What is Physical Education?
A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities. It should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect. – National Curriculum
‘The sky has no limits, neither should you.’ – Usain Bolt.
Our definition for KS2 – ‘Physical Education is learning new skills to help aid our understanding of how to improve performance.’
Our definition for Foundation and KS1 – ‘Physical Education is educating the mind and body.’
Physical Education provides pupils the opportunity to develop physical competence and knowledge of movement and skills, placing pupils in co-operative, collaborative and competitive situations. It promotes skilfulness, physical development and knowledge of the body in action. This will help provide opportunities for pupils to develop their creative and expressive abilities and provide situations where pupils work independently, in pairs and in groups. It promotes positive attitudes toward healthy and active lifestyles. Pupils learn how to think in different ways to suit a wide variety of creative, competitive, cooperative and challenging activities. They learn how to plan, perform and evaluate actions, ideas and performances to improve their abilities and make choices about how they prefer to get involved in lifelong physical activity.
As the pupils are exposed to a range of sports this allows them to pursue their favourite outside school or through academy clubs. They also begin to understand which factors can affect health and well-being. Bishop Alexander have a firm belief and ambition that P.E. is a subject that every pupil can enjoy and be successful in. Every pupil can create a positive relationship with physical activity and movement, and their effort, work and progress will be recognised and celebrated.
1. Intent
We are determined that our pupils will leave Bishop Alexander LEAD Academy being resilient, responsible, respectful, aspirational, caring and independent (our academy values). We want to inspire our pupils to enjoy learning and make a difference in their lives to ensure that they achieve their full potential, which in turn contributes to their future. Physical Education supports these aspirations for our pupils in many different ways.
We aim to broaden our pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through our Physical Education curriculum, which is supported by the scheme, Premier Education. Pupils will have the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills, many fundamental to children’s development, and others more sport focused. Curriculum and lesson design is fully inclusive and accessible means that all pupils can feel, and ultimately, be successful. The intent is that pupils will learn across key areas, skills, knowledge, understanding and application. The overarching intent in the academy will be to meet the four aims of the national curriculum in an exciting and engaging way that inspires all pupils.
The aims of the national curriculum for physical education are to ensure that all pupils:
• develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
• are physically active for sustained periods of time
• engage in competitive sports and activities
• lead healthy, active lives
The broader intent of our curriculum is to ensure pupils understand their own personal development and how they can positively support their own progress.
The fundamental areas covered would be opportunities to:
• be physically active and healthy
• experience competition
• understand mental health and holistic wellbeing
• experience a wide range of sports and activities
It is essential our pupils are exposed to and encouraged towards active and healthy lifestyles. Through Physical Education, our pupils will learn how to plan, perform and evaluate their work, supporting them to improve their performance. We also want pupils to understand that it is not all about the physicality of the sport, but also the mind.
Through our teaching, we want to consistently aim to raise the awareness and profile of Physical Education as not only a subject but also as a potential career path for the future.
2. Implementation
Organisation and planning
How do we teach Physical Education?
All classes aim for two hours of timetabled P.E. each week. Lessons are taught with the support of the scheme, Premier Education.
In EYFS:
Our programme introduces Reception to P.E. and physical activity with different themes linked to various stories. When on these learning journeys, activities will incorporate basic multi-skills, gymnastics and dance. The content and attainment levels align to the EYFS statutory framework and the early learning goals (ELGs).
In Key Stage 1:
Using a multi-skills approach, pupils will complete a series of topics to:
- master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities
- participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending
- perform dances using simple movement patterns
In Key Stage 2:
Topics featured will blend application and understanding with improving and evaluating to achieve the curriculum requirements to:
- use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
- play competitive games, modified where appropriate (for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis), and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
- develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance (for example, through athletics and gymnastics)
- perform dances using a range of movement patterns
- take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team
- compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best
Across the school, there is an aim to improve every pupil’s ‘personal best’, where each year group has their own activity programme which focuses on improving pupils’ fundamental movements and activity levels. Pupils’ progress will be tracked to monitor improvements of the individual child and compare with national trends.
Swimming
Lessons take place at Newark Sports Centre. All lessons are organised and taught by Schools’ Swimming Service. All pupils at Bishop Alexander are expected to meet the National Curriculum outcomes:
- Perform safe self-rescue in different water based situations
- Swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25m
- Use a range of strokes effectively, for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke
Our aim is for intervention to be put in place for those pupils who might not be at risk of not meeting this expectation.
Sports Funding
The Sports Premium is given to schools to help give children access to 60 minutes of sport and exercise a day (with 30 minutes being during school hours). Schools must use the funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of their Physical Education (P.E.), physical activity and sport.
Schools should prioritise P.E. and sport premium spending to improve in the following 5 key areas:
- increasing all staff’s confidence, knowledge and skills in teaching P.E. and sport
- increasing engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity and sport
- raising the profile of P.E. and sport across the school, to support whole school improvement
- offer a broader and more equal experience of a range of sports and physical activities to all pupils
- increase participation in competitive sport
DfE Physical education programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2 National curriculum in England