PE
PE is a key priority both at Shaw Cross and nationally, as reflected by the emphasis provided through the Sports Premium Funding. Over the last few years we have worked particularly hard to develop our provision and quality of teaching to capture the interest and engagement of our children from the very start of their school life. In a world that is seen to be ‘slowing down’, as a school we provide a vital role in instilling the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle and in developing a life-long love and habit for being physically active.
In the Foundation Stage this comes under the umbrella of Physical Development. As well as discrete PE lessons in Reception, children also have access to outdoor provision for a large part of the sessions. Both Nursery and Reception have age appropriate outdoor equipment such as climbing frames, an adventure trail, bicycles and scooters, bats and balls to help them to develop motor skills and develop a love of physical activity. We have also worked hard to enhance our provision and equipment to develop general gross motor skills across the curriculum with a view to enhancing writing e.g. gardening tools, large brushes for painting. More recently, this has been extended into year 1, where children also have access to outdoor provision on a daily basis.
We use the school hall, playground and the school field (weather permitting) for P.E in Key Stage 1. We are constantly evolving our PE curriculum to provide greater breadth and depth of learning and maximise the engagement of our pupils. All of our learning is based on developing fundamental movement skills (agility, balance and co-ordination) that provide the foundation stones for all physical activity across the curriculum and beyond. Whilst games, gymnastics and dance still form the basis of our provision, we are also striving to widen experiences with access to activities such as balance bikes, dance mats, yoga, and a climbing wall, either within a block of lessons or as an ‘experience day/week’. On the whole class teachers deliver our PE lessons. However, the sports premium funding has enabled us to enhance the delivery of PE through the use of high quality sport specific coaches working alongside our class teachers across all areas of the PE curriculum. We have particularly strong links with Hudderfield Giants Community Trust who are currently delivering curriculum PE, lunchtime and after-school clubs alongside our school staff.
The most recent national priority is to focus what is known as the 30:30 agenda, with the aim of facilitating 30 minutes of daily physical exercise in school, and encourage 30 minutes outside of school. As a school we are striving to meet this through raising the children's awareness of the importance of exercise as a means of keeping healthy through active playtimes. We have play leaders elected within Key Stage 1, with a view to these children taking an active role in selecting, organising and promoting appropriate use of equipment that is used at playtime. Playground game ideas, and playground markings, as well as trained staff help to facilitate this further. We are also working hard to integrate a greater level physical activity across the curriculum by introducing a higher level of ‘active lesson’ within all curriculum areas.
The emphasis in our P.E. programme is on individual effort and achievement and on the development of skills. In addition, children begin to learn simple team games and to work co-operatively with others in order to provide for the learning and applying of skills, and to develop tactics. The element of competition is built into the curriculum through involvement of both intra and inter school competition and festivals. We have established links with the school games partnership and are excited by the opportunities this has provided for work alongside other local schools.
Children have the opportunity to develop their sporting interests through after school clubs and lunchtime groups. We monitor this closely with a view to all children in Key Stage 1 accessing at least one block of additional provision each year. We actively seek to make links with sport facilities within the area, and particularly during our annual ‘Active Week’ we promote these links with the aim for children to extend their interests at home.
We ensure all children have access to the content of the EYFS curriculum and the National Curriculum for physical activity and school sport.
Click here for the EYFS curriculum.
Click here for the Key Stage 1 curriculum (Year 1 and 2).
Click here for links to the Sport Premium Funding.