Year 2 PE: What to Teach (England)
Your Teacher Information Pack for Year 2 PE: every national curriculum statement, the tests and dates that matter, and trusted links. Tick what you're teaching and send it straight into the lesson plan maker.
- Country
- England
- Key stage
- KS1
- Ages
- 6–7
- Status
- Compulsory national curriculum subject at KS1
- Source
- National curriculum in England – Published 2013-09-11
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Roughly the same age as US Kindergarten–Grade 1 (approximate: the systems don't line up exactly).
The KS1 programme of study for this subject covers the whole key stage; schools decide what to teach in which year. Swimming and water safety must be taught in either KS1 or KS2.
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.
What to teach
Below is the official programme of study for Year 2 PE: the statutory statements first, then any non-statutory notes and guidance, which schools don't have to follow.
Key stage 1 3 statutory statements
Introduction to Key stage 1 (official text)
Pupils should develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They should be able to engage in competitive (both against self and against others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations.
Pupils should be taught to:
Key stage 1 Statutory
Pupils should be taught to:
- master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities
- participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending
- perform dances using simple movement patterns
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
Assessments and key dates
There are no national tests or checks in Year 2. Your school will use its own assessments.
Official documents
Trusted free resources
- Oak National Academy – Free, full lesson sequences for KS1 (government-funded).
- BBC Bitesize – Short videos and quizzes by key stage and subject.
Links only: we don't copy their content and we aren't connected to these organisations.
More packs
Other subjects in Year 2: English, Maths, Science, Art and Design, Computing, Design and Technology, Geography, History, Music.
Find another TIP · National curriculum overview
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
Is pe compulsory in Year 2?
Yes. PE is a compulsory national curriculum subject at KS1 in England (national curriculum framework, figure 1).
Is the Year 2 content set out year by year?
The KS1 programme of study for this subject covers the whole key stage; schools decide what to teach in which year. Swimming and water safety must be taught in either KS1 or KS2.