Physical Education

'Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude and your mood'

Intent

At Little Waltham C.E.V.A Primary, our PE curriculum is designed to aspire to inspire towards excellence in a distinctive Christian environment, ensuring that all pupils develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead healthy, active lives. Rooted in our four school values—forgiveness, perseverance, compassion, and courage—our curriculum nurtures resilience, teamwork, and a love for physical activity.

Our PE provision is driven by our curriculum intent, preparing pupils for the future by:

Building character through teamwork, leadership opportunities, and personal challenge.
Developing potential by providing inclusive, progressive, and aspirational opportunities for all pupils to succeed.
Instilling a strong moral purpose by promoting respect, fairness, and integrity in sporting and physical activities.
Encouraging lifelong participation by encouraging a passion for movement and well-being beyond school life.

Through high-quality teaching, structured progression, and experiences and opportunities, our PE curriculum allows all pupils to flourish both within and beyond school. We follow the Get Set 4 PE scheme, ensuring a consistent and comprehensive approach to physical education across all year groups.

Implementation

Our PE curriculum is carefully structured to develop pupils’ skills, knowledge, and sport-specific competencies through progressive and engaging lessons. It is delivered through:

1.High-Quality PE Lessons

Pupils receive two hours of high-quality PE weekly, following a well-sequenced curriculum that builds on prior learning.
The Get Set 4 PE scheme ensures full national curriculum coverage with a focus on agility, balance, coordination, fitness, and competitive sport.
Lessons are designed to be inclusive and differentiated to support pupils of all abilities, including SEND and less active pupils.
PE lessons integrate cross-curricular links where relevant, promoting numeracy (e.g., scoring and statistics), literacy (e.g., evaluating performance), and science (e.g., understanding the effects of exercise on the body).

2.Enrichment & Aspirational Experiences

Our enrichment at Little Waltham CEVA Primary raises aspirations and links to our school values by hosting visits from elite athletes and professionals, previous visits have included:

Olympic medallists who share their experiences of perseverance and resilience.
Jamie Knight (Freestyle Footballer) and Paul Sturgess (Harlem Globetrotter & British Basketball Player) to inspire pupils about the diverse opportunities in sport and the importance of aiming high.
Special workshops and assemblies to motivate and engage pupils in active lifestyles.

Additional opportunities for pupils to experience outdoor and adventurous activities, including residential trips and activity-based learning such as the school visits to Chatham Green Wilderness Centre.

3.Competitive & Inclusion Within Sport

We provide a broad range of competitive opportunities, allowing all pupils to engage in intra- and inter-school competitions:

House Sports Events such as our annual Inter-House Cross Country and Sports Day encourage teamwork, school spirit, and friendly competition.

Pupils across a range of year groups participate in the River Chelmer and Chelmsford Sports Partnership tournaments, representing the school in sports such as football, netball, athletics, and multi-skills events.

The school ensures full-class participation in key Chelmsford-wide competitions, such as:

Mini Games (Year 2) to introduce younger pupils to inter-school sport.
Superstars Competition (Year 4) at Chelmsford Melbourne Stadium, ensuring every pupil represents the school at least twice in their primary years.

4.Pupil Leadership

Year 6 Sports Leaders take on responsibility for leading structured lunchtime activities for younger pupils, including:

Football skills training, parachute games, dodgeball, dancing, and playground games to ensure active engagement at lunch times.
Encouraging pupils to support and mentor their younger peers, reinforcing values of compassion and leadership.
Structured active break and lunchtime opportunities ensure that all pupils engage in movement throughout the school day, helping to develop lifelong habits of physical activity.

5.Character Development & Values

PE lessons explicitly reinforce our school values, developing well-rounded individuals:

Perseverance – Within PE and sporting opportunities, pupils learn to overcome challenges, improve personal performance, and strive for excellence.
Compassion – Encouraging teamwork, sportsmanship, and supporting others within sports.
Courage – Developing confidence to try new sports, participate in competitions, and lead activities.
Forgiveness – Understanding fair play, respect for officials and peers, and learning from mistakes in sports.

Impact

Our PE provision ensures that pupils leave our school with:

Physical confidence and competence across a broad range of sports and activities.
An understanding of the importance of physical activity for both physical and mental well-being.
Resilience and perseverance, taking on challenges and striving for personal improvement.
Opportunities to develop teamwork and leadership skills through competitive and collaborative sports.
An appreciation for the value of an active lifestyle beyond primary school.

How We Measure Impact:

Teacher observations during lessons assess skill development, participation, and engagement.
Formative and summative assessments track pupils’ progress against national curriculum expectations.
Pupil voice surveys provide an insight into children’s experiences, ensuring engagement and enjoyment.
Participation tracking for extracurricular activities and competitions helps us monitor the breadth of opportunities accessed by different groups of pupils.
PE & Sport Premium evaluations ensure funding is used effectively to enhance provision, improve teacher confidence, and increase physical activity levels.