“It’s really important that we promote competitive sport in school! It is very important that we recognise that has to be underpinned by good quality physical education and by getting people into patterns of exercise.”

Sebastian Coe

 

Intent

The PE and Sport curriculum at Bladon CE Primary School develops the enjoyment of physical activity and strives to improve the importance of health and wellbeing. Our intention is to give children the opportunities to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding and apply these in competitive situations, with the vision this provides them with lifelong learning skills. Children are helped to acquire the skills needed to participate with confidence and enjoyment in a range of individual team activities at school and in the wider community, and to appreciate the place of regular exercise as a way of keeping fit. We ensure that all our children receive a well-rounded learning experience when participating in different sporting activities, engaging them in a range of sports to develop a passion for being active, healthy and the confident, and to try new things and build resilience and determination with all they do.

Our PE curriculum covers the knowledge and skills outlined in the National Curriculum and ensures all children are given opportunities to be challenged to progress their learning further. Through our teaching of PE, we aim to deliver the lessons in a meaningful context, giving purpose and wherever possible curricular links are exploited, particularly links with maths, British values. All children from year 1 take part in a minimum of two hours of high-quality PE and sporting activities each week provided by specialist sports coaches from Elite Sports with the Foundation Stage children doing 1 hour a week with the coaches.

 

Implementation

A well-balanced programme of sporting activities is provided for the children that includes opportunities for expressive and creative movement through dance, as well as gymnastics, swimming, athletics, games, and outdoor and adventurous pursuits. Learning through co-operative and competitive activities helps to promote an understanding of inter-person relationships. Children take part in sporting activities within the school, and with other schools, including local and county tournaments and competitions. Physical education is enriched through a wide range of well-attended after-school clubs and activities including football, athletics and netball. Such opportunities enable children to develop personal and social skills as well as preparing them for leisure activities in adult life.

All children in year 5/6 take part in a week’s residential visit at an Activity Centre. A range of outdoor and adventurous pursuits are offered including abseiling, climbing, kayaking, orienteering and archery. We value these opportunities for our children to participate in physically challenging land and water-based activities, believing they can make an important contribution to children’s personal and social development.

 

TEACHING & LEARNING

At Bladon Primary School Physical Education is a core subject in which children learn the importance of an active healthy lifestyle and can play in competitive sport. All children (Year 1-6) receive a minimum of 2 hours of PE teaching a week and in Reception class receive 1 hour a week. We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in PE lessons. Our principal aim is to develop the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding and we do this through a mixture of whole class teaching and individual/group activities. Teachers/ coaches model sporting skills then provide children with opportunities for them to practise. Teachers draw attention to good examples of individual performance as models for the other children and encourage the children to evaluate their own work as well as the work of other children. Within lessons children are given the opportunity to both collaborate and compete, in addition to having access to a wide range of resources.

 

ADDITIONAL PE OPPORTUNITIES

At Bladon Primary School, we aim to provide a variety of sporting opportunities. The school provides a range of PE-related activities for children during lunchtimes and at the end of the school day. These encourage children to further develop their skills in a range of sporting contexts. The sporting clubs change each term in the school year. As well as sporting opportunities within the school community, the school also enters the partnership sporting events and some Elite Sports events, learning to play competitively. This includes sports such as football, rugby athletics, cricket, netball and dance.

 

PLAYGROUND LEADERS

We believe physical education is the perfect way to develop leadership skills in our children. This is why we offer the opportunity for children in year 5 and 6 to apply for the role of playground leader. Any child who is interested is encouraged to write a short note to Mrs Cook (Headteacher) explaining why they feel they would be good for the role and what skills and behaviours they would bring.

 

COMPETITIONS AND TOURNAMENTS

We work closely with other schools in the Woodstock School’s Partnership on a range of events including sports tournaments and festivals. These are often held at Marlborough School and run by a great team of Junior sports leaders and staff.

 

Impact

At Bladon Primary School, we ensure that our PE curriculum is progressive and allows children to develop fundamental skills and apply them to a variety of sports and activities. All children are provided with the necessary skills and given opportunities to demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best. Our pupils are physically active, and this has a positive impact on their learning in the classroom. Children understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle and understand the importance of regular exercise. We aspire for children to enjoy PE and develop a love of sport and physical activity which becomes part of their future life outside of primary school. Children can represent the school at sporting events from local to county level. Alongside this, we share sporting achievements both in and out of celebration assembly, so that we are promoting sports and activities, as well as celebrating all levels of success.