Intent

At St Mary’s, we provide an ambitious and inclusive PE curriculum which is progressive across all year groups, linking practical physical skills and encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle in and out of school. Key elements are developed in Year R in order to provide solid foundations for the subsequent years’ PE teaching and learning as well as ensuring that children are socially and physically ready to engage in their learning across the curriculum. We value opportunities to provide our children with experiences of competitive sport within school and against other schools in our local community.

Implementation

Our curriculum is purposeful and relevant, where children receive at least twice weekly lessons alongside opportunities to be active throughout the school day and after school. For example, children regularly run the ‘Daily Mile’ track and use the wide range of climbing frames, apparatus and other equipment within the school grounds at play and lunchtimes. PE is embedded within each year group’s curriculum, ensuring that our children develop subject specific skills, knowledge and understanding as well as making links between topics and their learning in other subjects. Staff receive high quality development opportunities from the PE leader to confidently deliver challenging PE lessons. Our rigorous assessment processes ensure that all children are supported and challenged appropriately throughout their PE learning journey. Extra provision, sometimes in additional year groups, is provided to enable children to achieve key skills, as in swimming. Our judicious use of the Sports Premium funding enables curriculum is broad and rich.

Impact

When children leave the school, their learning in PE will have enabled them to have gained and acquired skills from the 4 elements of movement skills, competitive games, communication and dance. The children will have gained a wider knowledge and understanding of the benefits that come from being active, for example a positive mental wellbeing and healthy lifestyle, with the hope they will take this into their future lives.

Curriculum Drivers

Environmental Stewardship

Our PE curriculum allows our children to learn in a variety of different natural environments on school site and in the local area which helps encourage a love for the outdoors and picturesque surroundings of St Marys.

Global Mindset, Diversity and Inclusion

At St Mary’s, we provide our children with opportunities to partake in a number of different sports from a range of countries and cultures. All children have the right to participate in sport and physical activity at St Mary’s and adaptations are made to ensure all challenged appropriately.

Play-Based Learning

Certain sports allow our children to be learn and develop their physical fitness and physical skills through play/competition instead of in isolated drills or practices. We also provide our children with active breaktimes to support children in being as active as possible.

Belonging

Our PE lessons encourage a team ethos and our children are taught the importance of collaboration in order to thrive as a group when competing.   

Inspiration and Aspiration

In our PE curriculum, all children are encouraged to do their personal best through a variety of physical opportunities in order to foster a life-long enjoyment of PE and sport. We use sporting role models in order to inspire the children at St Mary’s.

Spiritual Development

In certain areas of the PE curriculum, children are given opportunities to reflect on theirs and others performances in order to better themselves and others progress in a certain physical capacity. We also teach our children to understand their own bodies and support them with self-soothing strategies such as an understanding of breath control.

Communication and Storytelling

Our PE curriculum fosters communication and storytelling by encouraging children to collaborate in team activities, where they must effectively articulate strategies and provide feedback. Additionally, it integrates narrative-driven exercises that require children to recount their experiences and progress, enhancing their ability to convey stories and personal growth.