Physical Education (PE)
Intent
‘A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities.’ National Curriculum 2014
At St. Gerard’s it is our intent to provide a high-quality curriculum that enables all pupils to become physically literate, be inspired to succeed in a range of physical activities and foster a life-long passion for total health and well-being.
Our PE curriculum intends to inspire our children to be active and to enjoy PE, encourage each other and achieve. We provide a safe and supportive environment for children to flourish in a range of different physical activities which is essential in supporting their physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and moral development.
We offer a dynamic, varied and stimulating programme of activity to ensure that all children progress physically through an inspirational, unique, and fully inclusive PE curriculum. We encourage all children to develop their understanding of the way in which they can use their body, equipment, and apparatus safely yet imaginatively to achieve their personal goals.
All children have the opportunity to enjoy being physically active, maintain a healthy lifestyle and using the medium of sport, increase their self-esteem. We aspire for children to adopt a positive mind-set and believe that anything can be achieved with determination and resilience.
The aim of Physical Education is to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. Children are taught to observe and produce the conventions of fair play, honest competition and good sporting behaviour as individual participants, team members and spectators. Thus, embedding life-long values such as co-operation, collaboration, and equity of play.
Our PE Curriculum, along with our RHE and Science curriculums, teaches children about the importance of healthy living and learning about the need for good nutrition. We aim for children to develop the necessary knowledge and skills which will have a positive impact on their future by becoming physically active citizens to benefit their long-term health and well-being.
Implementation
The PE curriculum is developed and taught through the use of the GetSet4PE Scheme, which is in-line with the National Curriculum, and is used to aid teaching staff in their subject knowledge and planning of PE. Teachers are able to adjust and change lessons to suit the needs of their classes but the scheme provides a strong basis of what is expected in each year group. Each class has access to two hours of high quality physical activity every week.
In Key Stage 1, the children develop fundamental skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. The children engage in competitive and co-operative physical activities, in a range of challenging situations. Over the year, the children will take part in a variety of games, gymnastics, dance, and athletic activities.
In Key Stage 2, the children continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and link then to make actions and sequences in movement. We provide the children with plenty of opportunities to allow them to enjoy communicating, collaborating, and competing. Throughout the year, the children have the opportunity to take part in a variety of games, gymnastics, dance and athletic activities.
Curriculum Overview and Skills Progression
Swimming
We provide swimming lessons in Year 3, Year 4, and Year 5. This allows children to consolidate and build upon their swimming skills each year and increase their confidence in the water. In addition to meeting their curriculum expectations to swim continually for 25 metres, children will learn strategies for personal safety and survival as a life skill.
Partnership
We work in partnership with Kingsbury Schools Sports, which allows us to access support that focuses on improving the quantity and quality of PE, School Sport and Physical Activity in our school. They supports us in many ways including the following: PE Coordinator Development and Training; Professional Development for school staff; Active Playtimes; Pupil Leadership and Pupil voice; Quality Competitive Sport.
We also are members of the Birmingham Catholic Schools Sports Association, which gives our children more opportunities to participate in competitive sports at different levels.
Extra-Curricular Sports
We have a wide range of sports on offer throughout the academic year for all children to participate in. These run after school each night from Monday to Thursday.
The majority of clubs are provided by high-quality coaching staff from Kingsbury Schools Sports Partnership, with some being led by our PE leader. Clubs are often linked to competitive sports tournaments against other schools.
Impact
Our children will have an increased participation in physical activity and an understanding of how and why we need to keep healthy. Through our partnership with, Kingsbury Sports and the Catholic Sports Association, and through other school links, children will have increased opportunities to compete and participate in a diverse range of sports. They will have a love of physical activity that is sustained to improve their life.