At Riversdale Primary School, our Physical Education curriculum is designed to develop physically literate pupils who are confident, resilient and motivated to lead healthy, active lives. Through a carefully sequenced and inclusive curriculum, pupils progressively develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to move competently, think strategically, work collaboratively and evaluate performance across a broad range of physical activities and sports.
Our curriculum is rooted in four key disciplinary concepts: motor competence; rules, strategies and tactics; evaluation and improvement; and healthy participation. These concepts are revisited and developed throughout each phase of the school, ensuring pupils build secure foundations in EYFS before applying and refining their understanding with increasing fluency and independence through to Year 6. Alongside physical development, we place a strong emphasis on teamwork, leadership, resilience, sportsmanship and personal wellbeing, ensuring PE contributes meaningfully to pupils’ wider personal development. We are committed to ensuring that all pupils, including those within our Resource Base, can access and succeed within PE through carefully planned adaptive approaches and inclusive practice.
Pupils participate in two hours of high-quality Physical Education each week, taught through a combination of class teachers and specialist PE teaching. Our curriculum is structured progressively from EYFS to Year 6 and includes swimming, invasion games, gymnastics, dance, athletics, striking and fielding, net and wall games, outdoor adventurous activities and multi-skills. Swimming forms a significant part of our provision, with pupils in EYFS, KS1 and our Resource Base accessing weekly lessons, while pupils in KS2 participate in blocked swimming units designed to ensure all children meet the National Curriculum expectations by the end of Year 6.
Learning is carefully sequenced so that pupils revisit key movement patterns, tactical concepts and performance principles across different contexts, allowing knowledge and skills to become increasingly refined and transferable. Lessons promote both cooperation and healthy competition, with pupils regularly evaluating and improving their own and others’ performance through feedback, reflection and discussion. Beyond the curriculum, pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities, including workshops, competitions and partnerships with organisations such as Chelsea FC, All Star Tennis, the Wimbledon Tennis Foundation, Harlequins Rugby, Bikeability and Pineapple Dance Studios. Older pupils are also encouraged to take on leadership roles through sports leadership opportunities, lunchtime activities and wider school events, helping them develop responsibility, communication and confidence alongside their physical skills.
At Riversdale Primary School we believe in the importance of all children developing a deep understanding of Physical Education and in embedding the substantive knowledge and disciplinary skills into their long-term memory. As such, the progression of Physical Education has been carefully mapped, with a consideration to connected subject matter and opportunities to revisit specific concepts over time.
You can find a copy of the current Physical Education Progression Document here.
At Riversdale Primary School, children from Reception up to Year 6 undertake regular swimming lessons. For those in the younger years, these take place in the on-site pool with our qualified sports/PE specialist. Older children will visit a local swimming pool, to take the skills they have learnt and develop these further.
Below you will find the most up-to-date swimming results for Year 6. These will change over the course of the year, as children continue to have swimming lessons.
Percentage of Year 6 cohort that can swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres - 81%
Please find our Physical Education policy below:
Come on an exciting video tour of our lovely school.
Enter your post code into the box below and we’ll provide you with a list of directions to our school.
