PE
Intent
Purpose of PE curriculum – What do we what our children to look like at the end of Year 6?
“P.E contributes to the overall education of young people by helping them lead full and valuable lives through engaging in purposeful activity”
National Curriculum non- statutory guidance.
In a society where there is wide coverage regarding ever growing levels of obesity coupled with the decline in physical activity amongst children, our role as primary schools in educating children in Physical Literacy is crucial. This forms a fundamental part of children’s school lives at Sevenoaks Primary School through a wide PE curriculum supplemented by broad range of physical activity and competitive opportunities as well as a large number of extra-curricular clubs and Active Playtimes. By the time our children leave at the end of Year 6, we aim for them to have Physical Literacy including:
- An understanding of the importance of leading healthy active lives and how they can individually achieve this (Refer to PSHE skills map for additional information)
- To have experienced a large number of physical activities and be physically active for sustained periods of time
- To have engaged in a number of competitive sports and activities including the development of personal challenge as well as competing against others within school or from other schools
- To have had the opportunity to lead and work with others in a range of situations
Sevenoaks Primary Skills Progression in PE
Implementation
PE and School Sport at Sevenoaks Primary School
- Amazing agility
- Building balance
- Curriculum creativity and coordination
- Dancing
- Energetic
- Fun and fitness
- Gymnasts to games players
- Hopping and jumping
- Individual achievements and Inter Intra challenges
- Juggling balls
- Kicking and curling
- Leadership
- Multiskills building on core movement skills
- Netball
- Opportunities galore
- Parents supporting
- Quality teaching and coaching
- Rich range of curricular sports and clubs
- Swimming superstars and self esteem
- Team work and communication
- Understanding how to improve and succeed
- Vortex Mega Howler
- Winning
- Xcellent opportunities
- Young leaders and
- Zzzzzz after all that activity, time for a sleep
As the above alphabet shows, Physical Education and School Sport is an essential part of school life at Sevenoaks Primary School and provides children with many valuable opportunities not only to develop their physical skills and abilities but also their emotional, social and analytical skills and abilities.
Physical development is one of the Key areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum and from the moment children start their school life at Sevenoaks they are provided with a wide range of physical activity opportunities. The FUNdamentals of movement – agility, balance and co-ordination – are developed in Foundation Stage and then further embedded along with the core movement skills of walking, running, hopping, skipping, jumping, sending and receiving in Key Stage 1. Diversity is the name of the game during these first few years and children use a range of equipment and experience challenges that help develop their team work skills and enable them to achieve success whatever their own level of physical ability.
In Key Stage 2 children start to look at activities in more detail. They develop more detailed and vigorous knowledge of attacking and defending strategies in games, develop their strength and flexibility through sports such as dance, gymnastics, swimming and athletics and learn more about their selves and how they progress and succeed in sport. Small sided games that use a range of different sporting equipment such as netballs, footballs, tennis racquets, rugby balls, basketballs, cricket based activities feature in every year group from Years 3 to 6 developing in complexity and challenge as children progress through the school
There is a wide range of sports offered during curriculum time. These include swimming, athletics, a range invasion games (including football, hockey, netball, rugby, handball and basketball, to name a few), striking and fielding games (including Kwik Cricket and Stoolball) and Net and Wall games such as tennis. Gymnastics, dance and even trampolining are also provided during a child’s life at Sevenoaks Primary School. On top of this, enrichment activities which enable children to experience different sports such as archery, yoga and dodgeball are also provided during any academic year.
Cross-curricular links are encouraged and the curriculum is planned to enhance this where possible. For example, pirate themed dance lessons in Year 2, archery in Year 5 linked to the Tudor topic, an Egyptian themed focus in dance in Year 3. Mathematical and geographical understanding is also developed through our outdoor and adventurous activity units.
The strong PE curriculum is built upon and developed through the range of extra – curricular clubs offered as well as opportunities offered by visiting coaches. Competition – both personal and against others is an important part of the curriculum and children participating in the Inter Intra challenges.
We aim to provide children with the chance to represent the school in as many different sports as possible and are extremely proud both of our achievements and the number of children who represent the school during any academic year. We also aim to signpost children to outside clubs or school clubs if a talent or interest is identified within school. A strong local schools network and sporting association is also key and we are active members of the local district sports association and partnership.
Physical activity is also key at playtimes and lunchtimes and a range of equipment is provided to enhance and develop this. We also have a number of young leaders who we aim to have working with the young children to provide activity opportunities during some lunchtimes.
There is strong evidence that ‘classroom physical activities that incorporate academic concepts have significantly greater improvements in on- task behaviour’ (Mahar, 2011). Conversations with pupils have also underlined how positive they feel about the inclusion of physical activity within the classroom. This is an area currently in development through use of resources such as the Kent Active Health Project, Cosmic Kids Yoga and brain gym ideas.
A love and understanding of the role that sport and physical activity can play in everyone’s lives starts at a young age and we feel privileged at Sevenoaks Primary that we are able to offer so many opportunities for children to gain positive experiences in a range of sports and physical activity and leave Sevenoaks Primary with an interest in sport that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Impact
Children leave EYFS having refined their knowledge of the fundamental movement skills, which had been acquired prior to starting school. They will have experienced the use of a wide range of large and small equipment as well as developing their fine motor control skills both inside and outside.
As children progress through the school, their understanding of fundamental movement skills continues to develop and they begin to apply these to small sided games and an increased range of activity areas such as invasion games, net and wall games, striking and fielding games, gymnastics, dance, swimming and Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA). Their ability to communicate, co-operate and solve challenges develops through each year group as does an understanding of the link between physical activity and mental health. They all receive swimming sessions in Years 3 and 4, along with further sessions in Years 5 and 6 where needed. This ensures that children have received national curriculum water safety training and developed into safe, water aware citizens.
By the time children leave at the end of Year 6, they will have competed in a number of different sporting activities and areas, understand the importance of PE and physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle and have experienced a wide range of different sports.
We currently hold a Silver Active Sports Mark which underlines our commitment to providing high quality PE and school sport at Sevenoaks Primary School.
