Why Performance Matters in PE (Even If You’re Not Building Elite Athletes)

Mention the word performance in PE and reactions are often mixed.

For some, it brings up images of elite pathways, selection, and pressure.
For others, it feels at odds with inclusion, enjoyment, and lifelong participation.

But performance has been misunderstood.
And when we remove it entirely, we quietly take something vital away from students.

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀

As an international decathlete, I have lived inside high performance sport.
I know what elite environments look like.
And I also know this.

The principles that create high performers are the same principles that help any young person grow.

Performance is not about medals or professional contracts.

It is about learning how to improve.
It is about effort directed with purpose.
It is about understanding that progress comes from doing the basics well, consistently, over time.

Those lessons do not belong only to elite sport.
They belong in every PE lesson.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸
𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

In recent years, some PE programmes have tried to solve problems of exclusion by removing performance.

The intention is good.
To make PE feel safer, more inclusive, and less pressurised.

But without performance, PE risks becoming directionless.

Students stay active, but they do not always get better.
They enjoy lessons, but they do not always develop confidence in their ability to improve.

The irony is this.
When performance disappears, the most confident students often still thrive.
Others are left without a clear sense of progress.

𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘁

The solution is not to abandon performance.
It is to redefine it.

In PE, performance should mean personal progress, not comparison.
It should reward effort, improvement, and learning, not outcomes alone.

When students understand that success is about getting better, not being the best, performance becomes inclusive rather than exclusive.

This is how high performance environments actually work.

The best athletes are not obsessed with winning every day.
They are obsessed with mastering fundamentals, refining habits, and making small gains that add up over time.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿

Young people need to learn how to strive without fear.
They need to experience challenge without judgement.
They need to discover that improvement is within their control.

PE is one of the few places in school where this can be taught through action, not theory.

When performance is framed correctly, PE becomes a training ground for confidence, resilience, and self belief.

Skills that extend far beyond sport.