Pupils who are talented in PE are likely to show many or all of the following characteristics in their performance and approach to PE, sport and dance.

Approach to work

They may:

• be confident in themselves and in familiar contexts
• take risks with ideas and approaches, and be able to think 'outside the box'
• show a high degree of motivation and commitment to practice and performance.

Effective performance

They may:

• be intelligent, independent, thoughtful performers, actively forming and adapting strategies, tactics or compositions
• be able to reflect on processes and outcomes in order to improve performance, understanding the close and changing relationship between skill, fitness and the tactics or composition of their performance
• be good decision-makers and able to take the initiative, often showing high levels of autonomy, independence and leadership
• be creative, original and adaptable, responding quickly to new challenges and situations, and often finding new and innovative solutions to them.

Body skilfulness and awareness

They may:

• have a high degree of control and coordination of their bodies
• show strong awareness of their body in space
• combine movements fluently, precisely and accurately in a range of contexts and activities.

Some pupils may have unusual abilities in specific aspects of the programme of study or areas of activity, such as:

• evaluating and improving performance through leadership
• acquiring, developing and performing advanced skills and techniques
• conceptual understanding, shown through the sophisticated selection and application of advanced skills, tactics and compositional ideas for their age
• particularly high levels of fitness for their age, in both specific and general areas
• specific strengths in general areas, such as games activities or dance activities.

Some pupils perform at high levels in sport or dance in the community, for example basketball, high jump, jazz dance or sailing. In some cases, these pupils' performance may be too specific to be easily related to the national curriculum level descriptions for PE.

Teachers should be aware that age and physical maturation can lead to better performance at certain ages and stages, but they are not a characteristic of talent in PE and sport.