Ofsted has published the latest in a series of reviews into
different subjects across the curriculum. Today’s review looks at
physical education (PE).
The review draws on a range of sources, including our education
inspection framework (EIF) and other
literature, to identify factors that can contribute to a
high-quality PE
curriculum, assessment, pedagogy and systems. We will use this
understanding of subject quality to examine how PE is taught in England’s schools,
before publishing a subject report to share what we have learned.
Read the PE research review.
High-quality PE is an
entitlement for all pupils, regardless of their starting points
or prior experiences of sport and physical activity. The national
curriculum for PE aims to
ensure that all pupils are physically active for sustained
periods of time and develop the competence to excel in a broad
range of physical activities. This may encourage them to engage
in competitive sports and activities, and to lead healthy, active
lives.
To meet these aims, today’s review highlights the importance of
building firm foundations in fundamental motor skills, as well as
providing pupils with high quality instruction, practise and
feedback.
A strong PE curriculum
should clearly state what it means to get better at PE. Pupils should learn increasingly
intelligent movement and important knowledge that can reduce
barriers to participation and inform their own healthy, active
lifestyle choices. While Ofsted recognises that there is no
single way of achieving high-quality PE, our review finds that
high-quality provision may have the following features:
- Teachers know that PE
includes clearly defined knowledge that can usefully be
categorised as either declarative or procedural.
- Leaders and teachers have thought carefully about what it is
to know more and do more in PE. This understanding is informed by
the national curriculum’s aims, and component knowledge has been
identified to develop pupils’ competence.
- A strong foundation is built on fundamental movement skills
(FMS), starting
in the early years and developed through transitional activities
into more specialised sport and physical activity.
- Teachers make sure that pupils’ movement is not only
efficient and effective but intelligent and context-related. They
ensure pupils have knowledge of rules, strategies and tactics in
order to guide successful movement
- Leaders and teachers select physical activities and sports
based on their capacity to develop pupils’ competence in
PE. They identify key
concepts to teach and build pupils’ understanding incrementally.
- The PE curriculum
meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special
education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils feel
included and able to succeed within the subject.
- Pupils are supported to know more and do more All pupils
benefit from high-quality instruction, practise and feedback.
- Assessment approaches should identify the knowledge pupils
have and have not acquired.
- Teachers of PE have
high levels of subject and pedagogical knowledge.
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman said:
For many pupils, those two hours of school PE each week are their only
structured physical activity. An ambitious PE curriculum levels the playing
field by giving all pupils the benefits of physical activity and
sport, despite the advantages that some pupils will have outside
the school gates. I hope this review helps raise the quality of
PE for all young people.
