Our PE Curriculum
At Chambersbury School we aim for all children to develop a love of physical activity and sport. We strive to give all children the opportunities to develop skills and confidence in a range of sporting and physical activities. Using our whole school values, we aim to provide a good physical education that nurtures confident, resilient children who will strive for their personal best. We listen to our children’s wants and needs and provide them with a range of active experiences and clubs. We encourage our children to celebrate and respect the success of others, as well as modestly celebrating their own successes.
We strive to educate both our children and families to develop a greater understanding on how to live healthy lifestyles and make healthy choices. We are dedicated to ensuring healthy minds, as well as bodies. PE supports our children's well-being.
Intent
PE lessons encourage children to compete against themselves and others whilst being challenged to improve their physical, social, emotional and thinking skills. These skills are embedded in the heart of our planning.
Our objectives in the teaching of PE align with the National Curriculum in that we aim to ensure all pupils:
Implementation
At Chambersbury School, we follow the Get Set 4 PE scheme, which aligns with our core values, our whole child approach to PE and the objectives laid out in the National Curriculum. Get Set 4 PE is planned so that progression is built into the scheme which ensures our children are increasingly challenged as they move up through the school.
Years 1 to 6 have 2 discrete PE lessons a week, taught by either class teachers or a sports coach. EYFS have one dedicated PE lesson as well as daily opportunities for physical development and learning. The curriculum planning in PE is carried out in three phases (long-term, medium-term and short term). The long-term plan maps out the PE activities covered in each term during the key stage. The PE subject leader works this out in conjunction with teaching colleagues. Together we create a broad and balanced curriculum that is exciting for our children. Our medium-term plans give details of each unit of work for each term. These schemes of work provide an overview of the unit, links to other areas of the National Curriculum and assessment criteria for that unit. The short-term lesson plans provide opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding in each activity area. Staff are supported in delivering these plans by providing up to date resources, support from experienced/skilled teachers and external sports coaches.
At Chambersbury we also provide children with opportunities to develop their general fitness and love of PE. Children take part in regular “Run Together” sessions at school that have a focus on personal performance and self-improvement. At break times children are provided with a range of sporting equipment including an activity trail, outside gym equipment for KS2, and sets of smaller equipment to enable them to explore and play, as well as develop a sense of responsibility. We also aim to provide a range of sporting clubs that children can attend before and after school.
Each year we hold schools sports day in the summer, where children work in house groups to demonstrate the skills they have learnt, compete in a friendly way and celebrate success. The activities range from a round robin of different activities based on skills learnt across the year (including throwing, catching, balancing etc) to organised races (running and novelty). Staff are aware of pupils who have particular needs with regards to physical activity and make reasonable adjustments for needs where appropriate e.g. physical disability, asthma. Children are challenged at a level that is appropriate for them to enable all children to succeed and grow in confidence.
To enhance our PE curriculum we also work with a local PE network (The Dacorum School Sports Network, DSSN). Through this network, children have opportunities to take part in a range of activities throughout the year. These activities range from trying new activities and skills to learning and developing new skills through participation in festivals, competitions and personal challenges. These include pathway events to county finals and beyond with opportunities to link with local community clubs.
With regard to impact on attainment and progress, our teachers assess the children’s work in PE, both by making informal judgements, as they observe them during lessons, and through assessing against the specific objectives set out in the National Curriculum. We have clear expectations of what the pupils will know, understand and be able to do at the end of each Key Stage. Teachers are supported with resources to know how to prepare children for their next phase of education. These resources include the Get Set 4 PE progression of skills document, progression ladders and knowledge organisers.
Health and Safety
We recognise that participation in PE and Physical Activities contains an element of risk. Staff are responsible for ensuring that they are familiar with safe practice to reduce the element of risk to the absolute minimum within their control. Staff know about the safe practices involved in moving and using apparatus. Pupils wear appropriate clothing, remove jewellery (this includes earrings which must be removed not taped) and tie back long hair. Pupils may be asked to remove shoes when participating in indoor activities such as gymnastics, dance and yoga.
Correct use of equipment is taught along with any potential hazards, including completing a risk assessment for each area and space that PE and school sport takes place in. Equipment and apparatus are stored safely at the end of each lesson. Teaching staff are appropriately dressed to teach PE. We undertake an annual Risk Assessment of the school premises and areas where PE is taught and equipment including PE equipment (PE Lead) as necessary. Risk Assessments are in place for all school sporting trips.
Pupils are taught to consider their own safety and that of others at all times. This is also supported within our PSHE and Science curriculums, with children learning about keeping themselves healthy, safe and learning about basic first.
Impact
Our intended impact for our children is that they leave Chambersbury with the skills and mind-set to be successful in their sporting challenges and maintain active lifestyles at secondary school and beyond. Children can reflect on their own health and well-being, making educated, healthy choices for themselves as they grow.
Within their time at primary school, children develop their skills each year, demonstrating higher levels of control and complexity. They grow in confidence when approaching different activities, developing resilience. Children at Chambersbury enjoy physical activity.