From EYFS to Key Stage 1: Why Does Physical Activity Suddenly Matter Less?

There is a striking contradiction in the way we educate young children.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), physical development and movement are recognised as fundamental to children's development. Children are encouraged to run, jump, climb, balance, dance, explore, carry, build and play. Movement is woven into the learning environment and is often part of children's everyday experience.

Then they move into Key Stage 1.

The classroom becomes more formal. Children spend longer periods sitting. Lessons become increasingly structured. Written work takes up more of the day. Opportunities for free, active play can reduce.

And suddenly, physical activity can feel like something that happens in PE, rather than something that happens throughout the school day.

This raises an important question:

Why does movement appear to become less important just as children are entering an age when they still have so much physical development to do?

Lack of Physical Activity and Physical Education in KS1

Let's be clear: Physical Education is not removed from the curriculum in Key Stage 1.

PE is a statutory part of the National Curriculum in England, and the KS1 programme of study specifically requires pupils to develop fundamental movement skills, including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as balance, agility and coordination. The curriculum also aims for pupils to become physically active for sustained periods and to lead healthy, active lives.

So the issue is not that PE disappears.

The issue is what happens around PE.

The wider culture of movement that children experience in EYFS can become significantly reduced when they enter Year 1.

A child can go from an environment where physical movement is part of play, exploration and continuous provision to a school day dominated by sitting, listening, writing and completing tasks.

PE may remain on the timetable, but physical activity as a whole can lose its prominence.

That distinction matters.

The UK Chief Medical Officers' current guidance recommends that children and young people aged 5–18 should undertake an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day across the week. This activity can come from PE, active travel, play, sport and activities outside school. The guidance also advises children to minimise sedentary time and break up long periods of inactivity where possible.

Therefore, two PE lessons a week cannot, on their own, solve the problem.

We need to think about the whole school day.

EYFS – Physical Movement Is a Core Element

The EYFS gives physical development a very different status.

The current EYFS statutory framework describes physical activity as vital to children's all-round development and highlights the importance of developing strength, coordination, balance, spatial awareness and agility through play and opportunities indoors and outdoors.

This is important because movement in EYFS is not simply a scheduled lesson.

It is embedded in the environment.

A child might:

• Run across the outdoor area.

• Climb and balance.

• Ride a bike or scooter.

• Jump from one surface to another.

• Carry equipment.

• Build with large blocks.

• Dance.

• Play chasing games.

• Throw and catch.

• Navigate an obstacle course.

• Dig, lift and transport materials.

• Move between different areas of continuous provision.

These experiences are often happening without children even thinking of them as "physical activity".

They are simply playing and learning.

The current government guidance for children aged 1–5 recommends at least 180 minutes of physical activity each day, spread throughout the day, including activities such as climbing, jumping, dancing, games, throwing and catching, walking, cycling and active play.

The philosophy is clear:

Every movement counts.

And perhaps this is one of the most important principles that we need to carry with us beyond Reception.

Then Comes Year 1...

The transition from Reception to Year 1 is often described as a natural progression.

Children become more independent.

Learning becomes more structured.

Expectations increase.

Children spend more time developing their reading, writing and mathematical skills.

All of these things are important.

But somewhere in this transition, we can unintentionally send another message:

Now you are in "big school", it is time to sit down and learn.

Why?

Why do we associate learning so strongly with sitting still?

Why does a more formal curriculum have to mean a less physically active child?

And why do we sometimes treat movement as something that interrupts learning rather than something that can support it?

These are questions worth asking.

Because children do not suddenly stop needing movement when they turn five.

Their bodies do not suddenly become fully developed.

Their coordination, balance, agility, strength and fundamental movement skills are still developing.

In fact, the KS1 curriculum itself recognises this. It specifically requires children to develop fundamental movement skills and become increasingly competent and confident in physical activities.

So why would the wider school day become less active?

PE Is Still Statutory – But Is It Given Enough Importance?

This is where the conversation becomes more nuanced.

It would be inaccurate to say that PE is no longer a core subject in KS1.

It is.

The National Curriculum identifies PE as one of the compulsory primary curriculum subjects, alongside English, mathematics, science, history, geography, art and design, computing and others.

But being statutory does not automatically mean that a subject has equal status in the lived experience of school.

Schools face enormous pressures.

There are reading expectations.

Phonics.

Writing.

Mathematics.

Assessment.

Interventions.

Catch-up.

Curriculum coverage.

Accountability.

And when time becomes limited, physical activity can become vulnerable.

A PE lesson can be moved.

A playground activity can be restricted.

A movement break can be skipped.

Outdoor learning can be reduced.

An active lesson can become a seated lesson because it is easier to manage.

Individually, these decisions may seem insignificant.

Collectively, they can create a very different school day.

The Difference Between PE and Physical Activity

This distinction is crucial.

PE is a subject.

Physical activity is a way of living and learning.

A child could receive their allocated PE lessons and still spend most of the rest of the school day sitting.

That is why the solution cannot simply be "more PE".

Of course, quality PE matters enormously.

But we also need to ask:

How often are children moving between PE lessons?

Are they active at playtime?

Are they given opportunities to move during lessons?

Do they have access to stimulating outdoor environments?

Can learning take place physically?

Are long periods of sitting interrupted?

Are children encouraged to walk, run, jump, balance, throw, catch and play?

The current UK guidance explicitly recognises that children's 60-minute average can be accumulated through different forms of activity, including PE, play, active travel and sport. It also recommends reducing sedentary behaviour.

This means that the entire school day matters.

Why Are We Comfortable With Children Sitting More?

Perhaps one of the most uncomfortable questions is this:

Why do we accept an increase in sedentary behaviour as a normal part of growing up?

We would never say:

"Children have moved into Year 1, so they no longer need to develop their reading."

We understand that reading needs continued practice.

We understand that mathematics needs repeated opportunities.

We understand that writing develops over time.

So why do we sometimes assume that physical development can take a back seat?

Physical literacy also needs practice.

Children need repeated opportunities to run, jump, balance, throw, catch, coordinate and move confidently.

And perhaps even more importantly, they need to develop positive relationships with movement.

A child who experiences physical activity as enjoyable, achievable and social is more likely to develop confidence around being active.

A child who spends years associating physical activity with an occasional PE lesson may have a very different experience.

The Physical Activity Decline We Should Be Talking About

Sport England's Active Lives Children and Young People survey provides national data on the physical activity behaviours of children aged 5–16 in England. The survey tracks activity levels, types of activity, physical literacy and school-related activity, providing an important picture of children's experiences as they progress through school.

Importantly, Sport England's data can be explored by school year group and key stage, allowing us to consider how activity patterns change as children move through education.

The wider evidence tells us that physical activity tends to decline through childhood and adolescence.

That makes the early years of primary school particularly important.

If children are already moving from a highly active EYFS environment into a significantly more sedentary school experience, we should be asking whether the transition is helping to establish lifelong positive attitudes towards physical activity — or unintentionally doing the opposite.

We Shouldn't Have to Choose Between Learning and Movement

There is a misconception that physical activity takes time away from learning.

But movement and learning do not have to compete.

The government's guidance highlights benefits of physical activity including improved concentration and learning, alongside coordination, confidence, social skills, health and fitness.

So imagine a Year 1 classroom where movement is deliberately incorporated into learning.

Children could:

• Move to different stations during maths.

• Use actions and physical responses during phonics.

• Take learning outdoors.

• Use large-scale movement to explore stories.

• Practise counting through active games.

• Develop vocabulary while walking and exploring.

• Use throwing and catching games to reinforce learning.

• Have short, purposeful movement breaks between periods of concentration.

None of these approaches removes academic learning.

They change how children experience it.

We Need to Protect the Transition From EYFS to KS1

The transition from EYFS to KS1 should be a progression, not a cliff edge.

Children should absolutely experience increasing challenge.

They should develop independence.

They should learn to concentrate.

They should develop their academic skills.

But becoming a more capable learner should not require becoming a more sedentary child.

Perhaps instead of asking:

"How do we prepare EYFS children for the more formal expectations of Year 1?"

we should also ask:

"How can Year 1 retain the movement, play and active learning that made EYFS so effective?"

That is a very different question.

And it could lead to very different outcomes.

What Could Schools Do?

There are practical ways to protect physical activity without compromising academic expectations.

1. Protect PE

PE should be treated as an essential part of the curriculum rather than something that can routinely be displaced.

2. Audit the school day

Schools could map out how much time children spend sitting, moving, playing and being physically active.

The results may be surprising.

3. Build movement into lessons

Movement does not always need a separate timetable slot.

It can be incorporated into existing teaching.

4. Protect active play

Playtime should be recognised as an important opportunity for children to move, socialise and develop physical skills.

5. Use outdoor learning

Outdoor spaces can be used for far more than PE.

6. Break up sitting

Long periods of inactivity can be interrupted with short, purposeful movement opportunities, in line with national guidance.

7. Make the transition intentional

EYFS and Year 1 staff should work together to consider what happens to children's physical activity when they move between phases.

The question should not simply be:

"Are they ready for Year 1?"

It should also be:

"Is Year 1 ready for them?"

The Question We Need to Ask: Why?

Perhaps this whole conversation comes down to one word.

Why?

Why does physical activity appear to become less visible?

Why does movement become less integrated into learning?

Why do opportunities for active play reduce?

Why does sitting become the default?

Why does PE sometimes become vulnerable to competing priorities?

And why, when the government recommends an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day for children aged 5–18, do we still design school environments where much of children's time is spent sedentary?

These are not arguments against academic standards.

They are arguments for a broader definition of what successful learning looks like.

Children Don't Stop Needing to Move

The child who walks into Year 1 is still the same child who ran around the EYFS playground.

They still have a developing body.

They still need to build strength.

They still need to develop coordination.

They still need to practise fundamental movement skills.

They still need to play.

They still need to experience the confidence and enjoyment that comes from being physically active.

The statutory curriculum already recognises the importance of physical education.

The physical activity guidance recognises the importance of movement.

The EYFS recognises that physical development is fundamental to children's development.

So perhaps the problem isn't that we don't know movement matters.

Perhaps the problem is that, somewhere between Reception and Year 1, we stop designing the school day as though it matters.

The transition from EYFS to Key Stage 1 should not mean transitioning from active learning to sedentary learning.

It should mean building on what children have already learned — physically, socially, emotionally and academically — while continuing to give them opportunities to move.

Because children don't stop needing to move when they leave EYFS.

They are just given fewer opportunities to do it.

And that is something we should be willing to question.