The progression of skills in all areas of Physical Development is to improve outcomes and quality of life for all children and their families. Resulting in children leading more independent, healthy lives with increased opportunities. 

Hedgewood School adopts an integrated approach to physical development. Physical development is promoted in all areas of the curriculum, throughout the school day.  Pupils are challenged to make progress in their physical skills by knowledgeable staff members.

The development of physical skills is fundamental to learning. By developing coordination, motor skills, and awareness of their bodies, pupils can explore, interpret, and have an impact on the world around them, often resulting in healthier and more independent learners. 

For some pupils, physical activities are taught to support their sensory regulation and emotional well-being. Advice is sought from other services to enable teachers to plan physical activities that have a positive impact on individual pupils' sensory regulation, helping them to achieve and maintain a calm, alert state, ready for learning.  

The development of physical skills are taught across environments, enabling pupils to consolidate their learning and transfer their skills. For some children, they are provided with opportunities to apply these skills within community and leisure facilities. This in turn broadens opportunities for our pupils, having a positive impact on physical and mental health and well-being. 

What does Physical Development look like at Hedgewood School? 

Physical Education - Pupils access weekly PE sessions. They are provided with opportunities across the school year to develop their skills in Games, Athletics, Dance, Gymnastics and Outdoor and Adventurous. Skills developed during PE sessions include: rolling, running, jumping, climbing, throwing, and catching, whilst developing their balance, coordination, strength, flexibility and control. 

Sensory Integration - Pupils across the school access individualised interventions to support their sensory regulation. Sensory integration is a term that is used to describe processes in the brain that allow us to take the information we receive from our 5 senses, organise it, and respond appropriately to it. Pupils can be over or under-responsive to different sensory input, which can impact pupils' readiness for learning and their overall well-being.  

Trim Track & Bike Track - In addition to weekly PE sessions, most pupils are provided with the opportunity to develop their gross motor skills on the trim track, low-level climbing facilities and on the bike track. These focus on developing balance, coordination, cycling skills, and cycling safety.  

Swimming - Weekly swim sessions are often the highlight of the pupil's week.  KS2 pupils develop their confidence in the water, some learning to tolerate aids whilst developing physical and swim specific skills. The pool is also a fun environment to explore water toys and to promote communicate and interaction.

 Educational Visits, Community and Leisure Facilities and Cross Curricular links - Physical Development is promoted across the curriculum, including during out-of-school activities, such as educational visits to a range of places such as Thames Valley Adventure playground, Thomley and  Caldicote Xperience. Pupils are provided with the opportunity to consolidate their skills learnt during swimming using community and leisure facilities. 

Sporting Events - Pupils take part in sports celebrations across the school year. 

Fine motor development - The development of fine motor skills is promoted across the curriculum. 

Physiotherapy - School staff work in collaboration with Alder Hey’s community physiotherapy team. They provide advice and support to school staff to ensure that pupils are provided with numerous opportunities across the school day to support their physical development. 

Positioning - Experienced and trained staff work in collaboration with the occupational therapist and physiotherapist to ensure that children are regularly positioned in different specialised equipment (if applicable) across the school day. 

Learning outside and the adventure playground – Planned activities and challenging provisions promote the development of both fine and gross motor skills. Outdoor equipment includes swings, slides, climbing walls, monkey bars, uneven surfaces, trampoline and an outdoor gym.  

Swing Therapy - Some pupils access Swing Therapy as part of their physical and sensory interventions. School staff use swings in this therapeutic environment for a variety of reasons such as strength, balance, and coordination. Swings are also a great tool to address sensory processing as swings provide vestibular (movement) input and some swings also provide proprioceptive (deep pressure) input. School staff use swings in a controlled and safe environment which allows them to engage and challenge pupils in a variety of body positions and activities that address a variety of skills.  

Progress in Physical Development 

A variety of tools and documents are used to assess physical development skills at Hedgewood School. Baseline assessments are completed when pupils join the school community. These inform next steps and targets for individual pupils. The focus of physical development opportunities determines the tools used to assess individuals. 

Assessment Tools used include: 

Sensory Integration- Progression of Skills 

PE- Progression of Skills 

Early Years Assessment  

Swimming in KS2