PE

PE at Prince Rock

Intent

At Prince Rock, P.E is taught as a basis for lifelong learning, where all children have access to a broad and balanced range of sport and physical activities in the belief that if taught well and the children are allowed to succeed, then they will continue to lead healthy, active lives. Because our school location deprivation indicator is well above national average, one of our aims is to broaden the children’s experience of a range of sports and physical activities alongside various organisations (Plymouth School Sport Partnership, Plymouth Argyle. Plymouth Life Centre, etc.). We are passionate about providing opportunity for all children (including SEND, PP, inactive children) to take part in a range of sporting and physical activities. Because of our strong community connections, we are able to compete in competitions and festivals across the city and region (both competitive and non-competitive events).

Within our curriculum our intent is to ensure that children develop the knowledge, skills and understanding, so that they can perform with increasing competence and confidence in a range of physical activities (E.g., dance, games, gymnastics, swimming & water safety, athletics and outdoor adventure activities). In turn, this develops them holistically as well as supports them to sustain and enjoy a positive, active lifestyle. As a school, we have chosen the Real PE scheme of learning to help us achieve our intent.

Our PE curriculum and provision aims to…

• Enable children to develop and explore physical skills with increasing control and coordination, stamina, strength and self-confidence.
• Encourage children to work and play with others in a range of group situations demonstrating fair play and good sportsmanship.
• Build up the way children perform skills and apply rules and conventions for different activities.
• Increase children’s ability to use what they have learnt to improve the quality and control of their performance – encouraging children to beat their Personal Best.
• Teach children to recognise and describe how their bodies feel during exercise.
• Foster the children’s enjoyment of physical activity through creativity, imagination and expression.
• Develop an understanding in children of how to succeed in a range of physical activities and how to evaluate their own success.
• Motivate each child so that they retain a lifelong interest in all aspects of P.E. and recognise the importance of living and maintaining a healthy life.

In direct reference to National Curriculum and Ofsted expectations, we will ensure that:

• 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.

Implementation

At Prince Rock, children benefit from a broad, deep and progressive P.E curriculum which has been created alongside the multi-academy trust as well as the Real PE scheme of learning where we have mapped the key objectives, knowledge and skills for physical education. There is a document plotting the curriculum progression within PE which has been developed further by the Prince Rock PE Team. Being able to collaborate with colleagues across the trust has ensured a breadth of knowledge and expertise whilst covering all National Curriculum objectives. Each half term, there are two focuses for each year group. For each PE unit there are a series of progression statements that guide a unit of work and help teachers to make an informed judgement of the children’s declarative and procedural knowledge.

At our school, PE is structured throughout the week with a mixture of morning and afternoon slots which we build up to 2 hours of PE in a week. Furthermore, within our school, we provide opportunities for all children to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. we believe that our high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all of our children to succeed and excel in competitive sport (against themselves and others) and other physically demanding activities. Alongside this, we are passionate about children having regular activity within lessons as well as lunchtimes and after-school clubs dedicated to physical activity and sports.

P.E. Curriculum Design

Our curriculum is broad, balanced and ambitious. It is a carefully crafted curriculum, supplemented by the Real PE scheme of learning, which is sequenced and structured so that teachers are clear on what they are teaching. This enables progression across the three pillars (motor competence; rules, strategies and tactics; and healthy participation) and has been carefully designed to support children develop their declarative and procedural knowledge.

In addition to this, our carefully sequenced curriculum enables pupils to develop their schema (how they organise and use knowledge) as learning within the PE lessons enables them to build on secure, pre-requisite knowledge. For example, all of our warm-ups enable children to revisit and build on prior skills and knowledge. These are applied to a range of cooperative and competitive games which are carefully scaffolded to meet the needs of all children.

Due to our carefully designed curriculum, children have many opportunities throughout their time at our school for deliberate practise in one context so they can reflect, review and refine their knowledge and skills. This repetition and practise enables children to transfer their skills from one context to another which involves participation in active stories, competition and games. Furthermore, our curriculum is designed so children have the opportunity to master skills and knowledge by revisiting them during both an academic year and subsequent years.

At Prince Rock, we understand the importance of developing children’s declarative (the ‘know what’) and procedural (the ‘know how’) knowledge. PE lessons provide opportunities for teachers to explicitly teach these types of knowledge to our children. Furthermore, our curriculum includes:

• structured and progressive physical development challenges
• skill application opportunities that involve applying and understanding rules
• strategies and tactics that are stage and age appropriate
• integrated review sessions that focus on healthy participation

These enable children at our school to progress and know ‘how’ to get better at PE.

In our school, we understand the importance of developing children’s Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) in order for them to progress from simple to complex movements as they advance throughout the school. Through our core real PE sessions children are explicitly taught FMS alongside declarative (the ‘know what’) and procedural (the ‘know how’) knowledge. They progress through a sequence of challenges that are explored through a thematic approach in EYFS & KS1 and skill focused sessions in KS2. These skills move from simple to complex and are further developed through stories, competitions and games. In addition to core real PE, these skills can be developed and extended in real gym, real dance as well as our extended PE curriculum.

At Prince Rock, we encourage the physical development of our children in the reception class as an integral part of their work we relate the physical development of the children to the objectives set out in the EYFS, which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged 0-5 years of age. We encourage the children to develop confidence and control of the way they move, and the way they handle tools and equipment. We give all children the opportunity to undertake activities that offer appropriate physical challenge, both indoors and outdoors, using a wide range of resources to support specific skills. Within PE lessons, our children will start to develop the fundamentals of movement whilst participating in lessons with a theme which mirrors their classroom topic or PE unit of work. This enables the children to develop their physical literacy whilst embedding the learning achieved in the class[1]room. They will also develop their fine and gross motor skills while being able to hold different objects and manipulate different sized objects.

In KS1, the PE curriculum changes to an activity specific focus. Children learn how the body changes during exercise whilst further developing the fundamentals of movement (Jog, Sprint, Jump, Hop, Weight on Hands, Balance & Coordination).  

Key Stage Two (KS2)

In KS2, the P.E becomes both broad and deep. Children develop the key concepts through a variety of ‘vehicles’, by building upon the knowledge and skills taught in KS1. Children are able to demonstrate their procedural and declarative knowledge in movement sessions, modified games and traditional games.

Impact

Our children have access to a wide range of activities in the belief that when they are taught well and the children experience success, they are motivated to continue a physically active lifestyle throughout secondary school and into their adult life. The opportunities provided for our children mean they become physically confident in a way which supports both their physical and mental health as well as fitness. Our high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all children to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically demanding activities. Because of this, it has allowed children at Prince Rock to build character and help embed our values such as leadership, fairness and respect, which we believe shapes well-rounded individuals with the qualities needed to succeed in all areas of life.

As a result of our carefully planned and sequenced curriculum and additional PE provision, children at Prince Rock develop a broad range of knowledge and skills in a variety of activities as well as a deep understanding of how the human body works. In addition, they understand the importance of exercise and our PE provision inspires each child to find at least one form of physical activity that they love and will pursue for the rest of their life. For each area in PE, we use the progression of knowledge & skills document as well as the Real PE Cogs to gain a thorough understanding of their attainment as well as an all-round picture of each child. Through teacher observation, videos and discussions with the children, we assess if they have met each stage. Teacher’s assessment documents are used at the end of each unit which allows great insights into the knowledge and skills that the children have gained. This then enables teachers to see where they can help children to progress, through careful scaffolding, in the next unit of work as well as provide further challenge to those who need it. This ensures that all children know more, understand more and can do more.

The majority of our children leave school able to swim at least 25 metres without aids, due to Prince Rock providing swimming sessions in Year 4 and again in Year 6 if needed. Most children, particularly those who are disadvantaged groups, benefit from the wide-ranging sports and physical activity clubs on offer which has been carefully matched to suit the needs of the local community. In addition to this, many children have benefitted from the opportunities to represent the school in a range of sporting competitions and events.

Prince Rock’s success with PE has been recognised by a number of outside bodies and we have moved through the Kitemark gradings to receive the School Games Gold award for 2022 – 2023.

PE Matrix

School's Running Challenge

On Sunday 14th May, Prince Rock took part in the final stretch of the Primary School's Running Challenge. They have been running a mile a week in school and completed the final mile on the Plymouth Hoe! We are very proud of all the children who took part and worked so hard! Here are some picture.

Useful Links

Plymouth School Sports Partnership - www.plymouthssp.co.uk

Find a Club - www.plymouthsportsgazette.com