Intent Statement

At Buckshaw Primary School we aim to develop a fun, high-quality Physical Education Curriculum that inspires all children to succeed and excel in their individual abilities in competitive sports and other physically demanding activities. It will also provide opportunities for children to support their health and fitness. We intend to provide opportunities for children to be active every day and, over the year, provide a wide range of physical activities through specialist teaching in dance; gymnastics; target games; fielding and striking games; swimming; target games; net & wall games and invasion games.

We aim to create an inclusive curriculum, whereby all children have opportunities to compete in sport and other activities that build character and help to embed our values. PE is an imperative element of our curriculum, which develops a need for healthy lifestyles, a balanced diet, a growing mind-set and the resilience to persevere. Our curriculum has been devised to encourage children to be physically active, for sustained periods, and engage in competitive sports and activities. We are passionate about the need to teach children how to cooperate and collaborate with others, as part of a team, understanding the ambition and the equity of play, to embed life-long values.

Implementation

At Buckshaw, children have every opportunity to experience both indoor and outdoor PE lessons on a weekly basis covering two sporting disciplines every half-term and, where appropriate, cross-curricular links are encouraged and valued. The long-term plan sets out the PE units which are to be taught throughout the year and ensures that the requirements of the National Curriculum are fully met. Lunchtime activities and interventions are available each day and children can attend after-school sports clubs four evenings per week. In addition, children are encouraged to participate in a varied range of extracurricular activities. Competition is encouraged through class games, school-house events, inter-school competitions and after-school club activities. Where possible, we invite experts into school to support the teaching of physical education.

All children are actively involved in PE.  We use the STEP principles (space, time, equipment, people) to scaffold and support children to allow them to fully take part in lessons supported by the PE Passport Scheme. More able children are given further challenges to move their learning on. If children are unable to physically take part in a lesson, they are given other tasks, such as observation, support and feeding back to their peers. Other adults are used to supporting children when needed. 

During the Early Year Foundation Stage, the focus is on developing fine and gross motor skills. We follow the Five Fundamental Movement Skills developed by Lancashire Advisory Service in order to achieve this. These skills, along with opportunities to develop a wider range of physical skills, will ensure they are ready for the KS1 PE curriculum.

During KS1, children will carry out a baseline of Ten Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) as they enter KS1. From this baseline, the PE curriculum will be adapted to address areas that children are less proficient in and up-level their progress. Over these two years, children will continue to develop children’s FMS, especially their weaker ones, and teachers will teach children how to apply these skills in a context. The children will develop their knowledge of simple tactics in game activities and create simple sequences of movement in gymnastics and dance. At the end of KS1, the children will be assessed again, and the impact seen on their progress through the FMS. After that, this information will be shared with their Year 3 teachers.

During Years 3 and 4, children will improve their attacking skills in games through a range of different sports and activities. These skills will then be taught using uneven sides (3v1, 4v2). Children will also develop their knowledge of simple attacking tactics, which are transferable across similar categories of games (Target, invasion, net & wall, striking and fielding). In dance and gymnastics units, children will develop their performance and sequencing skills.

During Year 5 and 6, children will build on their attacking skills whilst working as a team and develop their knowledge of defending strategies. These will be delivered through modified versions from uneven to even sides (5v3, 5v4, 4v4, 5v5 etc.). In gymnastics and dance, the children will build upon their knowledge of performance and compose longer sequences of work with a partner or group.

Impact

At Buckshaw Primary School, we ensure that our PE curriculum is inclusive and progressive and, like in other subjects, discreet teaching of vocabulary also forms part of the unit of work. This allows all children the opportunity to acquire and develop fundamental knowledge and techniques and apply these to a wide variety of different sports and activities. Parents are encouraged to input into the levels of attainment and achievement of their children verbally and/or in writing.

PE lessons are fun and challenging, and all children can achieve, to the best of their ability, in a supportive, safe and stimulating environment.  Our children are physically active, and this has a positive impact on their learning in the classroom. Children understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle and understand the importance of regular exercise and activity for their physical and mental wellbeing.

At Buckshaw it is important to us that all children’s sporting achievements are valued. We aspire for all children to enjoy PE and develop a love of sport and physical activity, which hopefully becomes part of their future life outside of school. Children have opportunities to participate in sport after school, which means they can also represent the school at local and county level sporting events.