Physical Education
Curriculum Intent
At St Mary's and All Saints Primary School, we are committed to supporting excellence in PE by providing inclusive, challenging, and enriching Physical Education lessons. We have designed a carefully sequenced and progressive PE curriculum that equips our pupils with the essential knowledge, skills, and understanding to perform confidently and competently in a variety of physical activities. Our core intent is to enhance the health and well-being of all pupils, foster active participation, promote lifelong learning, and empower each child to reach their full potential. We are dedicated to ensuring that the children's experience of PE is both positive and motivating, instilling a lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle as an integral part of our curriculum.
Pupils participate in regular physical activity, which improves their cardiovascular fitness, strength, and flexibility. They develop a deep understanding of the importance of physical fitness and learn strategies for maintaining their health throughout their lives which extends beyond the school gates.
Through our PE provision, we foster a culture of engagement and enthusiasm for physical activity among our pupils. They will eagerly participate in lessons, demonstrating a genuine joy for movement and fitness. Pupils will develop a passion for sport that extends beyond curriculum time, as evidenced by high levels of participation in extracurricular activities.
Our commitment to inclusive PE provision results in a climate of equality and inclusivity in our school. Pupils of all abilities, genders, and backgrounds feel valued and supported, and barriers to participation are actively dismantled. This inclusive environment promotes positive attitudes towards diversity and challenges stereotypes, fostering a school community that celebrates individuality and promotes respect for all.
In addition, we aim is to offer a broad and balanced range of extracurricular activities that promote high standards of performance and cultivate a positive attitude towards sport and physical activity for life. Through active enrichment activities, inter-house and intra-house sporting events, physically active clubs, and sports opportunities, learners are introduced to new ways to stay active alongside the opportunity to engage in physical activities for a minimum of 60 minutes a day.
Our PE Curriculum PE and extra -curricular opportunities enables children to:
- Become skilful performers
- Acquire and develop skills, performing with increasing physical competence and confidence, in a range of physical activities and contexts
- Learn how to select and apply skills, tactics and compositional ideas to suit activities that need different approaches and ways of thinking
- Develop their ideas in a creative way
- Set targets for themselves and compete against others, individually and as team members
- Understand what it takes to persevere, succeed and acknowledge others’ success
- Respond to a variety of challenges in a range of physical contexts and environment
- Take the initiative, lead activity and focus on improving aspects of their own performance
- Discover their own aptitudes and preferences for different activities
- Make informed decisions about the importance of exercise in their lives
- Develop positive attitudes to participation in physical activity
- Encourage enjoyment through physical activities
- Provide through experience, knowledge and understanding about the relationship between health and physical education
- Work with others, listening to their ideas and treating them with respect
- Co-operate and collaborate with others, in teams and groups, to achieve a goal together
- Develop an understanding of fair play and fairness though knowing and applying rules and conventions.
Inter- and Intra- School Competitions
Children have the opportunity to represent St Mary and All Saints in a range of different sports. The school enters into local primary football and netball leagues and takes part in local festivals and competitions in a wide range of different sports including cricket, tennis, rounders and netball. In addition, school teams have the opportunity to play friendly matches against each other in school to provide additional practise and develop key skills. We have strong links with a range of other schools which enables us to be able to organise friendly fixtures or extra sports events based on interest and opportunities available.
South Buckinghamshire School Sports Partnership
We have joined the School Sports Partnership, hosted by Alfriston School. This organisation aligns with our values and believes in a ‘sporting chance for every child’. The partnership provides support from specialist PE teaching staff with a wealth of experience who work alongside our teachers to improve PE teaching. It offers access to a network of schools for continued professional development opportunities and shared good practise. They organise a wide range of sports festivals, which allow competition above intra level to increase children’s participation in School Games competitions.
Active classrooms
The Department of Health (2016) states that at least 30 minutes should be delivered in school every day through active break times, PE, extracurricular clubs, active lessons, or other sport and physical activity events, with the remaining 30 minutes supported by parents and carers outside of school time. St Mary and All Saints is committed to helping children achieve their 60 minutes of physical activity, beginning in the classroom. Physical activity, even just short spans of it, improves children’s cognitive function, focus, and well-being. Through brain breaks, short and quick physical activity sessions within the classrooms, students are able to regain focus and attention and therefore make the most of their learning opportunities.
Websites to visit to promote active lifestyle at home:
https://www.youthsporttrust.org/resources/physical-challenges-for-kids/send-pe-activities
https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga
https://www.leapwithus.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Primary-Resources_BMK-Virtual-SG.pdf