Bring PE to life: A holistic curriculum that helps every pupil achieve

Physical education is so much more than fitness. At Oak, we want PE to feel meaningful, joyful and inclusive – where every pupil, in every lesson can develop physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally. Working closely with expert partners PE Scholar and Complete PE, we’ve developed a free, fully adaptable PE curriculum and set of lesson resources to help make that possible.

With over 3,000 practical demonstration videos, a wide range of sports and activities, and a holistic, research-informed approach, Oak’s curriculum is designed to support teachers’ professional judgement, save time and inspire a love of physical activity that lasts well beyond the school gates.

Explore the new curriculum:
Key stages 1-2 PE curriculum
Key stage 3 and key stage 4 PE curriculum (core)
Key stage 3 and GCSE PE curriculum AQA
Key stage 3 and GCSE PE curriculum Edexcel
Key stage 3 and GCSE PE curriculum OCR

Designed around Sport England’s move, think, feel, connect framework

We’ve designed a holistic curriculum around Sport England’s move, think, feel, connect framework which underpins the entire curriculum, guiding pupils to:

• Move with increasing competence across a wide range of activities while developing physical fitness when performing and competing
• Think tactically and creatively while decision making and problem solving, increase knowledge of rules strategies and compositions, while learning about healthy, active living
• Feel confident, motivated and self-aware while engaging and enjoying physical activity
• Connect with others through teamwork and leadership while developing cultural and ethical awareness.

This approach helps ensure progression is not only physical, but also cognitive, social and emotional – reflecting the full intent of the national curriculum and the realities of modern PE teaching.

High-quality modelling through 3,000+ step-by-step demonstration videos

Every unit comes with adaptable lesson guides, clear sequencing from year 1 to year 11, and practical activities. Whether you’re helping a pupil refine a movement pattern or challenging others to extend a skill, each activity includes easier and harder versions so you can tailor your teaching effortlessly.

Alongside this, our 3,000+ step-by-step demonstration videos model exactly how to set up activities, demonstrate skills and manage transitions. Teachers can revisit them as often as needed, and pupils can access them as well. We will shortly be adding videos to support remote learning to enable teachers to provide pupils with safe PE lessons in the event of school closure days.

Build strong foundations through fundamental movement skills

Across primary and secondary, fundamental movement skills and transferable concepts sit at the heart of the curriculum. These provide the building blocks for pupils to develop movement competence, apply knowledge in new contexts and make sense of increasingly complex physical challenges.

Carefully sequenced units help pupils revisit, refine and embed these building blocks, supporting smooth transition from one phase to the next.

Choose from a wide range of sports and activities

We’ve selected a diverse mix of sports and activities so every pupil can find something they enjoy – and so teachers can meet the needs of different cohorts.

Examples include:

• Emerging and alternative activities: parkour, tchoukball, pickleball, world games
• Inclusive and adaptive sports: goalball, seated volleyball, T1 rugby
• Traditional favourites: hockey, rounders, tennis
• Lifestyle and wellbeing activities: HIIT, mindfulness, martial arts, cardio tennis.

Across year 1 to year 11, every year group includes a flagship invasion games unit that builds transferable skills and can be applied across multiple contexts. As pupils progress, they also meet units designed to build positive habits and inspire physical activity outside school.

Expertly developed by a team with over 200 years of teaching experience

Our curriculum and resources have been shaped through deep collaboration between PE Scholar and Complete PE – together bringing over 200 years’ combined teaching experience. Guidance and review of the curriculum was supported by Subject Expert Groups (comprising key stakeholders and PE teachers), and the resources were reviewed by afPE and Youth Sport Trust. The lessons reflect what teachers know works in real settings: clear progression, adaptable tasks, inclusive design and strong pedagogical support.

Support for every primary teacher, whatever your PE experience

For primary teachers, Oak’s curriculum is designed to give you the confidence to teach PE, no matter your level of expertise. Clear lesson structures, practical demonstration videos and adaptable activities help you focus on supporting pupils to develop fundamental movement skills, build confidence and enjoy being active. Everything is sequenced to make progression easy to spot and even easier to plan for.

A comprehensive, well-structured PE journey for secondary pupils

In secondary, Oak provides a comprehensive, carefully sequenced core PE curriculum that supports pupils to deepen their competence, tactical understanding and confidence across a broad range of activities. At KS4, benefit from full GCSE PE coverage across AQA, OCR and Edexcel, including:

• Slide decks, quizzes, worksheets, lesson videos
• Practical GCSE lessons and moderation style drills
• Practical theory lessons
• Guidance on answering longer-format questions
• Guidance on preparing for and writing the written coursework
• Excellent illustrations highlighting anatomy and physiology and biomechanical concepts.

Cross-curricular themes that enrich learning

Physical education is uniquely placed to connect with the wider curriculum and with pupils’ broader development. Across Oak’s PE lessons you’ll find rich stimuli and links, such as:

• Using artwork, like Banksy’s ‘Girl with Balloon’, to explore movement
• Drawing on language, astronomy or geology to spark creative responses
• Applying science and maths in health-related fitness lessons embedding RSHE concepts – resilience, self-confidence self-management – into activities and reflection.

This supports pupils to see PE as part of a wider, connected understanding of themselves and the world.

Aligned with Curriculum and Assessment Review priorities

You will have seen the government's response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review recommendations to revise the national curriculum and update GCSEs and will be thinking ahead. You can be assured that with the Oak curriculum for PE, we already have a strong focus on lots of the areas the review is recommending, for example creating a holistic curriculum that explores physical, cognitive, social and emotional aims and success criteria. Oak will be working with expert partners to update our resources and provide guidance for what’s changing so you can stay ahead of the changes and plan with confidence. Sign up to get the latest updates.

Inspiring a positive relationship with physical activity

Our ambition is that every pupil finds enjoyment in movement, feels included, and builds confidence in their abilities. With a broad, balanced and exciting curriculum – paired with adaptable resources, step-by-step guidance and holistic development – teachers can bring PE to life in ways that feel meaningful and achievable for all.

Oak’s curriculum is designed to support the brilliant work already happening in schools, giving teachers more time, greater clarity and practical tools to help every pupil thrive in PE. Use this form if you’re interested to find out more about using our PE curriculum, or have questions about how it could work in your school or trust, let us know using this form, and we'll be in touch.