Physical Education (PE)

The National Curriculum states that a high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically demanding activities. It should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

Intent

Our PE curriculum is based on the following principles:
 

• Providing children with the lifelong love of sports and exercise in order to instil a commitment to participation throughout their lives.
• To improve health and wellbeing by making sport and exercise fun and engaging.
• Through inspiring children through learning about role models in the sporting community.
• To raise aspirations through developing experiences which the children may otherwise not get.
• To develop competitiveness and desire to achieve their best – understanding the importance of accepting defeat and being gracious in victory.
• To enhance and develop teamwork as a way to improve and succeed – which can be applied across all aspects of their lives.
• To understand that sport can bring people and communities together and is a strong tool for community improvement.

Throughout their time in our school, children will engage in PE learning lead by class teachers or trained sports coaches, who aim to deliver the National Curriculum in a fun and engaging way. We aim to encourage our children to be active as often as possible in many different ways. As well as timetabled PE lessons, physical activity is encouraged during lunchtimes through use of apparatus and equipment, by taking part in movement breaks during learning time and the use of the field and outdoor classroom as much as possible.

Implementation

Reception

As soon as they start their life in school, the children begin their P.E lessons. Throughout their first year, the children are supported to develop their spatial awareness, basic throwing and catching skills, making shapes in gymnastics, moving to music and learning to play a range of active games. Reception children are taught by Miss Paul on a Friday afternoon. 

Key Stage One and Two

Through taking part in a range of different sports such as tag rugby, tennis, football, netball, cricket and hockey, the children begin to master skills such as running, throwing and catching as well as balance, agility and co-ordination. They are actively encouraged, and taught the skills, to take part in team games developing tactics for attacking and defending. Children are also given the opportunity to perform their creations in dance and gymnastics to an audience of their peers and are taught to recognize how they can evaluate and improve their own success and that of their peers. 

Scheme of work

We follow Get Set 4 PE for our scheme of learning for all classes. Below is our curriculum map. 

Our sports coaches run a weekly after school sports club- the sport focused on in the club is varied across the year. As a school, we also have close links with Cheddar tennis club and specialist coaching in tennis is added to the curriculum in the summer. Year 3 and 4 children also take part in weekly swimming lessons at Kings Leisure Centre during the Summer Term. 

Our annual residential trip for Year 4 allows children the chance to take part in a variety of adventurous activities including archery and abseiling course. This trip is such a valuable experience where the children grow in confidence, develop their ability to work as a team and simple have an amazing active time!

Throughout the year, a wide range of P.E and sporting activities, festivals and competitive tournaments are held at Fairlands Middle School. These offer children a chance to experience a wider range of sports as well as developing their confidence when taking part in active opportunities with children from other schools within the Wessex Learning Trust. The competitive tournaments support the older children as they become more experienced sportspeople as children are chosen to take part in events such as tag-rugby, netball, cross country, athletics and a swimming gala. As well as developing their experience of P.E and competitive sports, these events are also a wonderful opportunity to prepare the children for their transition to their Middle School.

Impact

P.E is assessed against the EYFS statements and National Curriculum objectives for each year group. Class teachers assess the children’s ability within the subject and liaise with sports coaches in the classes they support to make an end of year judgment on individual achievement. Swimming teachers at our local pool are asked to complete assessment grids at the end of each term for the children in year 4.

We try to ensure children experience a wide range of sporting opportunities whilst they are at our school; some examples of these are Skipping 4 Life and Boogie Bounce workshops.