PE is an essential part of the personal development of each pupil, in terms of their health, physical and mental wellbeing which underpins the Gascoigne curriculum. Teaching PE allows children to explore how physical activity and a love of movement and a range of sports make up the world around us and how physical education is essential to build well-rounded individuals. PE understands and encourages Article 28 and 29 (right to and goals of education) as well as Article 31 of the UN convention of the rights of the child which established the rights of the child to access an education and their right to experience a range of cultural activities – of which a range of cultural experiences can be accessed throughout the PE curriculum.  

Physical Education is taught as a skills based curriculum throughout Early Years and Key Stage One and then skills are taught through a contextual basis in Key Stage two to introduce children to a range of sports and cultural experiences (in the context of gymnastics and dance). A spiral curriculum is in place which re-visits key skills throughout a pupils’ school life at Gascoigne.  

The curriculum is designed as a spiral curriculum to allow children to continue developing key skills which provide the backbone of a primary PE education. The curriculum maps are planned in a way where these skills can be developed through the vehicle of trying a range of sports and disciplines, planned so the relevant resources, location and expertise are available to ensure high quality teaching and learning. The topics chosen are pupil-centred, with a selection of non-standard topics such as salsa dance to build cultural capital within our pupils and expose them to a range of topics and genres.  

The purpose of the skills based curriculum, planned using the Real PE scheme, is to allow children to have a base level of skills which will set them in good stead for increasing their cultural capital of different sporting disciplines and skills taught in KS2. The aim of the whole of physical education throughout the school is to expose children to the benefits of a physically active life, creating physical literacy that allows them to live healthily each day and to try and encourage a love of activity and sports. By the end of KS2, children would have also been given plenty of competitive opportunities both within school and opportunities to represent the school in a range of sports and activities, a vital aspect of the national curriculum.