Ofsted has today published a subject report looking at how
physical education (PE) is being taught in England’s schools.
The report draws on evidence from subject visits to a sample of
primary and secondary schools.
Only a small number of schools have a clearly defined and broad
PE curriculum. Many schools do not match the ambition of the
national curriculum. For example, in two thirds of the schools
visited, dance is not taught to all pupils, or the dance content
being taught is not well organised. And in three quarters of
schools, outdoor adventurous activities are either not taught
effectively or not taught at all. By comparison, nearly every
school’s curriculum includes football.
Inspectors found that most schools schedule enough time in the
week to teach PE. Most primary schools teach PE for 2 hours a
week and around half of secondary schools allocate the same to
all year groups. Football and other team sports are given most of
that time, meaning other sports are often given significantly
less curriculum time and content is rarely revisited over time.
Where the curriculum is stronger, schools prioritise the most
appropriate physical activities to teach. These activities are
selected because they enable pupils to learn essential
subject-specific knowledge and reach ambitious end points.
The report also identified that all leaders in the sample valued
PE, but teachers need more support in understanding how to use
assessment to inform subsequent teaching.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, said:
“PE is so important for children to develop an understanding of
how movement contributes to a healthy, active lifestyle. It’s
great that most schools allow enough time for children to be
physically active.
“I hope the findings in this report help schools develop their PE
curriculum so all children get enough opportunities to experience
a range of different activities.”
The report has made a number of recommendations for how schools
can ensure that all pupils receive a high-quality PE education,
including:
- Making sure that the PE curriculum matches the breadth and
ambition of the national curriculum for all pupils by including
dance and outdoor and adventurous activities, as well as team
games such as football.
- Making sure that the time in PE lessons is spent on
developing pupils’ competence. Pupils should practise, refine and
revisit previous content before learning new or more complex
knowledge, so that they can secure the prior learning and,
importantly, build their confidence.
- Choosing the most appropriate physical activities and sports,
so that all pupils are well supported to meet ambitious outcomes.
By making sure that specific sports and physical activities are
sequenced coherently to broaden pupils’ understanding from key
stage 1 to key stage 4.
- Supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or
disabilities (SEND) effectively so that they can access an
ambitious curriculum and achieve well. This includes ensuring
that staff are well trained to provide precise support in
different sports so that all pupils can meet clear and ambitious
end points.
