PE Planning – KS2 (YR 4 or 5) Circuits (6 week block)
By Claire Chainey Swaythling Primary School
National curriculum Reference:
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:
 use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
 develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics]
 compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.
Assessment Level Descriptors
Level 3
 Pupils select and use skills, actions and ideas appropriately, applying them with coordination and control.
 They show that they understand tactics and composition by starting to vary how they respond.
 They can see how their work is similar to and different from others' work, and use this understanding to improve their
own performance.
 They give reasons why warming up before an activity is important, and why physical activity is good for their health.
Level 4
 Pupils link skills, techniques and ideas and apply them accurately and appropriately. Their performance shows
precision, control and fluency.
 They understand tactics and composition.
 They compare and comment on skills, techniques and ideas used in their own and others' work, and use this
understanding to improve their performance.
They explain and apply basic safety principles in preparing for exercise. They describe what effects exercise has on their
bodies, and how it is valuable to their fitness and health.
Level 5
 Pupils select and combine their skills, techniques and ideas and apply them accurately and appropriately, consistently
showing precision, control and fluency.
 When performing, they draw on what they know about strategy, tactics and composition.
 They analyse and comment on skills and techniques and how these are applied in their own and others' work. They
modify and refine skills and techniques to improve their performance.
They explain how the body reacts during different types of exercise, and warm up and cool down in ways that suit the
activity. They explain why regular, safe exercise is good for their fitness and health.
Aims
The national curriculum for physical education aims to ensure that all pupils:
 develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
 are physically active for sustained periods of time
 engage in competitive sports and activities
 lead healthy, active lives.
In this unit specifically, pupils will have the opportunity to develop a range of fitness based activities with the intention
that they will improve their physical fitness, levels of speed, agility, co-ordination and stamina. In addition to this, they
will build on their existing understanding of the key concepts of physical fitness and the idea that we can improve our
levels of fitness through training and practise.
Cross Curricular Links
Science – understanding the effects exercise has on our bodies, various parts of the body involved in exercise, names of
muscles.
Maths – data handling, recording of weekly class data.
ICT – data collected could be inputted on to the computers, heart rate monitors could be used if available.
Music – movement to music, counting to a beat whilst moving to music.
Language For Learning
Fitness, circuits, agility, balance, co-ordination, stamina, speed, heart rate, muscles (alongside various muscle names),
personal best, records, warm up, stretching, shuttle run, sprint.
Prior Learning
Children will have an existing understanding of their own abilities with regard to speed, agility, co-ordination, balance and
stamina.
They will have experienced working with and handling a variety of sizes of ball, bean bags and quoits.
They will need to be able to use a stop watch.
Unit Overview
Session
Number
LO
Activity
Resources
1
LO: To understand what they are capable of
achieving with their bodies by gaining a
baseline level of fitness.
Resources: stop watches, class record sheet,
cones, benches, bean bags, variety of
different sized balls, music for aerobics
warm up.
2
LO: To understand the different activities
we can do to improve speed.
3
LO: To understand the different activities
we can do to improve our stamina.
4
LO: To understand the different activities
we can do to increase our co-ordination.
5
LO: To understand the different activities
we can do to make us more agile.
6
LO: To investigate whether practise has
improved our performance.
Warm up: Cups and Cones.
Main: assessment session.
Plenary: putting equipment
away safely and prediction
discussions.
Warm up: Bean Game.
Main: speed stations.
Plenary: re-test sprint
assessment.
Warm up: Bleep Test.
Main: stamina stations.
Plenary: re-test shuttle runs
assessment.
Warm up: aerobics to music.
Main: co-ordination stations.
Plenary: re-test target ball
assessment.
Warm up: aerobics to music.
Main: agility stations.
Plenary: re-test step ups
assessment.
Warm up: aerobics to music
Main: re-assess children for
all fitness stations.
Plenary: results discussions.
Have we improved?
Resources: cones, bean bags, stop watches,
skipping ropes.
Resources: stop watches, exercise weights,
tape measure, mats, cones, Bleep Test.
Resources: cones, bean bags, buckets, small
balls, quoits, hoops, various size balls.
Resources: cones, stop watches, hoola
hoops, balance beams (low and higher),
benches, mats.
Resources: stop watches, class record sheet,
cones, benches, bean bags, variety of
different sized balls, Target.
Session 1 – Assessment (outdoor session)
LO: To understand what they are capable of achieving with their bodies by gaining a baseline level of fitness.
Resources: stop watches, class record sheet, cones, benches, bean bags, variety of different sized balls, music for aerobics
warm up.
Warm up
Play cups and cones.
Place a number of cones the right way up (cones) and a number the wrong way up (cups). Children are on 2 teams – cups
or cones – they have a time limit in which to try to make the cones in to cups or vice versa depending on their team.
Winning team, is the team with the most cups or cones.
Make sure that children understand the purpose of the warm up activity – to warm up muscles, raise heart rate, make our
bodies ready for exercise.
Carry out some basic stretches, making sure that the children are positioning their bodies correctly and know where in
their bodies they should be feeling the stretch.
Main
In this session you will be able to gain an overview of the children’s ability with regard to such areas as their levels of
fitness, speed, agility, stamina and co-ordination.
Set up the following stations: Shuttle Runs (5 - 6m apart), 20m Sprint, Bench step ups and ‘Target ball’ (Throwing/batting a
ball using a hand into a target).
Make sure that the children are putting any larger equipment out safely.
As a class the children will have time to practise at each of the stations before they have their 2 minute time trial to get
their base line score for each of the stations.
After each time trial, the results will need to be recorded either by a scribe for each group.
EXT: Gather heart rate data after each trial for the children to record.
Plenary
Remind children of how to put the equipment away safely and correctly.
Have a discussion with the children as to how they think they have done at the various stations and explain that over the
next few weeks they will be practising their skills so that they can improve their scores.
Scores will need to be displayed in class/school so that the children have an idea of how they are doing week on week.
Session 2 – Speed Focus (outdoor session)
LO: To understand the different activities we can do to improve speed.
Resources: cones, bean bags, stop watches, skipping ropes.
Warm up
Bean game. Get children moving round the space at various speeds and then get them to respond to various instructions
to be different types of bean e.g. runner bean, string bean, jumping bean etc. Vary the calls so that children are moving
their bodies in to different positions, shapes and heights.
Carry out your stretching routine, making sure that the children are positioning their bodies correctly and feeling the
stretch in the correct place on their body.
EXT: Can the children name the muscles that are being stretched?
Main
Children will move around the following stations so that they are developing their speed skills. Inform them that at the
end of the session they will be doing the Sprints again to see if their score has improved. Results will be displayed in the
classroom.
Station 1 = 20m Sprints – sprinting against your partner/other children. Record results in group book. LA: shorter distance,
EXT: longer distance (there and back.)
Station 2 = bean bag collection – collect the bean bags from one hoop and put them in the other hoop – 1 minute time
limit. Record results in group book. LA: lower collection target, EXT: higher collection target and increase distance
between hoops.
Station 3 = Short shuttle runs – between the cones, there and back 8 times. How long has it taken? Record results in
group book. LA: decrease distance between cones, EXT: increase distance between cones and raise target number.
Station 4 = Skipping – cones 5m apart. Children to skip there and back 4 times. How long did it take? Record results in
group book. LA: skipping on the spot for 30 seconds, EXT: increase the distance/repetitions.
Station 5 = Side jumps – children jump over a skipping rope from side to side. How long does it take to get there and back?
Record results in group book. LA: children to only go the length of the rope and not travel back, EXT: jump on one leg.
Plenary
Children to re-test themselves for the Sprint activity.
Have they beaten their score?
Record class scores.
Session 3 – Stamina Focus (Indoor session)
LO: To understand the different activities we can do to improve our stamina.
Resources: stop watches, exercise weights, tape measure, mats, cones, Bleep Test.
Warm up
Bleep Test (available on line – TES website)
Children to take part in the Bleep Test.
Main
Children will move around the following stations so that they are developing their stamina skills. Inform them that at the
end of the session they will be doing the Hare Shuttle Runs again to see if their score has improved. Results will be
displayed in the classroom.
Station 1 = Star Jumps - How many star jumps in 1 minute? Record results in group book. LA: reduce the time to 40
seconds, EXT: increase the time to 1.5 minutes. You could also introduce Burpees if they are ready for them.
Station 2 = Bicep Curls - bicep curls using exercise weights (if available, if not use tins of food or bottles of water),
continuous for 1 minute. Record results in group book. LA: decrease the time to 40 seconds, EXT: add on a shoulder press
at the end.
Station 3 = standing long jump – children to have a start cone marker and then perform a standing long jump. Measure
distance, practise and then measure again. Record results in group book. EXT: introduce triple jump.
Station 4 = Press ups - Knelt press ups. How many in 1 minute? Record results in group book. LA: decrease the time to 30
seconds, EXT: increase the time to 2 minutes or introduce full press ups.
Station 5 = Commando Crawls - commando crawl along a mat. Continuous for 1 minute. Record results in group book. LA:
decrease distance, EXT: increase time and distance.
Plenary
Children to re-test themselves for the Shuttle Runs activity.
Have they beaten their score?
Record class scores.
Session 4 – Co-ordination Focus (Indoor session)
LO: To understand the different activities we can do to increase our co-ordination.
Resources: cones, bean bags, buckets, small balls, quoits, hoops, various size balls.
Warm up
Aerobics warm up to music.
Get children to follow a variety of aerobics style movements.
EXT: children to do a move for class to copy
Carry out your stretching routine, making sure that the children are positioning their bodies correctly and feeling the
stretch in the correct place on their body.
EXT: Can the children name the muscles that are being stretched?
Main
Children will move around the following stations so that they are developing their co-ordination skills. Inform them that at
the end of the session they will be doing the Flamingo Flings again to see if their score has improved. Results will be
displayed in the classroom.
Station 1 = Ball Throws – throwing small balls in to a bucket. Can they get 5 balls in in a row? 10 balls? Record results in
group book. LA: decrease distance from bucket, EXT: increase distance from bucket and/or use larger balls.
Station 2 = Bean Bags in a bucket - bean bags in a bucket. Can they get 5 bean bags in in a row? 10 bean bags? Record
results in group book. LA: decrease distance from bucket, EXT: increase distance from bucket and/or add in a time limit.
Station 3 = Quoits in a hoop – quoits thrown into a small hoop and a large hoop. Can they get 5 quoits in each hoop in a
row? 10 quoits? Record results in group book. LA: decrease distance from hoops, EXT: increase distance from hoops
and/or add in a time limit.
Station 4 = Target Practise - target on the wall, children touse their hand as a bat to bat the ball against the wall into the
target area. Record results in group book. LA: throw ball into target, EXT: increase distance from target and/or larger
ball/smaller target.
Station 5 = Partner Ball Throw - partner ball throw with various size balls. Can they throw back and forth to each other 10
times without dropping it? 15 times? 20 times? Record results in group book. LA: decrease distance between pair and/or
stick with a large soft ball, EXT: increase distance between pair and/or use smaller ball.
Plenary
Children to re-test themselves for the Target Ball activity.
Have they beaten their score?
Record class scores.
Session 5 – Agility Focus
LO: To understand the different activities we can do to make us more agile.
Resources: cones, stop watches, hoola hoops, balance beams (low and higher), benches, mats.
Warm Up
Aerobics warm up to music.
Get children to follow a variety of aerobics style movements.
EXT: children to lead the warm up.
Carry out your stretching routine, making sure that the children are positioning their bodies correctly and feeling the
stretch in the correct place on their body.
EXT: Can the children name the muscles that are being stretched?
Main
Children will move around the following stations so that they are developing their agility skills. Inform them that at the
end of the session they will be doing the Bunny Bench Hops again to see if their score has improved. Results will be
displayed in the classroom
Station 1 = Cone Slalom – children to snake in and out of a line of cones. How many times can they get there and back in 2
minutes? Record in group record book. LA: less cones, EXT: more cones/tighter weave between cones.
Station 2 = Sit ups – How many can they do in 1 minute? Record in group record book. LA: reduce time to 30 seconds,
EXT: cycle crunches (children cycle their legs as if on their bike and ‘stomach crunch’ from side to side)
Station 3 = Giant Strides – children to practise increasing the distance covered by taking 5 giants strides. Mark distance
covered with a cone. Record in group record book. LA: build up from 1 giant stride at a time, EXT: alternate leg hops for
giant strides.
Station 4 = Hoola Hoop – children to practise being able to do 10 continuous turns of the hoola hoop. Record in group
record book. LA: build up number of turns as a target, EXT: continuous rotation for 1 minute.
Station 5 = Balance Beams – children to travel there and back. How quickly can they do it? Record in group record book.
LA: use a bench for the children to balance on, EXT: use a higher balance beam/upturned bench
Plenary
Children to re-test themselves for the Step Ups activity.
Have they beaten their score?
Record class scores.
Session 6 – Re-Assessment
LO: To investigate whether practise has improved our performance.
Resources: stop watches, class record sheet, cones, benches, bean bags, variety of different sized balls, Target.
Warm up
Aerobics warm up to music.
Get children to follow a variety of aerobics style movements.
EXT: children to lead the warm up.
Carry out your stretching routine, making sure that the children are positioning their bodies correctly and feeling the
stretch in the correct place on their body.
EXT: Can the children name the muscles that are being stretched?
Main
In this session you will be able to see if there has been an improvement in the children’s ability with regard to the areas of
levels of fitness, speed, agility, stamina and co-ordination.
Set up the following stations: Shuttle Runs (5 - 6m apart), Sprint, Bench Step Ups and Target Ball.
As a class the children will have time to practise at each of the stations before they have their 2 minute time trial to get
their final score for each of the stations.
After each time trial, the results will be recorded and added to the class records.
Plenary
Have the children improved from their baseline scores?
Who is ‘the best’ for each of the stations?
Who has improved the most for each of the stations?
Are girls better than boys (or visa versa)?