Objective:

• The objective of orienteering is to navigate through a predefined course, visiting all the designated controls in the correct order, and completing the course in the shortest amount of time.

           Map and Courses:

• Orienteers are provided with maps with information about the terrain, such as trails, vegetation, water features and elevation contours.
• They must use this map in conjunction with a compass to navigate.

           Controls:

• ‘Controls’ are specific locations marked on the map with circles and control codes.
• Orienteers must visit each control and verify their presence by marking a scorecard.
• Missing controls or visiting controls in the wrong order results in penalties.

           Courses:

• Orienteering events offer various courses of different lengths and difficulty levels.
• These courses may include traditional point-to-point courses, score courses where controls have different point values, and relay races.

           Start:

• Participants start the course at a designated starting point, often in staggered intervals to avoid crowding.
• They receive their maps and control cards at the starting area, so the opportunity of researching the route is limited, thus making the event fair for all participants.

            Control Descriptions:

• Along with the map, participants receive a list of control descriptions, which provide additional information about the location of each control, such as the feature it's located near or specific details about its placement.

           Navigation:

• Orienteers must use their map-reading and compass skills to navigate between controls.
• They must plan a route that optimises their path through the course.

           Finish:

• After visiting all the controls, participants return to the finish area to record their finishing time and return their scorecards or timing devices.

           Scoring:

• Orienteering is often scored based on elapsed time, with penalties added for missing controls or visiting controls out of order.
• The orienteer with the fastest time, including penalties, wins the event.

           Respect for the Environment:

• Professional Orienteers are acutely conscious of the environment.
• Orienteers should always practice ‘Leave No Trace’ principles, respecting the environment and minimising their impact on the natural surroundings.
• This is a great opportunity to reinforce these principles to your pupils.

In Upper Key Stage 2 Orienteering, children develop physical fitness and can describe its importance in orienteering. Children can use a map confidently, design routes to controls and build detailed maps. Children will take part in orienteering events, choosing and applying appropriate skills for the challenge. Our Year 6 Orienteering lesson plans help children understand that communicating is vital to achieving success in team games, and will work well as part of a team, contributing effectively.

Orienteering lessons are an essential part of primary school PE. They provide opportunities for children to be challenged, building problem solving skills, resilience and developing thinking/planning strategies. Orienteering lessons help children improve their motor competence ensuring children move with agility, balance, control and coordination. Primary School Orienteering is also great for building confidence, developing social skills, and allowing children to recognise and celebrate their successes.

All PE Planning lesson plans, including our Orienteering PE plans, are created by PE Specialists. Each one has all the resources required to deliver a complete Unit of Work.  There's full guidance, including illustrations, and you can choose to download either a quick reference plan or a full lesson plan. Our Year 6 Orienteering lesson plans follow the National Curriculum and allow you to deliver fun, engaging and rewarding Orienteering lessons to your Year 6 pupils.  Best of all, they make your life easier - because our downloadable PE lesson plans are quick and easy to follow!