Pilton Bluecoat Academy

Vision for Physical Education

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, but it is also the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.

                                                                                                        John F. Kennedy

Vision

All pupils leaving Pilton Bluecoat Academy will be physically literate and possess the knowledge, skills and motivation necessary to equip them for a healthy lifestyle and lifelong participation in physical activity and sport.

Intent

In physical education, we provide a range of activities designed to maximise enjoyment for all children. They should be taught to improve their physical and mental skills within a range of sports and games with the opportunity to develop their perseverance, curiosity, thinking and teamwork. 

We have organised our curriculum to ensure that the children achieve the following by the end of Key Stage 2:

• to apply and develop a broad range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement.
• to enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other.
• to develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.
• to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres

Implementation

PE is taught by qualified and competent staff who deliver high-quality lessons for children of all abilities.  Every child in the school has a minimum of two hours of PE each week. Within our PE curriculum, we offer the children a fortnightly Friday sports afternoon where the children can participate in swimming at the North Devon Leisure Centre, football sessions with Goal Getters, dance with Unlimited Dance Company and multi-skills fitness sessions at Barum Boxing. 

At Pilton Bluecoat Academy we seek to build on the fundamental movement skills learnt at Pilton Infants by introducing the children to sports-related activities listed in the National Curriculum. From Year 3 to Year 6 we aim to ensure the children will:

• use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
• play competitive games, modified where appropriate and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
• develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance
• perform dances using a range of movement patterns
• take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team
• compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvements.

Along with our curriculum aims we also seek to ensure that we:

• Put in place a sustainable programme of extra-curricular opportunities covering a broad range of activities.
• Actively teach how our School Values can be applied in each lesson or activity.
• Train Play Leaders and Peer Mediators to teach and inspire children to be active during play and lunchtimes, creating a fun and engaging environment.
• Provide opportunities for all pupils to participate in competitive activities, through intra-and inter-school competitions and events.

Impact

Through a rich and stimulating PE curriculum from Year 3 to Year 6, children participate in and understand the importance to have regular physical activity. Children are supported through competitive and non-competitive sport and games to develop their perseverance, curiosity, thinking and working well together skills, supporting them in facing challenges in life in a positive manner.

We measure the impact of our curriculum by ensuring our teachers:

- Highlight their planning and assessment documents to demonstrate the children's progress against the learning intentions set.

- Provide regular verbal feedback within lessons to encourage and ensure children apply the correct technique.

- Teach the pupils how to self assess their own learning and support their peers in order to improve and excel. 

-Understand the impact of physical activity on their own body (linked to Cornerstones Curriculum science topics).

- Help to increase the wide range of subject-specific vocabulary that the children are using.

-Through the Physical Education Action Plan,  TEAM Multi-Academy Trust meetings and North Devon Schools sports meetings reviews can be made to explore the impact of any improvement initiatives.

- Measurable impact of swimming through percentage of pupils who are over 25m.