Physical Education
Intent
At Nelmes Primary School, our intent for P.E is to teach a varied, inclusive and progressive curriculum, across the three main areas of P.E; gymnastics, dance and games. This will equip our pupils with a balanced set of skills that will aid them in both physical and mental situations that they can apply in their everyday lives.
The aim of our P.E curriculum is to:
- Foster a positive attitude to P.E as an interesting and engaging part of the curriculum.
- Ensure all pupils are given the opportunities to engage in and experience all of the three main areas of P.E every academic year.
- Develop children’s awareness of how to move and position their bodies to achieve better control, accuracy co-ordination and consistency.
- Have a sufficient depth of knowledge to make connections with similar skills or sports and be able to apply these.
- Develop confident and articulate communicators.
- Develop personal qualities such as perseverance, resilience, patience, aspiration and self-belief through a sense of achievement and success.
- Develop interpersonal qualities such as team work, communication, listening, and creating. (This will be evident in group choreography as well as team sports)
The mapping of P.E across the school shows clear progression in line with age related expectations and the 2014 National Curriculum. Clear objectives across all three disciplines throughout the year, build progressively from Reception to Yr6, revisiting skills to ensure mastery. The curriculum has been designed to meet the needs of the pupils in the school community, with teachers ensuring that they adapt lessons to support the children regardless of their starting point.
Swimming is also taught by professional swimming coaches every year for years 3, 4 and 5 for three half terms per year group.
Implementation
Children are taught P.E twice a week ensuring that one session is taught outside, weather permitting (games skills can always be taught in one of the two halls or sessions can be moved within the flexibility of each year group’s timetables) in the form of games and the other session is taught indoors in one of the two sports halls in the form of gymnastics or dance- swimming is taught at Campion school and replaces the indoor P.E slot. This dedicated time is given in order for children to develop and embed key skills and knowledge as well as offering an opportunity for children to ensure that they are getting some physical exercise in their lives and are aware of the health benefits that this provides in life. In P.E children focus on learning key skills and moves, these are applied though individual awareness and practice, and group discussion and strategical thinking. This approach allows children to develop strong foundations and consistency in this subject.
To ensure consistency and progression the school has written a scheme of work based on the objectives set out in the 2014 National Curriculum, which all teachers use to plan lessons from. Each year group has a clear set of key objectives and progression through assessment foci. In addition, key resources in the form of ‘imoves’ which allows teachers to show step-by-step instruction in dance, gymnastics and some areas of games to support and/or guide their own knowledge.
Practice and consolidation play a key role and sequences of lessons are developed to build on targeted skills which they can apply in a game or performance situation. Children are given opportunities to work, individually, in pairs, small groups and teams to develop confidence, positive peer influence and communication. Teachers are able to adapt this learning to meet the needs of individuals where appropriate. Lessons are planned to provide the means to achieve greater depth, with more able children being offered more challenging tasks within the lesson as appropriate and less able children being offered more support. This is further supported by a school based sports coach who in this role supports teachers in outdoor games sessions and can take any group of children to hone, correct or develop their skills. This role has also been developed to offer a wider variety of clubs with a commitment to entering into local competitions such as ‘Quad Kids’, football, athletics, dance and many more. Decisions about when to progress will always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage.
Pupils are given opportunities to make cross curricular links with science and maths, in particular, recording data, measuring perimeters of courses or play spaces, timing activities and recording improvements on charts as well as seeing the scientific link to pulse rates, needing more oxygen and how muscles work. In younger year groups children count jumps or catches as well as dance steps and organising themselves into groups of a particular number.
In-lesson feedback ensures that misconceptions are swiftly dealt with whilst also allowing teachers to provide challenge. Effective monitoring of pupils’ work identifies what they have done well and misconceptions.
In EYFS, the P.E curriculum runs alongside the ‘physical development’ section from the Development Matters framework. In Key Stage 1 children begin to learn basic skills of throwing, catching, aiming and basic shapes of ‘dish’, ‘pike’ and ‘tuck’ in gymnastics. Dance sessions and Pilates or Yoga (also on ‘imoves’ to support the Mindfulness and Relationship Programmes) are taught.
In Key Stage 2 all areas of the P.E curriculum are developed further in the logical progression of the skills.
Impact
The P.E curriculum and outstanding teaching at Nelmes’ Primary ensures that all pupils are well equipped for their next steps in their education and for life in the 21st century. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and are motived and interested learners who understand the importance of being fully engaged in their learning.
Click here to find out more about P.E at Nelmes.
