PE exemption notes: when a child can sit out PE and what to write
PE is a compulsory subject in England's national curriculum at every key stage, and unlike religious education or sex education it is not one parents can take a child out of. What a note can do is explain a short-term problem — an injury, a recovery, a flare-up — so the teacher can adapt the lesson. For longer health needs, statutory guidance tells schools to support pupils to take part in PE with adjustments rather than keep them out. This page explains both, and what a good note says.
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What parents should know about PE and exemption
PE is compulsory
Physical education is one of the compulsory national curriculum subjects from key stage 1 to key stage 4, with swimming part of it at primary level. The subjects parents may withdraw a child from are religious education and sex education.
A note explains, the school decides
A note from you tells the PE teacher what is going on and for how long. How the school handles it — sitting out, a lighter role, a different activity — is set by its own policy.
Health needs mean adjustments
For pupils with medical conditions, the Department for Education expects schools to support participation in PE and sporting activities, with reasonable adjustments, and not to prevent it.
Say what your child can do
A note that lists what is safe — walking but not running, upper body but not jumping — keeps your child in the lesson instead of on the bench.
Writing a PE note, in four steps
A short note is usually all a teacher needs for a short problem. For anything longer or recurring, the conversation with the school matters more than the note.
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1
Name the period
Give the dates or the number of lessons the note covers. An open-ended note tends to be read as a longer problem than it is.
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2
Explain in general terms
A sprained ankle or recovery after illness says enough. You can keep it general: health information about your child is yours to share as you choose.
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3
Say what is still possible
List the movements or activities your child can do. Teachers can often adapt a lesson so your child still takes part.
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4
Talk to the school for longer needs
If the problem will last or keeps coming back, ask the school about support for a medical condition. The guidance expects schools to consult parents and healthcare professionals and to plan adjustments.
Arrangements with the school: digital vs. paper
PE exemption in detail
PE in the national curriculum
In England, the national curriculum makes physical education compulsory at all four key stages. At key stages 1 and 2 it explicitly includes swimming; at key stages 3 and 4 PE sits among the foundation subjects alongside computing and citizenship. The gov.uk pages that set this out name the subjects parents may take a child out of — religious education and sex education — and PE is not among them. So a note cannot opt a child out of PE for good — what it can do is explain why a child should sit out or take part differently for a while, and leave the arrangement to the school's policy.
When a child has a medical condition
The Department for Education's statutory guidance Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions is clear that these pupils should have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. Schools should support them to take part in sporting activities and not prevent them, with enough flexibility for every child to participate according to their own abilities and with reasonable adjustments — unless evidence from a clinician such as a GP says that is not possible. The guidance expects schools to consult pupils, parents and healthcare professionals, and it lists practices that are generally not acceptable, such as ignoring the views of the child or their parents. If your child has a lasting condition, this is the framework to raise with the school, not a note renewed every few weeks.
What a good PE note says
A good note is short: your child's name and class, the dates or lessons it covers, the reason in general terms, what your child can still do, and your name and signature. You can keep the reason general; what the teacher needs is what your child can and cannot do. If you already have a letter from a doctor or physiotherapist that says what is safe, mention it — the school's policy says whether it wants to see it. Keep a copy, and tell the teacher when the period ends early or runs on. The sick note template linked below produces the letter frame; replace the reason with the PE details.
If your child is off sick for whole days, this is a question of reporting absence, not PE — when a school may ask for a doctor's note is covered in School sick note rules.
The letter frame for a note comes from the sick note template — enter the PE details as the reason.
How parents message the teachers of their child's class directly is shown in Parent communication app.
Arrangements without paper slips
SchuleVernetzt has no PE exemption workflow of its own, and messages carry no attachments — a note or medical letter still goes to school the way your school asks for it. What the platform takes over is the communication around it: messages to the teachers of the class, sick reports for whole days, and parent letters — for example about swimming lessons — with read receipts and replies.
Frequently asked questions about PE exemption
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