Intent

At Hillside Primary School, our curriculum is designed to place the needs and aspirations of our pupils at the heart of everything we do. We deliver a knowledge-rich, ambitious, and inclusive curriculum that empowers every child to "Be the BEST they can be." Our curriculum intent is underpinned by four key attitudes for learning, which ensure our pupils develop the character and resilience needed to thrive in the modern world:

• Believe

• Engage

• Succeed

• Try

BELIEVE: Building Confidence and Belonging

At Hillside, we foster an environment where children learn to believe in their unique physical potential and develop a sense of belonging through sport and physical activity.

• Physical Confidence and Competence: We believe that every child can build confidence in their physical capabilities. Starting with the mastery of 5 fundamental movement skills in EYFS (running, jumping, hopping, catching, and throwing), we build to 10 core skills in Key Stage 1 (underarm throw, hopping, catching, ball bouncing, overarm throw, running, jumping, skipping, rolling, and kicking). This foundational mastery ensures every child believes in their movement potential.

• Inclusive Sports Culture: We nurture a sense of belonging where every child, regardless of background or starting point, feels valued and included in PE. The curriculum celebrates diverse physical activities and sports, encouraging mutual respect, teamwork, and an appreciation for differing individual strengths.

• Inclusivity and Adaptations: Through targeted pre-teaching of movement patterns, SEND adaptations, and a small-steps skill progression, we ensure all pupils – including those with additional needs – believe they can achieve and excel in physical education.

ENGAGE: Curiosity and Connection

We provide a stimulating, knowledge-rich PE curriculum – incorporating both declarative knowledge (rules, tactics, and health concepts) and procedural knowledge (execution of skills) – that inspires children to engage deeply with sport and active living.

• Progressive Application: Using a cumulative and coherent curriculum based on the GetSet4 PE scheme, pupils engage deeply by applying fundamental movement skills across Key Stage 2 within sport-specific units, as well as increasingly complex scenarios in Dance, Athletics, and Gymnastics.

• Community and External Connections: We connect children to the wider sporting world through engagement in local inter-school competitions and sports events across the Gloucester area. We utilise our PE & Sports Premium funding to provide a diverse range of motivational activities, extra-curricular opportunities, and outdoor experiences that enrich their active lives.

• Cognitive Load and Skill Connections: Through a well-sequenced physical curriculum, we break movement down into manageable components, removing cognitive overload so children can make connections between fundamental skills, strategic tactics, and real-game play.

SUCCEED: Precision and Mastery

Our PE curriculum is a precisely sequenced journey designed to ensure every pupil succeeds physically, socially, and personal-healthwise.

• Knowing & Remembering More: We utilise spaced retrieval and small-steps skill acquisition across PE units to transfer movement patterns and tactical concepts into long-term muscle memory. Our 'sticky knowledge' approach ensures movement foundations are firm before introducing complex game scenarios.

• Precision in Technique: In Early Years and Key Stage 1, fidelity to a clear progression of fundamental movement skills enables pupils to secure the precision necessary for sport-specific games, gymnastics, and athletics in Key Stage 2 and beyond.

• Mastery & Lifelong Health: Pupils achieve mastery through regular, structured physical activity (including two hours of quality PE weekly). By connecting physical mastery to understanding health, fitness, and active lifestyles, children develop the tools to succeed in lifelong personal wellbeing.

TRY: Resilience and Hard Thinking

We cultivate a culture of resilience where children are not afraid to try, take calculated risks, embrace physical challenges, and engage in tactical problem-solving.

• Resilience Through Challenge and Competition: The PE curriculum promotes equity by ensuring all learners have access to challenging sporting opportunities, competitive play, and supportive coaching. Pupils build self-awareness, emotional regulation, and fair play, learning to navigate winning, losing, and personal setbacks with resilience.

• The Power of Practice and Refinement: In physical activity, trial, error, and refinement are essential. Pupils learn to self-evaluate and refine technique through peer feedback, self-assessment, and continuous practice, understanding that athletic progress and physical excellence are the result of a willingness to try, adjust, and persevere.

• Building on Prior Learning: Children are explicitly shown how complex sports techniques build upon prior learning. For example, a Year 6 invasion game strategy builds directly on Key Stage 1 ball control and lower Key Stage 2 spatial awareness, showing pupils that any physical skill or sporting milestone is achievable with determination, effort, and the right mindset.