Free practical guidance · Schools & PE Leads
Who is missing out on PE and school sport?
A busy club register does not tell you whether the same pupils are getting every opportunity. Look at who takes part, what their experience is like and what might make participation easier.
Read the practical guideDIY toolkit or APEX helpSeparate attendance from meaningful involvement
Start with two questions: who attends, and who gets a useful chance to learn and contribute? In a lesson, a pupil can be present but spend much of the activity waiting, watching or avoiding the task.
For extracurricular provision, count individual pupils as well as places filled. Ten places used repeatedly by the same ten pupils show a different picture from opportunities reaching pupils who have not joined before.
Use your existing information to ask better questions
Compare registers, lesson observations and pupil feedback over a defined period. Look for patterns involving pupils with SEND, girls, disadvantaged pupils or pupils who are less active, where those comparisons are useful in your school.
Do not assume that everyone in a group faces the same barrier. Small numbers can also make percentages misleading. Keep identifiable pupil information in the school’s approved systems and use summaries when discussing wider findings.
- Who is rarely involved or has stopped attending?
- Are the same pupils taking most opportunities?
- Which activities, times or settings make participation easier?
- Do pupils have a genuine choice and know how to join?
Ask pupils what gets in the way
Speak to pupils who do not attend as well as those who do. Ask what they enjoy, what puts them off and what would help. Use a suitable way for each pupil to communicate; a whole-class hands-up question will not capture every view.
Check practical barriers such as cost, kit, transport, timing, friendship groups, communication and the way an activity is organised. Offering more of the same may leave the original barrier untouched.
Test the barrier before adding another club
A lunchtime activity is well attended, but some pupils never join. Short conversations suggest they are unsure whether beginners are welcome and do not want to arrive alone.
Try a clearly explained beginner session with a supported first visit. Check who attends, ask about their experience and look again a few weeks later. More sign-ups alone will not tell you whether pupils feel able to keep taking part.
Adapt the activity while keeping a clear learning purpose
Consider the space, task, equipment, grouping and explanation. Make changes around what an individual pupil needs to access the intended learning, then observe whether the change helps.
Work with the class teacher, SENCO and relevant specialists where needed. This guidance does not diagnose individual SEND needs or replace a pupil’s agreed support. The SEND Code of Practice provides the statutory guidance for England; use it alongside your school’s policies and individual arrangements.
Choose one barrier, one manageable change and a review date. Record what happened, listen again and decide whether to keep or adjust the approach.
The checks and examples here are APEX practical recommendations. They are not prescribed documents or an Ofsted checklist.
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Recognise barriers, plan practical adaptations and monitor who is taking part.
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If staff need support making adjustments, review staff confidence and development alongside the participation findings.
If PE Premium funds a change, use the evidence and impact guide to plan how you will review it.