PE

‘To strive for excellence in learning and all that we do’

Intent

At Great Dunmow Primary School, we have designed a memorable PE curriculum that will develop a love of sport, promote a healthy lifestyle and result in the acquisition of knowledge and skills from a wide range of different areas of physical education.  The curriculum has been designed to ensure a breadth and depth of exposure with age -appropriate learning providing an exciting, challenging and relevant curriculum. This design promotes active, team-orientated learning as well as independence and ensures both the physical and mental development of pupils: preparing them for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences in later life.

Implementation

• PE at Great Dunmow primary school provides challenging and enjoyable learning through a range of sporting activities including; invasion games, net & wall games, strike and field games, gymnastics, dance, swimming and outdoor & adventurous.
• The tailored and purposeful scheme (linked to termly competitions) and individual differentiated lesson plans ensures that high quality, age appropriately challenging lessons are delivered to maximum the children’s enthusiasm and progress of relevant skills.
• A comprehensive 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 while giving children opportunities to excel and promote both their independence and team work.
• Pupils participate in two high quality PE lessons each week, covering two sporting disciplines every half term. In addition, children are encouraged to participate in the varied range of extra-curricular activities. Lunch time sports clubs are available and children can attend after school sport clubs.
• Children are invited to attend competitive sporting events within the local area. This has both an inclusive approach (which endeavours to encourage not only physical development but also mental well-being) as well as a competitive approach to try to stretch our athletes to be the best they can be. These events also develop teamwork and leadership skills and are thoroughly enjoyed by the children.
• Each year a small group of children throughout the school are invited to become our sports ambassadors. These children are in charge of promoting the subject both in class and lunchtime activities as well as to feed back to the subject lead to ensure high quality provision.
• Children also gain the opportunity participate in workshops covering a less typical variety of sporting activities throughout the year above and beyond the national curriculum requirements. These sessions provide a memorable range of sports while allowing greater chance for children to find their favourite sport. For example Yoga and outdoor and adventurous activities are covered: these provide the children with an opportunity to develop team skills, improve their fitness and to try something new.
• All children swim regularly during the year.  Children also enjoy the opportunity to compete in the annual swimming gala.
• Children can represent the school at sporting events from local to county level and we share their achievement with the school, parents and wider area, when appropriate, with our regular newsletter.

Impact

 At Great Dunmow Primary school, we ensure that our PE curriculum is purposeful for all: children develop fundamental skills and build upon these by applying them to a variety of sports and activities both in teams and independently. All children are provided with the necessary knowledge and are given opportunities to demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best. Our pupils 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. We aspire for children to not only enjoy PE and but also develop a love of sport and physical activity so that it becomes part of their future life outside of primary school.

Mr E. Stage – PE Lead