Is Your PE Curriculum Ready for September? A Back-to-School Checklist for Primary Schools
As schools prepare for a new academic year, September provides the perfect opportunity to review your PE provision. Whether you're a Headteacher, PE Subject Leader or part of the senior leadership team, taking the time to evaluate your curriculum before pupils return can help ensure every child receives high-quality physical education from day one.
A well-planned PE curriculum is about far more than keeping children active. It should develop physical literacy, build confidence, encourage teamwork and support pupils to lead healthy, active lives. It should also be progressive, inclusive and aligned with the expectations of the National Curriculum and Ofsted.
To help you prepare for the new school year, we've put together a simple checklist to review your school's PE provision.
1. Is Your PE Curriculum Progressive?
A strong PE curriculum should build skills over time, with learning sequenced across every year group. Pupils should revisit and develop fundamental movement skills before progressing to more complex activities and sports.
Ask yourself:
Do pupils develop new skills each year?
Is there a clear progression from EYFS through to Year 6?
Are lessons planned with long-term learning in mind rather than isolated activities?
When progression is carefully planned, pupils gain confidence and competence throughout their primary education.
2. Does Your Curriculum Offer a Broad Range of Activities?
Physical education should expose children to a variety of activities that develop different skills and interests.
A balanced curriculum may include:
Games
Gymnastics
Dance
Athletics
Outdoor and Adventurous Activities
Swimming (where applicable)
Providing a broad curriculum helps pupils discover activities they enjoy while developing agility, balance, coordination and teamwork.
3. Are All Pupils Able to Access and Enjoy PE?
High-quality PE should be inclusive for every child, regardless of ability or experience.
Consider whether your lessons:
Provide appropriate challenge for all pupils.
Support children with SEND.
Encourage participation rather than competition alone.
Build confidence in less active children.
Creating an inclusive environment helps every child experience success and enjoyment in physical education.
4. Are Staff Confident Delivering Every Area of PE?
Many teachers feel confident delivering classroom subjects but may have less experience teaching certain areas of PE, such as gymnastics or dance.
Providing ongoing professional development can increase staff confidence and improve the consistency of PE across the school.
Ask yourself:
Do teachers have access to quality planning?
Are they supported with CPD opportunities?
Is there consistency between classes and year groups?
Investing in staff development creates lasting benefits for both teachers and pupils.
5. Can You Demonstrate the Impact of Your PE Provision?
Quality PE isn't just about delivering enjoyable lessons—it should also demonstrate clear learning and progress.
Think about:
How is pupil progress monitored?
Can you evidence improvements in physical competence?
Are pupils developing confidence alongside physical skills?
Can leaders explain the impact of the curriculum?
Having clear evidence of progression helps schools continually improve their provision and supports conversations around curriculum quality.
6. Are Your Extra-Curricular Clubs Supporting the Curriculum?
After-school clubs should complement—not replace—the PE curriculum.
Well-planned clubs can:
Reinforce skills taught during curriculum lessons.
Provide opportunities for pupils to try new sports.
Encourage greater participation in physical activity.
Develop teamwork, resilience and confidence.
When curriculum PE and extracurricular opportunities work together, pupils benefit from a more complete sporting experience.
7. Is Your PE Provision Sustainable?
One of the most important questions schools can ask is whether their PE provision creates long-term improvements.
High-quality PE support should do more than simply deliver lessons. It should strengthen your school's overall provision through planning, staff development and a curriculum that can continue to thrive year after year.
Working with an experienced PE provider can help schools:
Deliver engaging curriculum PE.
Support teacher confidence through CPD.
Provide high-quality extracurricular clubs.
Ensure lessons align with curriculum objectives.
Create positive experiences that inspire lifelong participation in physical activity.
Ready for September?
The start of a new academic year is the ideal time to reflect on your school's PE provision and identify opportunities for improvement. Small changes made now can have a lasting impact on pupils' confidence, wellbeing and enjoyment of physical activity throughout the year.
At Supreme Sport, we work in partnership with primary schools to deliver engaging, curriculum-focused PE lessons, staff CPD and extracurricular clubs that support whole-school development. Our experienced coaches are passionate about helping schools provide high-quality physical education that inspires every child to enjoy being active.
If you're reviewing your PE provision ahead of September, we'd be delighted to discuss how we can support your school throughout the new academic year.