Physical Education
Physical Education at St. Mary's
Curriculum Leader: Mr Farnell
Intent
Through engagement in PE, we strive to develop in children a lifelong love of sport, whether it is competitive sport or an enjoyment in keeping active and healthy. Children will experience a wide variety of sports and outdoor activities to develop their physical confidence, their skill in using their body and their understanding of the sporting values.
Implementation
Each week children access a minimum of two hours of high quality structured ‘Physical Activity’. This may be through PE lessons, swimming lessons or physical activity sessions. Specialist PE coaches engage children to develop age-appropriate PE skills through a series of stimulating lessons which are planned, with clear skills-based learning objectives and subject-specific vocabulary. Our curriculum is delivered through highly effective ‘quality first teaching’.
Enrichment opportunities, that are inclusive for all, include outdoor learning with residential outdoor activity trips in Class 4 where children develop water skills through canoeing and Kayaking and try sports such as archery, fencing and aerial climbing activities. We aim to develop cultural capital knowledge by introducing pupils to sports people who have competed on a local or international stage from the worlds of Olympic and Paralympic sports. They share their experiences and further develop the understanding of the values of sport. All children have the opportunity to take part in friendly and competitive sporting events, including inclusive sports. The children play competitive games. The children have opportunities to experience a wide range of sports and activities including orienteering, gymnastics, dance and yoga, which provide our children with rich experiences as a team and an individual, and which enhance teaching, learning and knowledge.
Termly sporting challenges ensure that children develop and master basic movements in jumping, throwing and catching, agility and co-ordination and continue to improve on these skills through personal challenges throughout school.
Providing children with the knowledge they need in order to live a healthy lifestyle and encourage good, sensible choices where food and physical activity are concerned. There are strong links between PE and Science whereby the children learn about health and fitness and how this has an impact on their body, as well as their lives. Pupils learn about the human body, healthy food choices, hygiene, exercise and mental health.
Extra-curricular activities are an important part of sport at St Mary’s and a range of sporting clubs are offered as after school activities, giving children the opportunity to try new sports in a secure environment.
Impact
Through the breadth and depth that our curriculum offers, children are equipped with the tools to live and lead a healthy lifestyle and leave St Mary’s possessing the fundamental skills e.g. throwing, catching, jumping etc. As a result, the number of children choosing to partake in extra-curricular, physical activity-based clubs increases year on year with our focus on encouraging less active children to become increasingly involved and enthusiastic about being more physical.