Physical Education at Sir Francis Hill

Aim:
To inspire all children to lead active, healthy lives by promoting physical fitness, personal development, and a lifelong enjoyment of sport and movement.

Intent

At Sir Francis Hill Primary School, our Physical Education curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils:

• Access at least two hours of high-quality, timetabled PE each week in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
• Participate in daily opportunities to develop gross and fine motor skills in the Foundation Stage through structured play and physical activities.
• Experience a broad and balanced curriculum that progressively develops key physical skills, promotes inclusion, and caters to individual needs and abilities.
• Learn about the importance of physical activity and how it contributes to a healthy lifestyle, including the benefits of fitness, well-being, and mental health.
• Are given opportunities to enjoy, succeed, and feel confident in a range of physical disciplines and sports.
• Meet the national requirement to swim 25 metres by the end of Key Stage 2, with additional support for those who need it.
• Develop essential life skills such as teamwork, resilience, leadership, communication, fair play, and problem-solving.
• Are encouraged to build positive attitudes towards physical activity, competition, and personal challenge.

Implementation

Physical Education is delivered through clearly timetabled, well-structured sessions led by class teachers and supported by a progressive and inclusive school-based curriculum. We place a strong emphasis on high-quality teaching, with continuous professional development and training for staff, supported by the use of PE and Sport Premium funding.

Key features of our PE implementation include:

• A structured, spiral curriculum that builds year-on-year in complexity and challenge, ensuring continuity and progression from the Early Years through to Year 6.
• Opportunities for all pupils, including those with SEND, to engage in a broad range of activities—games, gymnastics, dance, athletics, outdoor adventure, swimming, and fitness-based lessons.
• Clear teaching of physical literacy and sport-specific skills, alongside knowledge of how the body moves and the importance of warming up and cooling down.
• Daily physical opportunities in EYFS delivered through continuous provision in well-resourced outdoor and indoor environments.
• Enrichment through extra-curricular sports clubs, inter- and intra-school competitions, Fitness Fortnight, themed curriculum days, charity fundraising events, and links with local secondary schools.
• Daily active playtimes supported by trained sports leaders and accessible sports equipment to promote movement, cooperation, and enjoyment during break times.
• A focus on health and cross-curricular learning—e.g. linking physical activity with science, geography, PSHE etc.
• Access to swimming in LKS2 to build water confidence and skills, with targeted support in UKS2 to meet national standards.
• A commitment to inclusive participation, where all pupils, regardless of background or ability, are challenged appropriately and supported to succeed.

Impact

The impact of our Physical Education provision is measured through a combination of formative and summative assessment, pupil voice, and ongoing teacher reflection.

• Teachers assess pupils’ skills, knowledge, and understanding during lessons through observation, questioning, and peer/self-assessment.
• End-of-unit intra-school competitions and practical assessments help pupils apply their learning in competitive and collaborative contexts, while also informing teacher judgements.
• An electronic tracking system is used to monitor progress over time and identify gaps in learning or areas for further development.
• High levels of engagement and enjoyment in PE lessons and wider school sport indicate a positive attitude towards physical activity and well-being.
• By the end of KS2, the majority of pupils can swim at least 25 metres, with intervention in place for those not yet meeting this goal.
• Pupils demonstrate improved physical competence, increased confidence, and better awareness of how to lead active, healthy lives.
• Staff are confident and knowledgeable in delivering effective PE lessons, supported through targeted CPD and mentoring.

Our vision is for every child at Sir Francis Hill to leave school with the knowledge, skills, motivation, and understanding to be physically active and healthy throughout their lives.

Celebrating a Fantastic Year of Sport and Physical Activity – Academic Year 2024–2025

This year has been an outstanding one for sport and physical activity across our school. From new initiatives to competitive successes, our pupils have embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm, resilience, and a brilliant sense of teamwork. Here are some of the highlights from an exciting and active academic year.

Fitness Fortnight 2025: A New Whole-School Initiative

In place of our traditional Sports Week, we introduced the exciting new initiative Fitness Fortnight, which took place from Monday 23rd June to Monday 7th July. This two-week celebration of movement and wellbeing proved to be a huge success, offering pupils a diverse range of activities designed to encourage a lifelong love of physical activity.

The key aims of Fitness Fortnight were to:

• Increase pupil engagement in physical activity and sport
• Raise the profile of PE and sport across the school
• Provide a broader range of sporting experiences and opportunities

Throughout the fortnight, every child took part in a range of exciting taster sessions, workshops, and Sports Days. These experiences helped pupils explore new sports, build confidence, and discover ways to stay active that they truly enjoy.

Highlights from Fitness Fortnight included:

• Bikeability training with Outspoken Training (Year 6)
• Skipping workshops with Dan the Skipping Man
• Boxing workshops with Fox & Co Boxing Academy
• Kickboxing sessions with Function First Martial Arts
• Balanceability and Archery with Premier Education
• Street Dance workshops with Hannah Simmons Dance Academy
• Drumba fitness drumming sessions
• Golf workshops led by Stacey Mitchell from Pottergate Golf Club

Fitness Fortnight was a vibrant and memorable way to end the term, and we are proud of the way our pupils threw themselves into every activity with energy and enthusiasm. We look forward to building on this success in future years.

TCS Mini London Marathon – A Whole-School Effort!

One of the standout moments of the year was our participation in the TCS Mini London Marathon. In this nationwide event, every child in the school took part by running, walking, or jogging two miles—an incredible show of unity, perseverance, and school spirit. It was a brilliant opportunity to get active together, promote physical and mental wellbeing, and be part of a national celebration of movement. The determination and positivity shown by all our pupils was truly inspiring.

We Achieved the Sainsbury’s School Games Bronze Award!

We are thrilled to announce that our school has been awarded the Sainsbury’s School Games Bronze Award for 2024–2025 — a fantastic recognition of our school’s dedication to promoting physical activity, sport, and the wider development of our pupils through PE.

This nationally recognised award celebrates schools that are committed to providing inclusive, high-quality sporting opportunities. To achieve the Bronze level, schools must meet a set of criteria including:

• Offering regular opportunities for all pupils to be physically active
• Providing a minimum amount of curriculum PE each week
• Organising extracurricular clubs and competitions
• Promoting sports leadership opportunities
• Embedding the core School Games values: teamwork, respect, honesty, and determination

This award reflects our commitment to:

• Broadening access to a range of sports and activities
• Engaging children of all abilities and backgrounds
• Celebrating active lifestyles through events like Fitness Fortnight and Sports Days
• Partnering with coaches and providers to enrich our PE offer

We are proud of this achievement and the strong foundation it sets for even more progress in the year ahead.

Success Across the School Games Calendar

Throughout the year, we proudly competed in a wide range of events as part of the School Games Calendar, organised by our local School Games Organiser (SGO). Our pupils represented the school with pride and sportsmanship in every competition.

Here are just a few of this year’s standout achievements:

�� Cricket – Our cricket team won the local tournament at Hartsholme Cricket Club, qualifying for the County Finals – an exceptional achievement and a reflection of their teamwork and dedication.

�� Sportshall Athletics – Our athletics team finished runners-up at the indoor competition hosted at Lincoln Priory Academy.

⚽ LKS2 Girls Football – A fantastic third place finish at the tournament hosted by Birchwood Junior School.

⚽ UKS2 Football League Success:

• The boys' team were crowned champions of the Lincoln Primary Football League West Division.
• The girls' team secured a well-earned third place in their league.

Beyond these competitive events, pupils across the school also took part in a wide range of inclusive and enriching sporting opportunities, including:

• Cross Country
• TAG Rugby Festival
• Dodgeball Festival
• Multi-Sports Festivals

These events gave all children the opportunity to stay active, challenge themselves, and discover new passions within sport.

Looking Ahead

We are incredibly proud of the achievements, effort, and positive attitudes of all our pupils this year. Thank you to our dedicated staff, external coaches, families, and our School Games Organiser for helping to make this such a successful year of sport.

We’re excited to keep this momentum going as we look ahead to an even more active and inspiring 2025–2026!

The National Curriculum Expectations  

Purpose of study  

A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities. It should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

Aims:

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.

Attainment targets:

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.

Subject content

Key stage 1

Pupils should 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 co-ordination, 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 should 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 situations.