Hertford Schools

Physical Education Policy

 

Introduction

“Exercise activates your brain and gives you energy for everything else, the energy to be enthusiastic about your work. So all your school work will gain from physical education”       Darcey Bussell, The Royal Ballet

Physical Education  is the aspect of the curriculum concerned with the development of physical skills, knowledge and understanding in games, gymnastics, dance, outdoor activities and swimming. It provides opportunities for pupils to be creative, competitive and to face up to different challenges as individuals, in groups and teams.

We believe it is vital that All pupils are given equal opportunities to access a broad, balanced curriculum, encompassing a wide variety of physical activities, therefore enabling all pupils to achieve their full potential through the development of their physical competence and confidence. At Hertford we believe physical education is an important avenue for raising self-esteem and well-being through participation, success and enjoyment.

Aims

• Our aims in teaching PE are that all children will:
• Be physically active and find enjoyment in physical activity;
• Find a lasting sense of purpose, achievement and fulfilment in physical activity;
• Develop physical skills, habits and interests that will promote healthy lifestyles and good posture;
• Develop positive attitudes to physical endeavour including perseverance, fair play and sporting behaviour and the ability to cope with success and failure;
• Learn how physical exercise affects the body;
• Understand the need for safe practice in physical activities and know how to achieve this.
• Develop a progression of skills in different strands of PE (gymnastics, dance, athletics, team games.

We will:

Promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles by teaching pupils:               

•  a) to be active through regular cardio-vascular work and with an emphasis placed on personal progress and individual challenges.                                                           
• b) correct posture and appropriate use of their body from reception to year 6.                                                                                                                      
• c) to participate in activities which develop balance, coordination, flexibility, strength, stamina, self expression with a built in factor of improvement and refinement, thus creating a movement memory.                                                                                   
•  d) the importance of personal hygiene.                                                                          

Develop positive attitude by teaching pupils:                                                                                                                                                                                       

          a) to observe the conventions of fair play and good sporting behaviour as individuals, team-members and spectators, co-operating with and    considering others (using Working With Others skills

          b) to cope with both success and limitations in performance and increase self-confidence and self motivation.                                            

          c) to work consistently to the best of their ability and always look for improvements.

          d) to be mindful of others and their environment.                                                       

          e) to improve social, creative and physical skills.

Ensure safe practice by teaching pupils:                                                                                                                                                                                                

a) the importance of appropriate rules and safety procedures for all activities in all situations.           

 b) the importance of wearing appropriate clothing, footwear and protection for different  activities.    

 c) how  to lift, carry and place and use equipment safely.               

 d) the importance of warming up & cooling down before and after physical exertion.

To enable all children and young people to fulfil their physical potential by:

• Ensuring that the provision is challenging and appropriate and that support mechanisms are in place to allow all children and young people to reach their full potential.
• Increasing the provision and the range of opportunities available for high quality PE and sport; within the curriculum and out of school hours and sustaining this level of opportunity.
• Improving the levels of progress in PE for all children and young people and the opportunities available.
• Ensuring that provision is fully inclusive, engaging, innovative, inspiring and specifically tailored to meet future aspirations.

Provision

We believe that a range of styles of teaching are necessary for the teaching of physical education. PE is a foundation subject in the National Curriculum.

• Foundation & Key stage 1:
• gymnastics
• dance
• athletics
• team building
• striking and fielding
• ball skills
• posture, gait and balance focus in the EYFS

Key stage 2:

• The fundamental skills knowledge and concepts of the subject are categorised into 6 areas of activity:
• games
• gymnastic activities
• dance
• athletic activities
• outdoor and adventurous activities
• swimming.

    Strategies for the Teaching of Physical Education

•    The PE curriculum is organised on a subject basis outside the main topic framework of the curriculum (although gymnastic and dance activities may            be related to topic work). PE is a timetabled element of the curriculum because of the need to use hall or outdoor space. PE is taught  throughout the school   year   but not all areas of activity are covered each term.  Within this framework, each class spends approximately 2 hours per week on Physical Education.
•     Key stage 2
• In Key stage 2,  all children in Years 3,4 and 5 have swimming lessons each year, usually for approximately half a term. In years 5 & 6, any child who is unable to swim the national curriculum required 25m will get ‘Top up’ swimming sessions. In year 6, all children will have the opportunity to take part in sessions to learn to perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.studies
• Key stage 2 participate in outdoor and adventurous activities in the school grounds during  the summer term, including orienteering. Years 5 & 6 take part in a residential  trip each year which includes many outdoor and adventurous activities

  Class organisation:

  PE is taught through a mix of co-operative group work, individual work and whole class teaching. Groups are usually of mixed ability and mixed gender.

  Throughout the school, the majority of lessons will follow the same basic format and include the following elements:

• Warm up
• Exploratory / skills development
• Game using skills learnt
• Cool-down

  The importance of a warm up and cool down will be explained to children. Exploratory/skills development activities will be differentiated by task or by outcome, as appropriate to the child and lesson.

  To ensure children make progress in PE as they move through the school, the skills required have been placed under four headings:

• Acquiring and developing skills;
• Selecting and applying skills, tactics and compositional ideas;
• Evaluating and improving performance;
• Knowledge and understanding of fitness and health

SEND pupils

•     All children will be given equal access to the curriculum by:
• Use of additional teaching assistants where appropriate.
• Use of differentiated tasks to accurately address individual children’s needs.
• Regularly reviewed risk assessments where appropriate for key pupils.
• Use of adapted and suitable equipment.
• Support and guidance from specialists for children with specific learning difficulties or disabilities (eg Sensory Needs Service, Physiotherapists)

  Religious and Ethnic awareness

  Staff are aware that pupils from some backgrounds may need to adapt their participation or clothing (ensuring that health & safety are not compromised) due to their religious or ethnic background.

  Gifted and Talented

  At Hertford we know that many pupils may demonstrate they are talented in different areas of PE and Games. We strive to ensure that these pupils are recognised and then given maximum opportunities to develop these skills. We do this by:

• Differentiating the lesson and tasks.
• Provision of out of hours learning.
• Early identification of such pupils.
• Having strong links with clubs in the local area and encouraging them to join these.
• Participation in local competitions (mainly KS2).
• Celebration of success.

Out -of-Class Activities

In addition to the PE taught within curriculum time, we are also committed to the provision of extra-curricular activities whenever possible to further develop children’s enthusiasm and skills. Clubs on offer during the school year may include:

Key stage 1:

Yoga, Street dance, Multi-skills, football, tennis, dance.

Key Stage 2:

Football, Cricket, basketball, multi-sports, running club and  Dance, Netball offered by members of staff or by external coaches. The school takes part in several competitions including local football leagues, athletics, cross country and cricket matches and events.

Assessment

Assessment is used to inform planning although records should be selective and brief.

Feedback to pupils about their own progress in Physical Education is achieved through discussion between child and teacher in the context of the PE lesson.

Formative assessment is used to guide the progress of individual pupils in Physical Education. Formative assessment is mostly carried out informally by teachers in the course of their teaching. Suitable tasks for assessment include:

• practical tasks directly observed by the teacher
• small group discussions related to a practical task
• specific assignments for individual pupils
• individual discussions in which children are encouraged to appraise their own work and progress.
   

Strategies for the Use of Resources

There are no classroom resources for PE - all are held centrally.

Central resources for PE are the responsibility of the Physical Education co-ordinator who has a small budget available. They include

• gymnastic apparatus and equipment
• sports, games and athletics equipment
• indoor and outdoor space

  Links with other agencies enrich the PE curriculum. These include:

• visits from, and liaison with, professional dancers and sports players

• participation in local sports leagues with other primary schools (key stage 2)

• visits to, and liaison with, outdoor education centres and agencies (key stage 2)

  Health and Safety issues in PE include the following guidelines to teachers:

• Check that equipment is safe on the particular day you use it and suitable for the activities on the day.
• Ensure there is adequate supervision and that discipline is good.
• Pupils should be taught to understand the need for safe practice in physical activities and how to achieve this
• Pupils should be set only work that they are sufficiently competent to cope with.
• Clothing - suitable, so presents no hazard, bare feet indoors (unless games are being played which might injure bare feet) nothing to get caught, hair tied back.  For outdoor activities, which will continue during cold weather, children are encouraged to bring tracksuits. Trainers should be worn for outdoor activities.
• Jewellery - must be removed - earrings covered by a plaster, if not removed.
• The PE coordinator is responsible for updating the risk assessment for use of hall for PE and the climbing wall at the Infants.

  Other issues which need consideration:

• Appropriate storage of equipment and apparatus
• Space
• Heating, lighting and ventilation
• Cleanliness
• Door, floors, windows
• Security e.g. storage areas, swimming pool
• Climbing wall holds are tight (key stage 1)

  PE Kit

  All children are expected to provide a PE kit, which will be in school and available during PE lessons and possibly at other times.

  Key stage 1 PE kit is:

  T.shirt

  Shorts/leggings/skorts

  Tracksuit bottoms for lessons outside during colder weather.

  Key stage 2 PE kit is:

  Plain, White or red round necked t.shirt (t.shirts with the Hertford logo on are available to buy from the school office).

  Black shorts or leggings/tracksuit bottoms (especially needed for lessons outside during colder weather).

  Suitable sports footwear for indoor & outdoor games. Children should have a change of footwear and socks  for PE days when it is wet, so they can change after their lesson.

  No jewellery should be worn during PE lessons. Studs will be allowed.

  Children with long hair will be expected to tie it back during the lesson.

  Children are expected the school PE kit to school on their PE days.

  *Staff need to set a good example and may need to demonstrate skills. They also should be dressed appropriately for PE, especially footwear.

  Wet Weather Policy

  The weather is capable of disrupting the planned curriculum and the activities are not always suitable or easily adaptable for indoor use. The PE curriculum is planned with the seasons in mind so that during the winter most lessons will be taught inside.

  Outdoor lessons will have to be abandoned:

• If there is a potential risk to children’s safety, if the surfaces on the playground or field are too slippery or if the children do not have the appropriate kit for the activity.
• If the teacher thinks the weather will have a detrimental effect on teaching and learning.
• When the health of the children may be at risk.

Aspects of Physical Education

Physical progress has cross-curricular links throughout the whole curriculum and wherever possible these links are used within lessons and units of work. The Physical Education aspect of the curriculum has been designed to give each child the opportunity to improve:

a) Physical capability and co-operation through TEAM GAMES

b) Movement finesse and co-ordination, along with building a movement memory through GYMNASTICS, CYCLING SKILLS and through a specific PHYSICAL LITERACY programme in the EYFS (Leap into Life). Apparatus used in a variety of ways appropriate to age and children will be instructed in the safe ways of moving equipment (PSHE – partner/group work, language/discussion).

c) Personal movement and interpretation skills through DANCE using music with given themes, progressing to personal interpretation of a piece of music/theme (PSHE - partner/group work, language/discussion, music/rhythm).

d) Their own performances in running, jumping and throwing activities, increasing both stamina and skills through ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES (PSHE – partner as timer), Maths – how fast in relation to partner’s activity, timing, recording of results).

e) The ability to send and receive in a variety of ways with increasing accuracy and create rules through NET AND WALL GAMES / INVASION GAMES thus being able to participate as a team member (PSHE – co-operation, Language – discussions / rules / agreements)

f) The accuracy of sending and returning using more tactical systems and developing an understanding of differing rules through STRIKING AND FIELDING GAMES / INVASION GAMES AND NET AND WALL GAMES (PSHE – social, maths, language).

g) ICT is used to support the teaching of PE by:

* using videos of professional performances to stimulate ideas.

* Videoing children’s own performances to enable them to assess and evaluate their own

Reviewed November 2023