Gross Motor Skills

Provision and/or strategies: approaches, adjustments and specific interventions expected to be made by settings according to the ages and stages of the CYP

Universal

• Ensure staff understand how gross motor difficulties may impact learning, behaviour, and participation across the day.
• Identify when gross motor challenges are significantly impacting a CYP's functional or learning skills compared to their peers (e.g. this may present as defiance, avoidance, distractibility, fidgeting, or emotional dysregulation).
• Monitor progress in gross motor skills and functional participation regularly and adjust provision in response to outcomes.
• Ensure the environment provides sufficient space and opportunities for safe movement, exploration, and physical activity.
• Provide increased opportunities to develop gross motor skills throughout the daily routine (e.g. transitions, play, PE, outdoor learning), supporting generalisation into functional and learning tasks.
• Consider adaptations required across the day, such as providing opportunities for the CYP to be in different physical positions.
• Adapt activities to provide the 'just right' level of challenge, using appropriate support to scaffold learning and promote skill development.
• Provide additional time to complete tasks where additional challenge is identified.
• Consider whether adaptive equipment is appropriate (e.g. specialist seating, height-adjustable work benches).
• Use consistent adult prompting and feedback to reinforce correct movement patterns and support motor learning.
• Promote independence and participation by adapting tasks so the CYP can engage as fully as possible in all activities.
• Use resources from Just One Norfolk to support the understanding and development of gross motor skills.

Targeted

• Seek specialist assessment and advice (e.g. Occupational Therapy) where gross motor difficulties are impacting on functional skills and access to learning.
• Ensure staff receive appropriate training and guidance to deliver targeted gross motor interventions and support motor development effectively.
• Deliver interventions in line with advice from relevant professionals (e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy), ensuring programmes are implemented with fidelity.
• Implement structured small group motor skills programmes to develop balance, coordination and core strength, delivered regularly and reviewed for impact.
• Use structured intervention approaches that focus on developing fundamental movement skills (e.g. balance, stability, locomotion and object control) within small group or individual formats.
• Implement targeted programmes addressing core strength and endurance to reduce the impact of physical fatigue on learning.
• Provide targeted support to develop postural control and seating stability to enable sustained engagement in learning tasks.
• Provide additional adult-guided sessions to explicitly teach and rehearse key movement patterns needed for learning and for accessing the environment.
• Deliver targeted, task-specific practice of functional gross motor skills (e.g. transitions, posture, movement sequences) using graduated steps and repetition.
• Pre-teach and overlearn the motor components of activities to increase confidence and independence in whole-class learning.
• Adapt and scaffold the physical aspects of learning tasks to support participation while progressively increasing challenge.
• Modify physical education, play and practical activities through targeted differentiation to support participation and skill development.
• Embed planned movement breaks and targeted physical activity into the timetable to reduce fatigue and sustain engagement.
• Provide supported opportunities to practise mobility and navigation skills within the environment to promote independence and safety.
• Provide targeted supervision and support during physically demanding activities to ensure safety while promoting skill development.
• Provide access to an appropriately trained key worker or additional adult support as required and in line with specialist advice (e.g. OT and physiotherapy.)