Key Stage 2 PE · Evaluating and improving
KS2 PE: beating your personal best, a guide for parents
A personal best is the best result a child has achieved so far, and Key Stage 2 PE teaches children to compare each performance with their own previous ones rather than with other children. They record results, set targets, practise, try again and talk about what improved. The aim is steady progress, resilience and the ability to recognise their own success.
Personal bests in PE, explained
The National Curriculum asks pupils to compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best, and to learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success. It applies to every kind of PE: athletics, gymnastics, swimming, games, dance and outdoor challenges. In practice this means that children are not only taught how to do an activity, but also how to measure, record and think about how they are doing.
The cycle is simple. A child tries something and records the result, for example how many times they can skip in 30 seconds, how far they can jump from standing, how long they can hold a balance or how many seconds they take to run a short course. They then work on what would help them improve, such as a longer run-up, a stronger arm swing or a steadier rhythm, and try again. Afterwards they compare the new result with the old one and decide what to do next. Some results are numbers and some are about quality, for example a balance held more steadily or a roll made more smoothly. Teachers may use photos, video or a partner’s observations for that.
Comparing with yourself is deliberate. In any class there will be children who are naturally quick, strong or flexible, and children who find PE hard. If success is only measured against others, many children decide early that they are “not sporty”. A personal best gives every child a way to succeed, because progress looks different for each of them. Teachers also help children set targets that are challenging but achievable, and to understand that improvement is not a straight line: some days the result will be lower, and that is normal.
Fair comparison matters, and it is a good link to science and maths. To judge whether a result is really better, children need to do the activity in the same way each time, with the same rope, the same surface, the same length of time and the same start. They also practise recording results in a table or chart, reading numbers and finding differences, which connects PE with data and measurement. A child who can say “I improved by 13 jumps and I think it was because I kept my elbows in” is evaluating in just the way the curriculum describes.
Words your child will hear
- Personal best
- The best result you have achieved so far in an activity, compared only with your own earlier results.
- Target
- A goal to aim for next time, such as ten more skips or a steadier balance.
- Progress
- Getting better over time, which is not always a straight line.
- Evaluate
- To think about how well something went, and what worked or did not.
- Compare
- To look at two results to see what is the same and what is different.
- Fair test
- Doing something in the same way each time, so that a different result is down to improvement and not a change in conditions.
- Technique
- The way a skill is performed, such as how you swing your arms to jump.
What the National Curriculum says
The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:
- Pupils should be taught to compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best
- Pupils should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.
Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Try it: tracking skipping over five weeks
Your child counts how many times they can skip in 30 seconds each week for five weeks: 34, 38, 36, 43, 47. What can they say about their progress?
- Check that it is a fair comparison. They used the same rope, the same hard surface and the same 30 seconds each time, so the numbers can be compared.
- Find the personal best. The highest number is 47 in week 5, so that is the personal best so far.
- Work out the improvement. 47 − 34 = 13, so they skipped 13 more times in week 5 than in week 1.
- Look at the dip. In week 3 the score was 36, which is 2 fewer than the 38 in week 2. A dip is normal and may be down to tiredness or a rope tangle. It does not mean the progress has stopped, as the next weeks were higher.
- Explain why it improved and set a target. They noticed that keeping elbows close and jumping lower made skipping faster. A sensible target for week 6 might be 50, which is 3 more than the personal best.
The child has improved from 34 to 47 skips in five weeks, a gain of 13, with a personal best of 47. A good statement is: “My score went up by 13. It dipped in week 3, but I kept practising and kept my elbows in. Next time I am aiming for 50.”
Common mistakes and how to help
Thinking a personal best means being the best in the class
The phrase “best” sounds like a ranking, and PE results are often shown to the whole group.
What helps: Say it plainly: the only person your child is competing with is the child they were last week. Ask “how does that compare with your last go?” rather than “who won?”.
Giving up because one attempt was worse than the last one
Children expect a steady rise and read a dip as proof that they are not improving.
What helps: Look at the results over several weeks together. Show that the overall pattern is up even though some individual results are lower, and talk about what might have caused the dip.
Believing improvement is only about the score
Numbers are easy to see, but technique, control and confidence matter too.
What helps: Ask what looks or feels different. Perhaps the landing is quieter, the roll is straighter or they are less worried about trying. Those are signs of progress even if the number has not changed.
Changing the conditions and then comparing the results
Children forget that a different surface, rope, time or distance can change the result and so make a comparison unfair.
What helps: Before a re-test, check the list: same equipment, same place, same start and same time. This is the same thinking as a fair test in science.
How to help at home
- Keep a simple record. Choose one activity, such as skipping, jumping or balancing on one leg, and write the result in a notebook with the date. Do it once a week. Seeing the numbers rise is encouraging, and the dips are good things to talk about.
- Set a small target. Agree on a target that is just beyond the personal best, such as two more jumps or one more second. Aim for something achievable. Then talk about what your child could try to reach it.
- Measure a standing jump. Use a tape measure or a row of shoes laid heel to toe to measure how far your child can jump from standing. Try three goes and record the best. Re-test in a few weeks, using the same floor and starting line.
- Talk about technique. Before the next try, ask for one thing to do differently, for example swinging the arms more or bending the knees on landing. Afterwards ask if it helped. This shows that practice is about improving how, not only how much.
- Celebrate effort and progress. Praise the work your child put in and the improvement, not only the final number. A short chat such as “you stuck at that” tells your child what you value.
Related topics
Leads on to
- Key Stage 3: Analysing performance
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