Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK school terms (Reception, Year 4, secondary school); the US version uses kindergarten, Grade 3 and high school. · US version of this page
Moving, playing and staying well – PE and health for every body, from first games in Reception to getting active again as an adult, at school or at home.
This department is planned and ready to build – it needs funding
We have planned what the PE and Health Department will teach and how it will work. Building it takes funding, so for now you can read our plan below and use the Classfern pages for PE and health that are already live.
Move first, think too
Juvenal's line was originally part of a list of things worth wishing for, alongside courage and a calm heart. Two thousand years later, it still describes what good PE and health education aims at: bodies that move with confidence and minds that know how to look after themselves.
No gym required
Plenty of schools and families have little space and less equipment, so the plan starts with activities that need only a floor and a timer. Movement breaks, warm-ups and circuits will play on the board with a visible countdown, spoken cues and pictures, easier and harder versions of every move, and plenty of rest. They will sit alongside the brain breaks and classroom timer tools already on Classfern.
Skills, games and sport
For Reception and Key Stage 1, the focus is running, jumping, throwing, catching and balance, all through games. Older children will learn the rules and tactics of team games, athletics, dance and gymnastics, with “coach cards” for adults who aren't sports experts. Secondary pupils will meet the science of training – heart rate, fitness components, warming up and recovery – with quizzes Marked by Classfern.
Health that respects privacy
The health side covers sleep, healthy eating, hygiene, basic first aid and looking after your mental health, written for each age. We will never ask learners to log their weight or share health details. Personal goals, such as “jog for five minutes without stopping”, will be Self-assessed and kept private; practical performances will be Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) or recorded as Evidence kept at home.
Sports day helpers
For the big events, the plan includes a sports day planner with team scores, heat sheets and a results board for the projector, so organising the races takes minutes rather than a whole evening.
For older students and adults
The plan includes material for university students and adults too: getting active again safely, desk-friendly stretches and the basics of planning your own training.
Mr Juvenal, satirist and unlikely coach
Juvenal was famous for sharp, funny poems that mocked the habits of ancient Rome, so he makes a rather surprising PE teacher. Ours keeps the wit but drops the grumbling: he will cheer every attempt and poke gentle fun at anyone who skips the warm-up.
Keep the beat with Music
Our flagship Music Department already gets people moving in time, with a click track and seven drum beats from rock to waltz. Warm up to a beat there today; PE lessons with their own rhythm are on the way.
Ready to warm up
PE and health is planned and ready to build. Funding will get it moving – and coaches, PE teachers and health professionals with ideas are very welcome to tell us.
Already on Classfern for PE and health
Support the Classfern appeal
Every Classfern department is ready on paper, but each one needs funding before we can build it. A gift of any amount helps build Classfern – including new departments like this one – and keeps the free tools free for teachers, families and learners.
Support the Classfern appeal →
Classfern is a small business, not a charity. The support page explains how gifts are used.
Can you help? Teachers and subject experts – tell us
If you teach PE and health or know it well, we would love your ideas, examples and corrections for this department.
All Classfern departments · Visit the Music Department, our flagship