra- curricular activities. PE supports them to develop healthy lifestyles. All pupils should have the opportunity to compete in sport and other activities that build character and help to embed values such as teamwork, fairness and respect.

What is Physical Development in Early Years?

Physical Development is one of the Prime Areas of Learning and covers skills such as gross motor development and fine motor skills as well as helping children to think about ways to keep healthy and safe. It aims to encourage healthy habits in young children through exercise, sport, dance and play, as well as promoting interaction with people and things around them. Physical activity ideas include posting activities, threading, and playdough activities to help develop fine motor skills. Playground games and outdoor activities target the development of gross motor skills. 

EYFS Physical Development Objectives

Moving and handling 

• Skills enabling children to show good control and coordination in large and small movements.
• Children are able to handle equipment and tools effectively, including pencils for writing.

Health and self-care

• Children knowing the importance of good health which includes physical exercise and a healthy diet.
• Children are able to manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including dressing and going to the toilet independently.

Gross Motor Skills

• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others.
• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing.
• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.

Fine Motor Skills

• Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases.
• Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paintbrushes and cutlery.
• Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing.

Key stage 1 

Pupils develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They should be able to engage in competitive (both against self and against others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations. Pupils should be taught to: master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and coordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending perform dances using simple movement patterns. 

Key stage 2

Pupils continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.  Pupils should be taught to:use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination,play competitive games, modified where appropriate [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis], and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics] perform dances using a range of movement patterns take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

Swimming and water safety

All schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or key stage 2. In particular, pupils should be taught to: swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres use a range of strokes effectively [for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke] perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situation.  In year 5 children attend weekly swimming lessons. When the children reach Year 6, we ask our parents to complete a swimming survey.