What Is Physical Literacy?
Physical Literacy is now a common topic amongst teachers, both primary and secondary. However, there are some mixed messages about what ‘physical literacy’ is and what it means in a school context. This blog explores what physical literacy is, how to support it and assess it in schools.
The IPLA defines physical literacy as;
“the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life.” (IPLA, 2017)
Put simply, physical literacy is about much more than just being good at sports or games. It’s about developing the whole child through movement, including building the emotional, cognitive, and physical foundations for a lifelong love of physical activity. Physical literacy is not a skill you can tick off once learned. Instead, physical literacy is built gradually through having experiences of a wide range of movements from early childhood onward.
Physical Literacy in PE: A Broader View of Success
Practically, this means that when we talk about physical literacy in PE, we’re talking about a child’s ability to move confidently and with control in various situations. It also involves children understanding how to move and why it is important, as well as being motivated to engage in and participate in physical activity. Good physical literacy requires children to be able to reflect on their own performances and any progress they are making when moving.
Physical literacy does not improve overnight. It grows through regular opportunities for physical challenge, exploration, and success in various environments: from PE lessons and sports clubs to playground games and active breaktimes.
How Is Physical Literacy Assessed?
Assessing physical literacy isn’t about checking off physical skills but understanding the whole child and their relationship with physical activity. At The PE Hub, we use a holistic approach, based on the Head, Hands, and Heart principle, to support assessment in PE. This helps teachers consider not just what a pupil can do (hands) but also what they know (head) and how they feel and behave (heart).
Using this Head, Hands, Heart approach ensures we assess physical literacy in PE in a well-rounded way, moving beyond skill performance to include confidence, understanding, and attitude.
Our assessment tool within The PE Hub platform is built to reflect these dimensions. Teachers can record written notes and observations, as well as track pupil progress with our reporting tool. Focusing on the whole learner, our assessment approach supports a deeper understanding of the physical literacy of the children in your school.
Supporting Physical Literacy in Your School
While you can’t “teach” physical literacy as you would a subject, you embed it into PE lesson planning. Here's how:
1. Create a Broad and Varied PE Curriculum
Offer a wide range of physical activities, including individual and team-based, which help develop movement and thinking skills. Our curriculum mapping tool can help with this.
2. Include Opportunities Beyond PE Lessons
Promote active play at breaktimes, run extracurricular clubs, and encourage participation in local sports events or challenges.
3. Celebrate Progress, Not Just Performance
Use assessment to highlight personal improvement in motivation, effort, and skill; not just physical ability.
4. Focus on Confidence and Enjoyment
Encourage all pupils to participate, especially those who may not yet see themselves as sporty. Positive early experiences are key to building long-term motivation.