Physical Education
RATIONALE
The Physical Education curriculum at Cloughwood has been carefully designed to meet the unique social, emotional, and physical needs of our learners. For many students, physical activity serves not just as a means to improve fitness, but also as a key tool for emotional regulation, rebuilding confidence, and developing trust. Many arrive with disrupted educational experiences, high anxiety, low self-esteem, and limited positive memories of PE. Common barriers include low physical confidence, high anxiety in group settings, difficulties with emotional regulation, and a mistrust of authority, often rooted in past exclusion or failure. To address these challenges, our PE curriculum prioritises personal development over performance. It fosters self-regulation through routine, builds self-esteem via scaffolded success, and encourages communication and trust through cooperative games. Restorative practice, emotion coaching, and reflective discussions are embedded in lessons to help students regulate emotions and build resilience. Activities are structured to ensure accessibility and progression for all, revisiting foundational skills rather than assuming prior knowledge. Compared to mainstream PE, our curriculum places emotional safety first, adapts competition to reduce pressure, and includes alternative wellbeing-focused activities like outdoor activities and learning outside the classroom.
INTENT
Our intent is to use physical activity as a vehicle to promote personal growth, emotional wellbeing, and social development, while implementing a lifelong appreciation for healthy, active lifestyles. We aim to ensure every student, regardless of background or ability, can access, enjoy, and succeed in PE. By the end of the curriculum, students will have developed core physical competencies (such as movement, coordination, and teamwork), but equally, they will have strengthened life skills including confidence, resilience, communication, and self-regulation. Lessons are designed to be practical, engaging, and meaningful, supporting students’ mental health and fostering positive peer relationships. The curriculum supports students in preparing for life beyond school by helping them become more physically confident, emotionally resilient, and socially aware. Learning is individualised and responsive, using trauma-informed strategies to ensure all students can participate, achieve, and feel a sense of progression.
IMPLEMENTATION
The PE curriculum is delivered through a structured, flexible, and trauma-informed model that reflects the dynamic and complex needs of our learners. Lessons are sequenced to first build confidence and emotional readiness, followed by the gradual introduction of skill development and cooperative challenges. Thematic units are adaptive, allowing for in-the-moment adjustments based on group dynamics, emotional states, and individual interests. A typical lesson includes a warm-up, main activity, cool-down, and reflection, providing predictability to reduce anxiety. Low-arousal strategies, visual aids, and clearly defined expectations help create a calm, supportive environment. Success is defined by engagement and effort, not competition, and all activities are differentiated, including rules, groupings, and equipment, so that every student can participate meaningfully. Where needed, alternative roles are offered to maintain inclusion.
Staff are key to successful delivery; they model empathy, maintain consistent routines, and apply restorative approaches to build trust. PE staff work closely with the SENCO and pastoral teams to align lessons with therapeutic goals and wider school priorities. Assessment is formative, focusing on social-emotional growth alongside physical development. Feedback is immediate, verbal, and reinforced through praise, certificates, displays, and communication with home. Enrichment opportunities, including off-site visits, local league games, and outdoor challenges, further support student development.
IMPACT
The impact of our PE curriculum is measured through observation, formative assessment, and the pupil's voice. Staff use visual cues, participation levels, and emotional responses to track development in physical skills, behaviour, and personal growth. Reflection and engagement data help monitor changes in self-regulation, confidence, and interpersonal skills over time. Progress is seen when students demonstrate increased participation, pride in achievement, improved behaviour, and enhanced social interaction, both in PE and across school life. Staff note stronger relationships, better attendance, and reduced incidents in lessons as key indicators of success.
Learning journeys and behaviour reports provide evidence of improvement, while cross-curricular impacts, such as increased focus, resilience, or leadership, highlight the wider influence of PE. Students also take on roles like team leaders or mentors and participate in enrichment that extends learning beyond lessons. Ultimately, the curriculum empowers students to become more independent, emotionally secure, and physically active, supporting successful transitions into further education, training, and adult life.