KS2 PE Curriculum (England)
The whole key stage 2 pe programme of study from the national curriculum in England, with statutory and non-statutory parts clearly marked. Tick statements to plan a lesson.
- Years
- Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6
- Ages
- 7–11
- Statutory statements
- 9
- Source
- National curriculum in England: physical education
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Current. The government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review (Nov 2025) says a revised national curriculum will be published by spring 2027 for first teaching from September 2028.
English, maths and science programmes of study are split into lower KS2 (years 3–4) and upper KS2 (years 5–6) as guidance only; the legal requirement is to cover years 3–6 content by the end of KS2.
Teaching one year group? Open its TIP: Year 3 PE · Year 4 PE · Year 5 PE · Year 6 PE.
Key stage 2 6 statutory statements
Introduction to Key stage 2 (official text)
Pupils should continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.
Pupils should be taught to:
Key stage 2 Statutory
Pupils should be taught to:
- use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
- play competitive games, modified where appropriate [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis], and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
- develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics]
- perform dances using a range of movement patterns
- take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team
- compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best
Swimming and water safety (key stage 1 or 2) 3 statutory statements
Introduction to Swimming and water safety (key stage 1 or 2) (official text)
All schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or key stage 2.
In particular, pupils should be taught to:
Swimming and water safety (key stage 1 or 2) Statutory
In particular, pupils should be taught to:
- swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
- use a range of strokes effectively [for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke]
- perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations
Official documents
- National curriculum in England: physical education programmes of study (GOV.UK)
- The national curriculum framework for key stages 1 to 4 (GOV.UK)
More
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Department for Education, National curriculum in England: physical education programmes of study (GOV.UK), © Crown copyright.
Statements in the curriculum lists are copied word for word from GOV.UK; everything else on this page (headings, notes, summaries) is written by us. Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education or the Standards and Testing Agency. Always check the official documents linked on this page.
Questions teachers ask
What is in the KS2 pe curriculum?
9 statutory statements in 2 sections, set out as Key stage 2, Swimming and water safety (key stage 1 or 2). Schools must teach the statutory content by the end of the key stage.