“I really like PE, it makes me feel better in my body and my mind after a good exercise.”
Jessica, Y5

At Codnor Primary School, Physical Education plays a key role in our commitment to “Let Your Light Shine.” PE supports the purposeful journey of the whole child by giving every pupil the opportunity to discover their strengths, build confidence and develop a positive attitude towards physical activity.

Our PE curriculum provides clear progression across the full breadth of the National Curriculum, while also equipping pupils with essential lifelong skills such as resilience, perseverance, teamwork and independence. These skills are nurtured both within PE lessons and beyond, supporting children in all aspects of school life and future learning.

We aim to inspire a lifelong love of sport, physical activity and healthy lifestyles, promoting both physical and mental wellbeing. Through PE, pupils develop leadership skills, learn the importance of cooperation and teamwork, and gain confidence in challenging themselves and others in a positive and respectful way.

At Codnor, we strive to develop the athletes and team leaders of the future. Pupils are encouraged to enjoy competition at a level that is appropriate to them, while showing respect, sportsmanship and encouragement towards others, regardless of background or ability. A wide range of enrichment opportunities and sporting experiences are provided, enabling pupils to explore different activities and make informed choices about the sports they may wish to pursue in the future.

Across all key stages, every PE lesson provides opportunities for pupils to develop skills, understand the importance of health and fitness, take part in performance and competition, and reflect on their progress—ensuring that every child is supported to let their light shine through physical activity.

Aims:

• The ability to acquire new knowledge and skills exceptionally well and develop an in-depth understanding of PE.
• The willingness to practise skills in a wide range of different activities and situations, alone, in small groups and in teams and to apply these skills in chosen activities to achieve exceptionally high levels of performance.
• High levels of physical fitness.
• A healthy lifestyle, achieved by eating sensibly, avoiding smoking, drugs and alcohol and exercising regularly.
• The ability to remain physically active for sustained periods of time and an understanding of the importance of this in promoting long-term health and well-being.
• The ability to take the initiative and become excellent young leaders, organising and officiating, and evaluating what needs to be done to improve, and motivating and instilling excellent sporting attitudes in others.
• Exceptional levels of originality, imagination and creativity in their techniques, tactics and choreography, knowledge of how to improve their own and others’ performance and the ability to work independently for extended periods of time without the need of guidance or support.
• A keen interest in PE. A willingness to participate eagerly in every lesson, highly positive attitudes and the ability to make informed choices about engaging fully in extra-curricular sport.
• The ability to swim at least 25 metres before the end of Year 6 and knowledge of how to remain safe in and around water.

Our pupils leave Codnor Primary School with the knowledge to think, act and speak like a sportsperson, and they value the transference of these skills into their every day life, in education and beyond.

How PE looks at Codnor:

PE objective progression:

National Curriculum objectives have been carefully allocated to each year group to ensure a well-sequenced Physical Education curriculum. This approach enables pupils to progressively develop physical competence, confidence, and understanding, while systematically building and refining skills, techniques, and tactical awareness over time.

PE knowledge progression:

Disciplinary knowledge and physical skills are deliberately planned and sequenced within and across year groups so that key concepts are revisited, practised, and secured, enabling learning to become embedded and “sticky”. This coherent and cumulative approach ensures pupils develop the subject-specific knowledge, skills, and physical competence required to think, move, and perform like physically literate learners, allowing them to apply skills and strategies with increasing confidence and complexity. Through this rigorous and thoughtfully designed curriculum, pupils are empowered to let their light shine as confident, active learners who are well prepared for lifelong participation in physical activity and healthy living beyond the classroom.

PE medium term plans:

Physical Education at Codnor Primary School is carefully planned and coherently structured to ensure a well-sequenced curriculum that supports pupils to develop physical competence, knowledge, and skills over time. Subject leaders ensure that the PE curriculum is ambitious, inclusive, and appropriately planned for each year group, with clearly defined end points that build systematically on pupils’ prior learning and physical development. Medium-term plans demonstrate that the PE curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced so that pupils progressively and cumulatively develop skills, techniques, and understanding across a range of physical activities.

Golden threads of PE:

In Physical Education at Codnor Primary School, golden threads are identified as key skills, concepts and values that run throughout the PE curriculum. These threads are deliberately revisited and built upon at different points in each pupil’s journey through the school, enabling children to make connections between activities and develop their physical, social and emotional skills over time.

Revisiting these core elements supports the development of secure and ‘sticky’ learning, helping pupils to embed fundamental movement skills, improve performance and apply strategies across a range of sports and physical activities. This approach also strengthens pupils’ ability to think, act and perform like confident sportspeople and team members.

The document below outlines the golden threads within Physical Education and shows how they are explicitly taught and revisited across year groups. This ensures a coherent, cumulative and well-sequenced PE curriculum that reflects our vision of “Let Your Light Shine,” empowering every child to develop confidence, resilience and a lifelong love of physical activity.

Pupil voice:

Gallery:

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