At Bailey’s Court, our aim is to foster a lifelong love of sport and physical activity in every child. Through a broad and engaging PE curriculum, we strive to ensure all pupils develop the fundamental skills needed to confidently participate in a wide range of physical activities — including invasion games, striking and fielding, net games, gymnastics, and dance.
We encourage all children to experience the joy of healthy competition, whether by striving for their personal best or competing with others. Our curriculum promotes an understanding of the importance of maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle and the vital role physical activity plays in overall wellbeing.
In addition, life skills such as teamwork, independence, and resilience, preparing them to lead healthy, active lives beyond KS2.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Physical Education is one of the Prime Areas of Learning, forming the foundation for children’s overall development and underpinning skills such as reading, writing, and concentration. As such, physical development is given a strong focus and is promoted through both our indoor and outdoor provision.
Children have access to carefully designed areas and resources that enable them to develop key physical skills such as balancing, climbing, jumping, throwing and catching, kicking, and moving in a range of ways. In addition to daily opportunities for active play, children take part in a dedicated one-hour PE lesson each week. These lessons focus on developing specific skills using a variety of equipment, including parachutes, benches, balls, mats, and climbing apparatus. Sessions are designed to be fun, engaging, and inspiring, fostering a lifelong love of movement and physical activity.
Short bursts of movement are also integrated throughout the day to promote regular activity, enhance focus and develop both gross and fine motor skills. These include yoga, Dough Disco, Squiggle whilst you Wiggle and active storytelling, often supported by programs such as Cosmic Kids. Wherever possible, PE opportunities are linked to current topics to engage and motivate all learners through meaningful, cross-curricular experiences.
Children are introduced to the concept of ‘being healthy’, exploring what this means and how physical activity contributes to their wellbeing. Through discussions and observations during PE and provision activities, children learn to notice and talk about the effects of exercise on their bodies. Adults plan focused activities across the year to help children explore a range of foods, developing an understanding of which are healthy or unhealthy and why.
In Key Stage 1, children take part in two one-hour PE lessons each week, covering a broad range of activities including invasion games, dance, and gymnastics. Building on the fundamental movement skills developed in EYFS, pupils work towards mastering basic physical skills such as running, jumping, throwing, and catching, while further developing their balance, agility, and coordination.
Children are introduced to both individual and team sports, learning how to work cooperatively and begin to understand the value of teamwork. They also start to explore basic tactics and strategies, applying them in small-sided and competitive games. Opportunities for healthy competition are encouraged—whether pupils are striving to beat their personal best, compete against others, or collaborate as part of a team.
An understanding of a healthy and active lifestyle continues to be developed through PE and is further reinforced in Year 2 Science, where children build upon their prior knowledge from EYFS about how exercise, diet, and rest contribute to good health.
In Key Stage 2, children continue to take part in two one-hour PE lessons each week, covering a wide range of activities including invasion games, dance, gymnastics, and outdoor and adventurous activities. Pupils learn to apply and combine the skills they have developed throughout their school journey, demonstrating increasing control, precision, and understanding of how to improve their performance.
Children are encouraged to evaluate their own work and that of others, developing confidence, resilience, and the ability to recognise their own success. There is a growing emphasis on healthy competition, both against themselves—such as striving to beat personal bests—and against others in team games and sports like athletics and basketball.
PE lessons are fully inclusive, with activities adapted to ensure that all children can participate, achieve, and enjoy success. Throughout KS1 and KS2, class teachers follow the PE Progression of Skills Document, ensuring that there is a clear and consistent progression of skills, knowledge, and understanding across the school.
Each year culminates in a whole-school Sports Day, where parents are invited to celebrate and support their children’s achievements. In addition, every year group is offered at least one extra-curricular sporting opportunity beyond the National Curriculum. These experiences enable pupils to explore new and different sports, challenge themselves, and develop a lifelong love of physical activity.
By the time children leave Bailey’s Court, they will have developed a lifelong love of sport and physical activity, both within and beyond school. They will have built the confidence and motivation to continue participating in physical activity—whether for enjoyment, health, or competition—throughout their lives.
Pupils will have worked towards their own personal aspirations in PE, understanding how to challenge themselves and recognise their individual progress and achievements. They will be able to articulate the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle, explaining how regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and positive habits contribute to their overall wellbeing.
Through their PE journey, all children will have developed key life skills that extend far beyond sport, including teamwork, sportsmanship, self-motivation, resilience, and independence—preparing them to lead confident, active, and healthy lives beyond KS2.
