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Cambridge Courses » Physical Education

Physical Education

Physical education is a vital part of a balanced school curriculum. Regular exercise improves physical and mental health and there is growing evidence that it improves academic performance across the curriculum. Establishing good patterns of exercise in primary school provides learners with the foundation for an active and healthy lifestyle.

What will students learn?

This subject is about learning to move and moving to learn. Learners develop skills through a wide variety of age-appropriate physical activities, including games, gymnastics and dance. As individuals and team members, they will:

  • increase confidence, moving with increasing control, fluency and variety
  • improve their understanding of concepts, rules, tactics, strategies and compositional ideas
  • participate in respectful and responsible ways, engaging appropriately and safely
  • improve knowledge and understanding of how physical education can contribute to a healthy and active lifestyle
  • develop transferable skills promoting physical, cognitive and social development and become independent, critical and reflective movers and thinkers.

Students develop creative skills that will help with many aspects of their future learning and development. The course supports progression to the Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education.

 

How is the program taught?

This subject is taught through a broad range of tasks, challenges and physical activities. It includes cooperative, competitive, athletic, adventurous and health-based contexts that are appropriate for each learning stage.

Learners will move for as much of each lesson as possible, with activities designed promote learners’ confidence, self-esteem, cognitive abilities and social skills.

The program  is designed to complement, rather than replace, coaching in individual sports or physical activities.

 

How is Cambridge Physical Education assessed?

There are no Cambridge Primary Progression Tests or Checkpoint for this subject.

The emphasis of this course is for teachers to give learners formative feedback on the skills they want students to develop. This can be through discussion, observation and lesson outputs where teachers discuss with students ‘what went well’ and how they can improve further, so that students can reflect on, and improve, their performance.