Subject Leader: Mrs Hunt

Governor Link: 

Physical Education 

At St Joseph’s we believe that PE is a fundamental part of every child’s life and because of this our school recognises the importance that it places upon the wellbeing of the children in our school. We intend to reflect its importance at the heart of a fun and active school life.

Intent

It is our intention to ensure that the PE curriculum will support our children to recognise and develop the core skills and values of Physical Education and Sport. We believe these to be resilience, determination, leadership, self-confidence, empathy, respect, fairness and honesty. It is our aim to make a lasting positive impact on the health, wellbeing and outcome of every child that we teach both now and in their futures. Our PE teaching is based upon the needs of our children where we create opportunities for them to become physically confident, in a safe and secure environment. We aim to provide a high-quality, inclusive curriculum that will inspire all children to achieve their personal best. It is our intention to embed the fundamental skills in our teaching to ensure that our children can participate in a broad range of activities at school, club events and across local sporting events to spark ambition and a desire for competition both in and out of school.

We aim to provide a PE curriculum that pupils not only enjoy, but gives every child the physical literacy, emotional and thinking skills to achieve both in PE and importantly – life. Our teaching provides a balance of individual, team, co-operative and competitive activities which aim to cater for individual pupil’s needs and abilities. It involves thinking, selecting and applying skills and promotes positive attitudes towards a healthy lifestyle. Pupils will leave the school with the knowledge, skills and positive attitudes to prepare them for a healthy, active lifestyle and promote a lifelong love of sport.

Implementation

Our curriculum focuses on developing the basic fundamental movement skills through EYFS and KS1 to enable children to participate effectively in team games, athletics, dance, gymnastics, swimming and outdoor and adventurous activities. Striving for success and evaluating performance in order to improve are integral to all lessons. The curriculum is carefully sequenced throughout EYFS and Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 to equip children with the skills and knowledge necessary for them to fully participate in the Key Stage 3 PE curriculum. Teaching specific PE vocabulary enables children to discuss and evaluate their own and others’ performance and articulate ways to improve. It also supports learning in Science and PSHE about the impact of exercise on the body and ways to maintain good physical and mental health. In addition to the links between PE and aspects of the Science and PSHE curriculum, we value the contribution of physical activity to positive classroom learning. PE plays a significant role in children’s personal and social development and as part of our commitment to PE, active play is planned for and set up to encourage children’s involvement. Through participating in sport, children build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect. And to reinforce this, children are given leadership opportunities e.g. organising and leading events, and are encouraged to recognise different roles and responsibilities in sport. Our school motto is embraced through PE and we explicitly talk about them and identify them in lessons. They develop communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills: skills they can apply across the curriculum and throughout life.

The PE curriculum is mapped out for every class and is wide-ranging and builds upon previous learning from year to year.  It is accessible to, and aims to meet the needs and interests of all pupils. All children access two hours of PE a week through planned lessons in gymnastics, dance, competitive games (sport specific), skills of throwing caching jumping and running, athletics, OAA, swimming, balance bikes and alternative sports such as Ultimate Frisbee and Bocce Ball. 

To support our staff CPD with have a sport coach provided by Primary Sports Giants. Our sports coach provides support via an audit of needs process and tailors the CPD for the staff member. Through a monitoring the impact for high quality teaching and learning is checked regularly. Primary Sports Giants also provided CPD training for lunch time staff to ensure that high levels of physical activity and engagement are taking place during recreational periods. 

Impact

At St Joseph's we use Green Acre Sports Partnership resources for our planning and personalised tracking. Class teachers are also being supported by the coaching team at Sport Giants. We are also using specialist coaches from organisations such a Chance to Shine. 

We assess our pupils’ development through paired evaluation and we offer positive feedback from teacher, partner and whole class.

• Watching children work, talking to them about what they are doing and listening to them describe their work generates useful assessment information.
• The approaches to teaching PE lessons should help teachers acquire knowledge of their children’s needs, their rate of progression and standard of attainment.
• Learning outcomes indicate what the children have learnt and feedback during lessons will help teachers set appropriate targets for individuals.
• Significant achievements or weakness may be noted to serve as a basis for planning appropriate challenges or to form part of the annual report on progress.
• Staff use these key phrases:
  “By the end of this lesson, I would like to see you do…….”
  “You will be successful at the end of this lesson if you can choose, see the difference and be as efficient as possible”
• Pupil’s progression in PE is monitored and levelled through Cornerstones. 

EYFS

In the Early Years, PE is about improving the skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement.  In our school we believe effective physical development helps children to gain confidence in what they can do, feel the benefits of being healthy and active and have a positive sense of wellbeing. Children have the opportunity to access planned activities that offer appropriate physical challenges through continuous outdoor provision and through timetabled gymnastics, dance and outdoor games lessons.  We also encourage the development of fine and gross motor skills through the provision of suitable resources, for example riding bikes and using scissors, throughout the day.  This includes opportunities for children with physical disability or motor impairment to develop their physical skills.

Substantive and disciplinary knowledge in PE

Substantive knowledge in PE is based on deliberate practice and development of specific skills that can be used in a variety of disciplines, sports and games e.g.: • Running, jumping, throwing and catching • Tactics within a team game e.g. strategies for attacking and defending • Being able to perform specific actions, balances and movements in line with year group expectations • Being able to swim confidently and competently over 25 metres • Being able to perform a safe self-rescue in water.

Disciplinary knowledge in PE comes through opportunities for the children to choose and apply their own actions, balances, movements and skills. Once they have mastered the specific skills, they have opportunities to apply these within sports and games and therefore have to choose different strategies and the best way to approach different challenges. As they move through school, their skills and knowledge around tactics become more complex and they have to work collaboratively to make decisions. There are lots of opportunities for the children to evaluate their performances and reflect on how they will improve next time.

Competitions

Throughout the year pupils take part in competitive sport within school and outside of school.  Examples are:

• Each year group has teams selected to participate in the KSCP intra-school event, such as team building, netball and athletics.

• On sports day inter house teams compete against each other throughout all year groups.

• Through out the year from specific year groups we play competitive games (e.g. football, netball, rounders, bocce ball) with local schools. 

Facilities and Resources

Planning resources and information books are available from the PE Leader. Teachers share the PE resources and ensures that there is sufficient material to use and will order more when needed. New resources are made available to the staff at central locations.  PE resources are stored in the hall. The PE equipment is available to the whole school.

The PE Leader takes stock of equipment on a regular basis and makes any further necessary orders for new equipment.

Sporting facilities available to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School pupils:

• Field – Running track, Football pitch, Rounders pitch
• Playground x1– including a quiet area/games area /adventure play area/ netball court/tennis court
• School hall x1 – including gymnastics equipment and resources for various sports.
• EYFS Garden 
• Forest School 
• Dover Leisure Centre Swimming pool

To view our PE and Sports Premium Strategy please go to our document section of the website.

'It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good.' The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1913)

We have a responsibility to be inclusive so that we allow all people to participate.