Physical Education 

‘Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.’ – John F Kennedy

                                               

We are Athletes

"I always believed, When you can do that, life can get unbelievable." - Jessica Ennis

What do we want for St Matthew's children?

At St Matthew's we ensure that all children progress physically through a broad 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 and skilfully. We understand how important physical activity is in an individual’s life as it not only helps them physically, but has positive impacts on their mental and social well-being. Exercise can help to relieve stress and provide children with opportunities to work with their peers strengthening their social skills. This ability to work as part of a supportive team or as an individual is beneficial beyond the sporting world and can be applied later in their life.

The aim of physical education is to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. Our PE Curriculum, along with PSHE and science, teaches children about the importance of healthy living. At St Matthew's we aim for children to develop the necessary knowledge and skills which will ensure that they have a life-time enjoyment of physical activity and understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

Pupils learn resilience through the understanding that winning is not always the marker of success. They are responsible for the improvement of their own individual skills and are taught to be reflective of their performances and demonstration of these skills. Respect is an important part of every PE lesson at St Matthew's and pupils demonstrate this through interactions with their peers in game situations.

Our curriculum begins with a focus on fundamental movement skills, building on the physical requirements of the EYFS framework, before moving on to focus on learning specific skills and gameplay for specific sports. By the end of their time at St Matthew's, children will have had the opportunity to engage with sports such as basketball, football, tennis, dodgeball, gymnastics, swimming, athletics, rounders and cricket.

In addition, children in Year Four are given the opportunity to learn or develop swimming skills when their class participates in weekly swimming. Swimming enhances their motor skills and co-ordination; helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle and provides them with a lifelong skill. Each child ends the swimming programme with an increased confidence in the water and a new skill that they can build on in the future.

Intent

At St Matthew's our philosophy is to provide a PE curriculum that is inspiring, engaging, and high energy. At St Matthew's, we aim to foster a positive relationship with active living and embed a desire for personal improvement. Our children strive to develop games play, positive learning outcomes, and transferable skills that allow them to access any physical activity of their choice through a progressive scheme that focuses on object control, stability, locomotion, knowledge and understanding, and health and wellbeing.  

Our aims are to:

• Follow a broad and balanced PE curriculum fulfilling the requirements of the National Curriculum.
• Develop the fitness of the individual, by ensuring a good pace in lessons and incorporating fitness activities into Physical Education lessons as appropriate.
• Develop programmes that meet the needs of all the children, ensuring inclusion for all in every PE lesson.
• Engage in competitive sports and activities to promote teamwork and confidence, e.g. Sports Day, clubs, inter-school matches, competitions against other schools.
• Encourage children to lead a healthy lifestyle and promote a love for exercise which is lifelong.
• Help develop evaluation skills and understanding of how to make a performance better.
• In addition to the large variety of physical activity within the curriculum, we also offer a range of after school clubs. This gives children an additional opportunity to develop their skills and be involved in competitive game situations. 

Implementation

Our PE curriculum has been carefully developed for our pupils. Guidance from the ‘Association for Physical Education’ and ‘Yorkshire Sport Foundation’ together with ‘PE PRO’ have enabled St Matthew’s to create and deliver a well-sequenced curriculum of study, in a logical order, based on sound educational research, allowing children to build on prior learning. 

How do we deliver this effectively?

Our curriculum aim is to maximise the potential of all pupils ensuring that they are all engaging in physical activity at least once a week.  We recognise the value and impact of high quality PE teaching which can help children develop their coordination, fitness and their sense of fair play.

At our school, there are ample opportunities for competition both inside and outside of school which allows pupils to develop their skills, demonstrate team work and resilience and succeed in sporting competitions. In addition, we also provide enrichment opportunities, including visits from athletes who promote the importance of physical activity and discipline within sport.  

What does this look like?

 Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children work towards the Physical Development -Gross Motor Skills Early Learning Goal:

• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others;
• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing;
• Move energetically, such as jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing.

The Early Years Framework states that children need to develop their coordination, agility and movement and also be taught the importance of exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Children are encouraged to be as physically active as possible, therefore children benefit from a 'free flow' setup during continuous provision, which enables them to play outside throughout the day all year round. Each day resources will be on offer to develop gross motor skills such as scooters, balls, hoops and dance ribbons.  Through this child led approach, children practice key fundamental movement skills. Alongside this, adult led activities will also focus on gross motor skills.

Children are also taught the importance of exercise for a healthy lifestyle. This is done through weekly PE sessions where fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, balancing and catching, sports and associated knowledge and skills are focussed upon. These assist the children to improve their coordination, control and movement further. The children learn the basic skills, which will provide them with the foundations for the challenges of Key Stage 1 and beyond.

KS2

In PE the curriculum at St Matthews ensure pupuls in KS2,  

• Develop competence 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

Pupils will be taught to:

• Use running, jumping, throwing, and catching in isolation and in combination

• Play competitive games (e.g., football, netball, rounders), applying basic principles

• Develop flexibility, strength, technique, control, and balance through gymnastics and athletics

• Perform dances using simple movement patterns

• Take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges

• Compare their performances with previous ones to achieve personal bests

Progression in Skills and Understanding

Our PE curriculum is sequenced precisely to ensure progression of knowledge, understanding and skills throughout a child’s primary education, thus enabling children to build upon prior experiences and apply these fluently, with confidence.

Impact

Children also have the opportunity to further these skills at after school sports clubs and in competitions. children to understand the importance of an active and healthy lifestyle through physical activity. Through competitive team games they have the opportunity to build teamworking skills and confidence which allows them to flourish.

Jewellery and Hair

Research

DfE Physical education programmes of study: key stage 1 and 2

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five

Physical Education Recommended Reading 

      

Olympics- Olympic Poems by Brian Moses & Roger Stevens

Women In Sport- She Persisted In Sports by Chelsea Clinton

Athlete Authors- Ready. Steady. Mo! by Mo Farrah

Other Sport Stories- The Story of The World Cup by Brian Glanville

Additional Resources 

 British Cycling – Ready, Set, Ride –  a set of videos and activities to help learning to ride a bike and working on core skills. (Also available as an mobile app)

Funetics – from England Athletics. The videos demonstrate parents and children (aged 4-11) taking part in FUN activities based on fundamental core movement skills: running, jumping and throwing.

Boogie Beebies – Children’s music programme. A chance for viewers to dance with Nat and Pete.

Premier League Primary Stars – activities spanning most of the curriculum. Particularly good for football lovers. To help support families, here there are curriculum-linked resources available to all for home learning, with no registration required. These free resources will cover English, Maths, Physical activity and Health and Wellbeing for Key Stages 1 and 2, with fun activities to keep children active and learning at home.

Premiership  Rugby  – a collection of free, curriculum-linked resources to help parents up and down the country educate and entertain their children whilst at home.

BBC Let’s get active – fun indoor track and field challenges.

Youth Sport Trust – a number of home learning activities for all ages.

Association for Physical Education – publications, resources and posters.