PE
Modern-day life creates a wide range of challenges that can place a strain on physical, mental and emotional health and well-being. Through PE, children learn a range of physical, thinking, social and emotional skills that enable them to develop a life-long healthy lifestyle and positive well-being, to enable them to tackle the challenges of everyday life and thrive in modern-day society.
A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in sport and other physically-demanding activities. Opportunities to participate and compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.
We have used the National Curriculum as a basis to create an ambitious and engaging PE curriculum. Through PE, children learn a range of physical, thinking, social and emotional skills that enable them to develop a life-long healthy lifestyle and positive well-being, to enable them to tackle the challenges of everyday life and thrive in modern-day society.
A high-quality physical education curriculum also develops the whole pupil in terms of physical literacy from EYFS up to, and including, Y6 in a progressive and consistent manner. A child will be physically literate at the end of the primary phase of PE if they are:
- able to physically engage in the activity competently against AREs, recognising the physical skills required, and developing such skills in terms of accuracy, to improve physical performance in a task (physical me)
- able to process the information they receive during lessons and make informed decisions that, when applied, will enhance their own, and others’ learning and performance (thinking me)
- able to engage in lessons and with others. They can communicate effectively and support those around them, including providing and receiving feedback to help them learn and improve (social and emotional me)
Starting with EYFS, physical development is one of the three prime areas with early learning goals focussed upon developing gross motor skills. At the end of EYFS, it is expected that all pupils can:
- negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others
- demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing
- move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing
Physical Development is vital in children, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy, active lives. Gross and fine motor experiences are developed through sensory explorations, focussing on strength, co-ordination and positional awareness. We provide opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, which supports our children in building core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility.
In KS1, children will master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination. These skills are practised, developed and transferable across all physical activities and sports and pupils will apply these skills across a range of competitive activities. Generic games skills are taught and developed to enable children to build their gross motor skills to access a range of games when they enter KS2.
In KS2, children will continue to develop and apply these fundamental movement skills across a range of activities and competitive sports, as individuals and as part of a team. They will also further develop strength, flexibility, control and technique.
To ensure that all pupils are physically literate:
- PE is taught weekly
- all strands of PE are taught in every year group (dance, gymnastics, games, athletics and OAA)
- the focus is on providing opportunities for children to engage in, and improve their performance in a wide range of activity and sport, by learning the skills required to engage and apply.
- knowledge and understanding of the positive impact that engaging in such activity has on health and personal development.
- by the end of KS2, students strive to achieve the expected standard of; 25m distance swim, using a range of strokes effectively and performing safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.