Intent
At St Cuthbert’s we aim to provide Physical Education which is rigorous, inclusive and enables children to participate in sustained periods of exercise. The curriculum is delivered in a way that fosters a love of being active and teaches the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Children have opportunities to take part in both competitive and individual sports. The carefully planned curriculum builds on what children can do and encourages them to develop skills of cooperation, resilience and determination to succeed.
Through a progression of skills we aim to help children achieve their personal best, as well as providing opportunities to excel in a wide range of physical activities. All year groups will build on previous learning.
Implementation
Foundation children take part in PE lessons twice weekly. On a Friday they participate in Sports SuperStars activities, which builds on the Fundamental movement skills they are being taught during their other PE session. The staff plan activities based on gymnastics, dance, games, athletics and orienteering. The main focus is on ensuring the fundamental movement skills are of a high standard.
Children’s fine motor skills are developed through classroom activities such as dough disco, threading, cutting etc. Their environment lends itself to developing physical competence, the outdoor area has balance bikes, scooters, slides and climbing equipment and the secret garden is readily available for children to access. They can climb trees, scramble up banks, make dens, move logs and natural materials as well as negotiate uneven surfaces.
KS1 children build on the skills they have developed in Foundation. They have PE twice a week. They are taught a balance of disciplines across the year. Core Skills are used to identify children’s knowledge and skill. The unit of work is planned as a result of the needs identified in the initial assessment. Staff use the progression of skills for each area to ensure that they are matching the activity to individuals requirements.
KS2 children also have two PE lessons a week. The children go swimming across the year in KS2 depending on their class. This is to ensure that the swimming skills and water confidence they acquire in Year 3 is built upon and developed each academic year.
As in KS1, the KS2 children have a balanced programme of study which ensures continuity of progression across both Key Stages and year groups. Staff use the core skills in the same way to plan and assess children’s development against expected levels for their age.
Please refer to the Long Term Plan to see the breadth of activities planned and the Progression of Skills document which indicates the skills taught for each EYFS, KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2.
Across all Key Stages children have the opportunity to attend festivals to participate and compete against children from other local schools. This provides them with the chance to experience events where they can show off their skills and work cooperatively as part of a team.
The school have been accredited with a Platinum OPAL Award. As a staff we wanted to improve the provision available for children at lunch and playtimes. The OPAL initiative has been a great success and has provided children with many more opportunities to be more physically active during their free time. They have access to the whole school grounds, the OPAL field, the football pitch, the sports yard and the secret garden.
In an attempt to encourage a more healthy and active way of life, the children also participate in the Daily Move which is a 10-15 min movement break which is rigorous and sustained activity.
In addition to the PE units of work as a school, we deliver the ‘Commando Jo Programme’. This is a scheme devised to develop important life skills such as resilience, perseverance, self-belief, motivation and cooperation as well as physical skills. A lot of the content mirrors the virtues of the Trust and helps to develop and reinforce these attributes.
During our summer term we plan a celebration of all things sporting with a packed Sports Week. This week involves Foundation and KS1 and 2 Sports Days as well as a range of sporting workshops and experiences such as Jujitsu, climbing walls, Hoopstarz, Ultimate Frisbee to name a few. The week is aimed to reinforce the idea that physical activity is accessible for all and fun for all.
Impact
Children will leave St Cuthbert’s having experienced a broad range of activities. They will have developed their physical competence and will be able to control and coordinate their movements creatively. They will understand the dynamics of movement and be able to apply these skills to lots of different situations. They will be analytical thinkers and be able to articulate ways to improve, give support and encouragement to peers. They will have experienced the benefits of being active and will understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and the ways to achieve this. They will demonstrate skills of resilience, determination to succeed and teamwork not only in their PE lessons but in other areas of school life.