Physical Education 

 

Intent

At St Mary’s, we believe that all children should have the opportunity to engage in and enjoy physical education. All learners will develop and extend their physical, cognitive and social skills whilst working both independently and as part of a group/team. Children will be exposed to a range of sporting activities during their time at St Mary’s in order to challenge themselves and compete with peers. Children should be able to understand the fundamental importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle, which can be implemented in their daily lives.

 

St Mary’s Primary School recognises the vital contribution of physical education to a child’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development as well as the role it can play in a child’s spiritual, moral and cultural development.

 

We aim to provide a broad and balanced P.E. curriculum to aid children’s increasing self-confidence in their ability to manage themselves and their bodies within a variety of movement situations. Through a balance of individual, paired and group activities, we aim to cater for the different strengths, needs and preferences of each child, using differentiated activities where appropriate. We believe that through the variety of opportunities that PE offers, children can develop a sense of personal achievement, fair play, teamwork and an understanding of the ways in which sport can transcend social and cultural boundaries.

 

We plan a range of activities that aim to provide children with a broad base of movement knowledge, skills and understanding, which they can refine and expand throughout their primary school years. All children are encouraged to join clubs and extend their interest and involvement in sport.

 

Implementation

What do we teach? What does this look like?

Our whole curriculum is shaped by our school vision which aims to enable all children, regardless of background, ability, additional needs, to flourish to become the very best version of themselves they can possibly be. Children are taught PE for approximately 1 hour weekly. Support is determined during each lesson to ensure that all children are able to succeed in sport. We teach using the National Curriculum. Throughout each year at St Mary’s, children will be taught a range of sports including: football, netball, rounders, cricket, dance, gymnastics and athletics. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.  In Years 5 and 6, children take part in swimming lessons. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this will not be happening until restrictions are lifted. Children in Years 4 and 5 have the opportunity to take part in Bikeability, which is a programme supporting children’s learning of how to ride a bike and learning how to be safe on the road.

 

Impact

What will this look like? By the time children leave our school they will:

By the end of KS2, we aim for children to have a good understanding of Physical Education and understand the importance of exercise and good health. Children are taught to appreciate the importance of a healthy and fit body, and begin to understand those factors which affect health and fitness. Children should have developed physical competence and confidence by acquiring and developing a range of fine and gross motor skills. They will have learnt a range of skills including throwing and catching, defending, teamwork and resilience. Children will be able to give feedback on how to improve their learning after each session and be able to work as a team in a variety of sports. This will also help to build children’s self-esteem through opportunities to celebrate sporting success.