Five things we learned at The Primary PE Conference 2026
On Tuesday 20th October, PE leads from across Wiltshire and the South West joined us at Dauntsey's School for The Primary PE Conference 2026. The day brought together a keynote from one of the writers of the draft PE curriculum, eight practical workshops and a round table where PE leads talked openly about the challenges they face. Here are five things we learned and what they mean for your school.
1. Change is coming and schools can prepare now
Our keynote, Preparing for Change in Physical Education, came from Dr Vicky Randall, Senior Advisor and ITE Lead at afPE and one of the writers of the draft PE curriculum. The draft is still to be published, so the focus was on the direction of travel and how schools can get ready.
That direction is already becoming clearer. The Curriculum and Assessment Review recommended that the purpose of PE should reflect its physical, social, cognitive and emotional benefits, with more guidance on swimming, dance and outdoor and adventurous activities. The final curriculum is expected in spring 2027, with first teaching from September 2028.
What this means for schools: there is time, so use it to know your current curriculum well. Check where you already cover the physical, social, cognitive and emotional sides of PE and how confident staff are teaching swimming, dance and OAA. When the draft lands, you'll be comparing rather than starting from scratch.
2. Assessment and monitoring should support learning
Two workshops tackled the same question: how do you know PE is working? Vicky's session, Meaningful Assessment to Support Pupil Learning, set out what to assess, why it matters and how to build assessment into everyday teaching rather than bolting it on. Observing PE with Purpose looked at how to watch lessons with confidence, whether they're taught by school staff or external providers, and how to give feedback that actually improves teaching.
What this means for schools: be clear about what high-quality PE looks like in your school. Observe with a specific focus, give feedback that leads to change and assess what pupils are learning, not just how they perform.
3. Inclusion starts with the environment
Matt Ogle's sessions, The Brick Theory and Inclusive Environments, showed that inclusion goes beyond individual adjustments for children with SEND. The space, routines and expectations in a PE lesson can help or hinder how safe and settled every child feels. His message was simple: "They're not giving you a hard time, they're having a hard time."
One delegate described the session as "so informative and helpful for understanding the overload for the children and how to address it."
What this means for schools: before adapting an activity for one child, look at the lesson as a whole. Noise, transitions, unclear expectations and waiting time all affect who feels able to take part.
4. PE develops the whole child
A thread ran through almost every workshop: PE develops far more than physical skills. Developing the Whole Child explored how the four domains of Move, Think, Feel and Connect can be planned for, taught and recognised in every lesson. Vicky's dance workshop showed how movement gives children a way to communicate ideas and feelings, with a framework for teaching dance from any topic.
In the Early Years, Steph Tilbury showed how PE supports communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. Kelly Broad's orienteering workshop showed how progressive orienteering skills and active learning can bring any subject, and any space, to life.
What this means for schools: plan for more than skills. Pick one domain, such as Feel or Connect and make it an explicit focus in your next unit so staff can see what it looks like in practice.
5. PE leads face the same challenges and solve them better together
The Round Table Network gave PE leads time to talk about the real challenges in primary PE. The same themes came up at every table. Funding was the biggest concern by far, followed by time, staff confidence and getting senior leaders on board. Swimming access and uncertainty about the new partnerships network also came up again and again. Most PE leads rated their understanding of the upcoming changes at just 2 or 3 out of 5.
As one delegate put it, it's "always good to not feel alone in our issues and struggles."
What this means for schools: you're not the only one finding this hard. Connect with PE leads in similar schools, share what's working and take a short, clear plan to your SLT.
What we're doing next
We'll take these lessons into everything we do over the coming months. When the draft PE curriculum is published we'll share a clear, practical breakdown of what has changed and what it means for primary schools. Sign up to our updates so you get it first: Register for the latest updates in Primary PE.
In the meantime, The Primary PE Benchmark gives you a clear picture of where your school stands today against the changes ahead: The Primary PE Benchmark.
We're already planning The Primary PE Conference 2027 and will build in more time for action planning based on your feedback. Register your interest here: The Primary PE Conference 2027 - Register Interest.
Thank you to every delegate, speaker and exhibitor, to our headline sponsor Moki and to the team at Dauntsey's School for making the day what it was.
