Is Your Primary PE Ready for September? A Six Step Checklist
Starting a new school year is always busy. Taking a little time to review your PE provision before September can help teachers feel prepared, prevent avoidable problems and ensure pupils can enjoy high-quality PE from the beginning of term.
Whether you’re reviewing last year’s PE programme, preparing over the summer or working through your September INSET list, these six simple checks will help you get your primary PE provision ready for the year ahead.
1. Make sure staff can access their PE planning
Even the best PE resources are only useful if teachers know where to find them and can access them easily.
Check that all relevant members of staff have the correct login details, links or shared folder access. Remember to include new teachers and teaching assistants who will be delivering or supporting PE.
It is also worth asking staff to check their access before the first week of term, when forgotten passwords and limited access can become a problem.
If your school uses an online PE planning platform, confirm that staff accounts are up to date and that everyone can access the year groups and resources they need.
2. Check your PE timetable
Rewiew the timetable alongside assemblies, breaktimes, lunchtimes, clubs and any other use of the hall, playground or outdoor spaces. A quick check can highlight clashes before they begin affecting your Primary School PE lessons.
Things to consider when timetabling:
- Does every class has its full PE entitlement?
- Are facilities and equipment available at the right times?
- Is there a suitable alternative if the weahter is poor during outdoor PE lessons? PE Planning has ‘Classroom PE‘ for those winter emergencies!
- Are members of staff timetabled correctly?
Making these arrangements clear before the term begins will mean a smoother start for everyone.
3. Review your PE long term plan
Your long term plan should give pupils a broad, balanced and progressive PE Curriculum across the year. Review what worked well last year and make any small changes needed for the pupils, staff, facilities and equipment you will have in September.
Check that units are taught in a sensible order and that pupils will build on previous learning as they move through the school – this doesn’t always have to be within the same sport – skills and tactics can be repeated and refined through different sport topics (such as football and hockey, tennis and badminton, and even cricket and rounders!).
Once the plan is agreed, ensure all staff know where to find it and understand which units they will be teaching each term.
4. Audit your PE equipment
An equipment check ahead of the new school year is essential. Every PE cupboard seems to contain a mysterious black hole into which tennis balls, footballs and cones disappear, never to be seen again! Lessons can be unnecessarily disrupted by missing, damaged or unsuitable equipment.
Make a note of:
- What equipment you currently have.
- What equipment is damaged, and needs to be repaired.
- What equipment needs to be replaced, or adding to for full class use.
- An essential equipment list of what is needed for the year ahead. Spliting this into terms can be useful for budgeting.
- A disired equipment (dream) list incase the budget can be stretched!
Don’t forget to dispose of any unsafe items appropriately.
This is also a useful opportunity to organise and label storage areas, making it easier for staff to collect and return equipment. Limit access to the PE cupboard to help keep equipment organised, secure and available for lessons. Where possible, create a separate storage area with dedicated equipment for Play Leaders, lunchtime monitors, breakfast clubs and free play.
5. Easy to Access Additional Resources and Support
Teachers shouldn’t need to search through endless folders or systems before every PE lesson. Make sure everyone knows where to find lesson plans, quick-reference plans, assessment materials, risk assessments, additional resources, guidance cards and any video demonstrations available to them.
A clear, consistent system saves valuable time and allows teachers to focus on the lesson delivery. It also makes it easier for another member of staff to deliver a lesson when cover is needed.
6. Identify any areas where staff need support
Ask staff whether there are any units, activities or parts of the curriculum they feel unsure about. A short conversation, feedback form, or group email before term begins can identify where guidance, professional development or additional resources would be most valuable.
Make it clear who staff should approach for help, whether that is the PE lead, SLT, a coach or your curriculum provider. Teachers are much more likely to ask questions early when they know support is readily available.
A few minutes now can make a big difference in September
This isn’t about rewriting your entire PE curriculum, rather a focused check to remove many of the practical barriers that make PE harder to deliver.
With these essentials in place, teachers can begin the year feeling confident and prepared—and pupils can spend more of their PE lessons active, learning and enjoying movement.
How PE Planning can help
PE Planning supports primary schools with clear, progressive lesson plans from EYFS to Year 6, Full Plans and Quick Plans, additional resources and activities, online assessment, video demonstrations and expert teacher support.
Already using PE Planning? Take a few minutes to check that your team can log in and knows where to find the plans and resources they need for September.
Contact us if you need us – we’re always happy to help!
Not yet a member? Explore the PE Planning curriculum and discover practical resources designed to save teachers time and build confidence when delivering PE.
We have plans to suit MATS, Partnerships, Schools, Coaches and Individual Teachers!
Enjoy the rest of your summer – and if you ever need us please just shout!
