Intention

At Abbot's Hall Primary School our intent for Physical Education and Sport is that every child should have the opportunity to take part in physical activity on a regular basis and become more physically confident and competent. We hope that, through all of the sporting opportunities and physical activity we offer, the children will develop an understanding of the importance of being active and healthy and the physical and emotional benefits that this brings. It is our aim to sow the seeds to develop a lifelong participation in physical activity and sport to benefit long-term health and well-being, enabling our pupils to become the best that they can be now and in the future.  

Early Years

In the Early Years, children are encouraged to be active and develop their fine and gross motor skills. These basic skills are developed through PE lessons and continuous provision. These are the building blocks for their later skill development in PE.

Early Learning Goals for Physical Development: Gross Motor Skills

Children at the expected level of development will:

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

The National Curriculum for PE: Key Stages 1 and 2 aims 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

Key Stage 1

In Key Stage 1 pupils should be taught 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.

Key Stage 2

In Key Stage 2 pupils should be taught 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.

At Abbot’s Hall we have an inclusive curriculum. Through this curriculum we are giving children a wealth of opportunities to develop their physical skills as well as achieving whole child objectives.

Implementation

To support the implementation of our PE curriculum our PE lessons are planned using the Get Set 4 PE platform. This 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. Teaching staff are guided to offer a broad range of lessons, allowing progression through each year group and key stage. Children embed their learning, build on their learning, making progress across the year and school.

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 and pupils voice in each year group. Together we create a broad and balanced curriculum that is exciting for our children to learn through. 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. All pupils receive two lessons of PE each week.

In addition to the curriculum, pupils’ experiences of PE and School Sports also include:

• Active Abbot’s Time – time each day to be active between lessons. Classes can perform the daily mile, have active brain breaks and perform meditation exercises such as yoga to refocus and recharge themselves.
• Extra-curricular sports clubs. These clubs are offered before school, at lunchtime and after school. These clubs give pupils the opportunity to further develop their skills and love of an individual sport or activity.
• Inter sports competitions within the local Sports Partnership (GVTSSP). We are always keen to take part in the competitions on offer and take pupils to all three types of competition (belong, develop and compete) to allow an inclusive approach.
• Intra sports competitions amongst the School House System.
• Identified children will be offered targeted interventions/clubs to develop and encourage their education surrounding healthy living and active lifestyles.
• Teachers will be offered regular continuous professional development working with/alongside the PE lead to ensure their teaching & delivery is of the highest calibre.
• Leadership – pupils can take the lead the subject of PE by becoming a Sports Ambassador (PE voice); a Sports Leader (leading clubs and activities for the younger pupils within the school); a Play Leader (leading activity stations at lunchtime for the younger pupils within the school).

Impact

Assessment in PE is both formative (ongoing) and summative. It is measured by ongoing assessment of the acquisition of skills and declarative knowledge – concerning rules, tactics, strategies, health and participation. This declarative knowledge is explicitly linked to what is being taught during the lesson and the unit of work. Pupils are challenged or supported as a result of this. Peer and self-assessment are used and children become skilled in reflecting on their learning and performance. Questioning is another way in which the impact of teaching and learning is measured. This is used during PE sessions to reinforce learning and specific vocabulary

Formative assessment in PE at Abbot’s Hall can be seen in every lesson with teachers:

• Setting open tasks
• Questioning – what is working? What could be improved?
• Providing feedback (coaching) through modelling or showing examples, using videos or diagrams.
• Encouraging children to think about what they have done, how to improve, change to improve their learning.
• Giving further feedback.

Summative assessment in PE can be assessing children’s’ knowledge and understanding at the start of a unit and repeating this activity at the end of a unit having spent time teaching the key components. This will be recorded half termly on Arbor (the same for all Foundation Subjects at AH). For each unit of work there are knowledge organisers and vocabulary pyramids to support pupils by providing a visual record of the key learning from each unit, encouraging recall of practical skills, key knowledge and specific vocabulary.

Our expectation is that pupils will leave Abbot’s Hall having had a positive experience of PE and School Sport. We hope pupils will leave equipped with the knowledge and understanding of how to live a healthy, active life. We hope this will enable them to succeed in their secondary education, being able to enjoy PE and School Sport and develop a lifelong participation in physical activity and sport.