PE Curriculum Intent
Enjoy achieving together…to be the best that we can be!
Our pupils learn best through experiential learning and the PE curriculum is supports and promotes this. At Usworth Colliery, children are encouraged to participate in regular and varied inter and intra sports competitions and festivals, acquire new sporting knowledge from visiting coaches and instructors and learn new skills in a wide array of sporting clubs. We provide the pupils with experiences and opportunities they may not otherwise access, both within the curriculum and as part of our extracurricular offer. Pupils are offered a curriculum which is exciting, engaging and ambitiously designed to support children to develop values that will serve them throughout their school life and beyond – passion, respect, confidence, resilience and the desire to be healthy and active members of society. To widen the aspirations of our young learners they are regularly exposed to a range of experiences that are designed to help them to develop these personal qualities.
To promote resilience and independence our curriculum encourages pupils to adopt a growth mind-set in order to learn from mistakes and develop as learners. Competitive sport is part of a broad curriculum. All pupils are expected to participate in intra school sport and many in inter school sport. The drive to compete and excel in physical activity, encouraged throughout the whole school, reinforces team work and communication and encourages children to excel in their academic and personal life.
The school PE curriculum was developed alongside Gateshead School Sports Partnership, a specialist school sports organisation, in order to reflect the aims and attainment targets of the National PE Curriculum (including national swimming targets) and is designed to be both progressive and matched to the needs and interests of our pupils.
Our children’s’ physical education journey starts in EYFS, which uses early learning goals and physical development objectives to ensure children start to develop fundamental skills such as balance, agility and coordination. This is achieved through participation in a varied range of team games, involving batting, catching, kicking and striking, as well as dance and gymnastics. After being introduced to the broad curriculum in EYFS, the curriculum is divided into key curriculum areas (invasion games, dance, gymnastics, striking and fielding games etc.) which are studied through performing core tasks within each unit. Each core task is sequenced to give children small steps and incremental challenges, within each area of physical activity. These tasks are designed to develop transferable key skills within each unit of work. Long term plans are designed to be developmental and progressive and each new core task builds on the skills, knowledge and understanding previously taught.
To support the unique needs of our pupils the curriculum has sporting vocabulary and discussion at its core. As pupils progress through school, children’s sporting vocabulary is improved through consistent exposure to new words from age appropriate, taught, subject specific vocabulary. Teaching builds on previously learnt vocabulary and the acquisition of this allows the children to discuss and reason within the subjects. Pupils access a wide variety of high-quality written sources to develop their reading and practical skills and spark their interest and enthusiasm for learning. Children are encouraged and empowered to develop their own independence by creating their own levels of scaffold and challenge when carrying out a core task.
Our Curriculum creates learners who are:
PE/Sports
The children are taught gymnastics, athletics, games, dance and outdoor activities. They develop personal competence, and an appreciation of skilful and creative performance across these areas, which equip them with the experience in physical activity, which is hoped will continue throughout life.
The school believes that physical education, experienced in a safe and supportive environment, is a unique and vital contributor to a pupil’s physical development and well-being. A broad and balanced physical education curriculum and extra-curriculum is intended to provide for pupils’ increased self-confidence in their ability to manage themselves and their bodies within a variety of movement situations.
Progressive learning objectives, combined with sympathetic and varied learning approaches, endeavour to provide stimulating, enjoyable, satisfying and appropriately challenging learning experiences for all pupils. Through the selection of suitably differentiated and logically developed tasks, it is intended that pupils, irrespective of their ability, will enjoy success and be motivated to further develop their individual potential.
Pupils are encouraged to appreciate the importance of a healthy and fit body, and begin to understand those factors that affect health and fitness. This work is closely aligned with the school’s policy on health education.
All teaching staff deliver physical education with their own classes and classroom assistants/Sports Apprentice usually work alongside class teachers.
We have a comprehensive programme of Professional Development for staff through the LA, Sports Development and the School Sport Co-ordinator Programme.
Key Stage One;
This includes three national curriculum areas of dance, gymnastics and basic games.
Key Stage Two;
This includes five national curriculum areas of dance, gymnastics, invasion games, swimming and athletics.
Swimming takes place during Year 4 and a catch up in the summer term for Year 5.
All Year 5/6 pupils have the opportunity to experience an outdoor and adventurous activities programme. This takes the form of a residential week at Derwent Hill and also outdoor activities such as orienteering around the school grounds.
In a PE lesson teachers should ensure that pupils are active for the majority of the lesson. Periods of inactivity should be kept to a minimum. The PE lesson should be structured with a warm up, skill development, application and cool down and incorporate the 4 aspects of learning;
- Acquiring and developing skills
- Selecting and applying skills, tactics and compositional ideas
- Knowledge and understanding of fitness and health
- Evaluating and improving performance
All teachers are made aware of the Baalpe Safe Practice in PE Guidelines, LA Health and Safety Guidelines as well as the School’s Health and Safety Policy and risk assessments. When using off-site facilities please refer to the Off-site visit guidelines.
PE Clothing;
- Children must wear appropriate clothing for PE (e.g shorts and T-shirt, or vest and pants). Staff should wear suitable footwear, and clothing which allows freedom of movement.
- When children are taking part in gymnastics and dance, the activities should be done in bare feet or soft-soled gym shoes unless the activity involves rope climbing or high landings, where trainers should be worn.
- All jewellery must be removed for PE lessons.
- Lost/ forgotten kit – if pupils persistently forget kit the class teacher should notify parents of this and seek their assistance to remedy the problem.
- Spare, clean kit is available for those pupils who require it. This can be found in Key Stage Cupboard Areas.
- Children who have verrucas must wear a swimming sock in the pool and must wear plimsolls and socks in the hall.
- Long hair should be tied back.
The Learning environment;
Children must work in a suitable and safe environment. This means;
- The removal of unnecessary furniture form the working space.
- A clean, dry and splinter free floor so that bare foot work can safely take place.
- A safe outdoor surface for playing games (no loose stones and gravel, no badly uneven surfaces, no holes in tarmac or grass surfaces).
- Floor markings for games are sufficiently far away from fences and walls to prevent accidents.
- Before any apparatus is used, it must be checked by the teacher.
Pupil medical conditions;
A record is kept of all pupils with medical conditions which may either affect their ability to participate in physical activity or which may be adversely affected by physical activity (eg asthma) and every teacher needs to be made aware of the recommended treatment in the event of a problem.
In Physical Education, links can be made with other areas of the national curriculum and particularly with literacy, numeracy, ICT, science and PSHE.
Literacy – key vocabulary relevant to the unit of work.
Numeracy – team sizes, scoring, compass work, grid references.
ICT – measuring, timing, use of computers for recording and reporting.
Science – muscles, skeleton, circulation, healthy living.
PSHE – fair play, working in teams, self-esteem.
Various Sports Clubs meet out of class time, during the lunch hour, or after school. The School also competes with other local schools. Years 5 & 6 pupils are given the opportunity to stay at Derwent Hill Outdoor Activity Centre for five days, which is situated in the Lake District. The centre provides for a wide range of adventurous activities which support the P.E. National Curriculum, as well as foundation subjects such as Science, Geography, Art and History; and as cross curricular themes. Years 3, 4 & 5 go swimming for 1 hour each week for a full term.
For the last two years, we have received extra funding to develop PE/Sports throughout school. For more information on this please click here.
