PE & Sports Premium

Elmstead Wood Primary School – PE Curriculum Intent

At Elmstead Wood Primary School, PE and sport are embedded into the fabric of school life. We recognise the impact that high-quality physical education can have on children’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Through a broad, balanced, and inclusive PE curriculum, we aim to develop confident, resilient learners who enjoy being active and understand the long-term benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle.

Our curriculum reflects the shared vision of the Spring Trust: to equip every child with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to make a positive impact on their own physical health and well-being. Through carefully structured lessons and enrichment opportunities, we inspire all children to participate in a wide range of physical activities and to see themselves as capable, creative, and determined individuals.

Our PE curriculum is structured around the three pillars of progression identified in the National Curriculum:

Motor competence – developing a wide range of movement skills and physical capabilities.
Rules, strategies and tactics – understanding how to apply these in different games and activities.
Healthy participation – building lifelong habits that promote physical and emotional well-being.

In Key Stage 1, our focus is on developing motor competence through a multi-skills approach that builds agility, balance, and coordination. 

In Key Stage 2, pupils apply and refine these skills in a variety of sports and contexts, with a growing emphasis on tactics, teamwork, and competitive play. Throughout both key stages, healthy participation is consistently promoted, helping children to understand the importance of physical activity for a healthy lifestyle.

We follow the Department for Education's National Curriculum programme of study for Key Stages 1 and 2:
🔗 National Curriculum for PE – gov.uk

All pupils are given the chance to explore new activities and improve existing skills in a supportive environment.

Each child receives a minimum of two hours of high-quality PE every week. This includes indoor and outdoor sessions using the Real PE scheme, led by class teachers. In addition, Forest School contributes to children’s physical development and connection with nature.

Competitive Sport

We place great value on competitive sport at Elmstead Wood. Our pupils regularly participate in fixtures against local schools, across our trust, and occasionally at regional events. Many also represent the school in festivals and tournaments, and we maintain strong links with local sports clubs and community organisations to provide pathways for continued participation outside of school.

Within school, inter-house competitions for Years 5 and 6 provide opportunities for pupils to compete in a friendly, structured environment. These experiences support children in applying rules, strategies, and tactics in real contexts which is an essential part of their progression in PE.

While competition is important, our overarching aim is to ensure that every child finds joy in physical activity, regardless of ability. We believe in fostering a love of movement that encourages children to challenge themselves, work with others, and value improvement.

Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyles are central to our school’s ethos. Through our PE lessons, extracurricular clubs, enrichment opportunities, and whole-school events, we actively promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We aim to raise the profile of PE, fitness, and health so that being active becomes a lifelong habit for every pupil.

We encourage children to make informed choices about their health and well-being, and we celebrate all achievements, whether through sporting success, personal progress, or commitment to a new activity. Our goal is to inspire every child at Elmstead Wood to lead an active, healthy, and fulfilling life, now and in the future.

Primary PE & Sports Premium

 

All children and young people should live healthy active lives. The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that all children and young people should take part in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes every day, with the recommendation for disabled children and young people being 20 minutes of physical activity per day.

It is important that schools are supporting children and young people to achieve this aim. This is particularly true of primary schools where the foundations of positive and enjoyable participation in regular physical activity are embedded.

The Department for Education (DfE) wants all children to have equal access to high-quality  PE provision and opportunities to experience and participate in a wide range of sports and physical activities. Schools should aim to provide high-quality PE  and sport for at least 2 hours a week, complemented by a wide range of extracurricular sport and competitive opportunities. By providing this it can help improve children’s health and wellbeing, personal development as well as academic attainment.  

Schools should use the  PE  and sport premium funding to support children to meet 60 active minutes and achieve the above aims. This funding must not be used for core-type school activities. Schools should use it to:  

• make additional and sustainable improvements to the  PE, sport and physical activity they provide

• provide or improve equal access to sport for boys and girls

• ensure teachers have the relevant skills and knowledge to confidently teach PE in a structured way, prioritising continued professional development (CPD) and training where needed

Elmstead Wood Primary PESS Premium Objectives:

At Elmstead Wood Primary School, our use of the PE and Sport Premium is closely aligned with the three pillars of progression in physical education:

• Motor Competence – developing and refining movement skills across a range of activities

• Rules, Strategies and Tactics – understanding and applying these in games and competitive contexts

• Healthy Participation – fostering positive attitudes and behaviours towards long-term physical activity
   

Our key objectives are to:

• Promote children’s knowledge and understanding of the short and long term benefits of fitness and exercise, supporting healthy participation and equipping pupils with the knowledge to lead active lifestyles.

• Raise teachers’ skills, knowledge and understanding in the delivery of PE and sport, ensuring that all children experience progression in motor competence and can apply rules, strategies and tactics confidently across a range of contexts.

• Involve qualified, specialist sports coaches in PE and games lessons, to enhance the quality of teaching and provide ongoing mentoring for non-specialist teaching staff. This ensures consistent, high-quality delivery across the curriculum.

• Improve PE and sports resources across the school, enabling a wider range of activities to support skill development and provide inclusive opportunities for all pupils to build their motor competence.

• Organise and run inter and intra school sporting competitions, increasing opportunities for pupils to apply rules, strategies and tactics in competitive settings and to work collaboratively within teams.

• Support and involve the least active children through additional curricular and extra-curricular opportunities, with the aim of building their confidence, improving motor competence, and promoting lifelong healthy participation.

• Address the needs and interests of gifted and talented pupils, offering them appropriate challenge, progression, and opportunities for extended competition and leadership.

• Develop regional community sports club links, creating pathways for pupils to continue participating in sport outside of school and supporting ongoing development in all three pillars.

• Promote a whole-school ethos of active, healthy lifestyles, ensuring physical activity is embedded across the curriculum and school culture, contributing to pupils’ wider personal development.

• Achieve high-quality practice and long-term sustainability in all identified areas, so that the impact of the PESS Premium continues to benefit current and future cohorts.

Using the PE and sport premium

Any use of the PE and sport premium must be in accordance with the terms outlined in the conditions of the grant document. This means schools must use the PE and sport premium to:

• build capacity and capability in the school and make sure that improvements made to the quality of PE, sport and physical activity provision now are sustainable and will benefit pupils joining the school in future

• develop or add to the PE, sport and physical activity that the school provides

Effective ways to spend the premium  

It is important that schools make the most effective use of the premium. To best achieve this, spending should focus on making improvements in 5 key areas, to assist in:  

• increasing confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching  PE  and sporting activities

• increasing engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity and sporting activities

• raising the profile of  PE  and sport across the school, to support whole school improvement

• offer a broader and more equal experience of a range of sports and physical activities to all pupils

• increasing participation in competitive sport

Please find below our PE & Sports Premium Strategy for the current academic year and our review of PE & Sports Premium spend and impact for previous academic years.