Physical Education

Physical Education at Wootton Community Primary School

Intent

At Wootton we aim to provide children with a Physical Education curriculum which provides continuous opportunities to explore, understand and develop academic skill and ability within PE and sustain mental, social, emotional and physical wellbeing through PE and games. Through our delivery of class lessons, competitive and non-competitive clubs as well as through local competition, we aim to provide opportunity to learn and thrive in a range of sporting environments for all pupils. This also facilitates our intention of teaching and demonstrating to the children the importance of teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, and resilience as well as the ability to show empathy towards teammates and opponents. At Wootton, we aim to facilitate a PE curriculum which allows children to enjoy their learning, be willing and wanting to participate within lessons and extra–curricular opportunities, as well as being motivated to improve their personal performances and overall physical health. We therefore aim that by the time pupils finish their primary journey in Year 6 that every pupil has either attended a sports based extracurricular activity or represent the school in a competitive/recreational event. Finally,  we want all Wootton pupils to not only meet their Social, metal, physical and emotional needs but also have the confidence to try something new with the aim of promoting lifelong participation in sport. 

Implementation 

At Wootton, we employ our own specialist sports coach to help lead and deliver the Physical Education curriculum across the school. Not only does this allow all Wootton children access to high quality inclusive lessons from a well experienced practitioner, but all staff have the opportunity to develop the quality of their own subject knowledge and delivery through observation and other continuous development opportunities (CPD). 

At Wootton we follow the ‘Striver’ PE scheme of work. This provides all teachers with access to a vast range of high quality active and progressive lesson plans that cover: athletics, dance, gymnastics, outdoor adventurous activities as well as a range of invasion, strike and field and net games. Striver also provides plans for a specialist EYFS program. Lesson plans in Striver include guidance for differentiation and assessment opportunities to gage the ability of each pupil within each sporting activity and unit specific learning objective. Striver also provides the ability to adapt each lesson to meet the specific needs of the school, including space, equipment, cohort ability and individual pupil needs. Children with SEND are also offered additional physical activity through our Active8 program, run by school HLTA’s. In addition to the Striver scheme, we use a range of high quality support material to aid in the delivery of HQIT including: Val Sabin games, dance and gymnastics and  Thinking Games (lesson planner). 

Wootton also offers a range of sporting extra-curricular clubs – year round. Clubs are consistently well attended and the opinions of the pupils at Wootton are very important to us. We try hard to facilitate clubs that pupils wish to attend. Clubs at Wootton allow children to develop skills learned in PE lessons, in often more competitive and realistic sporting environments. Clubs are also often linked with external competitive sports leagues and cup competitions. Children in all year groups are highly encouraged to participate in sport clubs to gain the opportunity to represent the school at both competitive and non-competitive fixtures in a range of sports. Through these fixtures, children develop their understanding of the importance of winning and losing as well as behaving respectfully and empathetically. 

Children are consistently praised throughout lessons and clubs for displaying positive attitudes, effort and desire to improve. This benefits their overall wellbeing. Individual children are often praised in our Friday celebration assembly if they have behaved or performed especially well during a lesson, club or fixture. In addition to assemblies children are also mentioned often in our weekly newsletter for their sporting endeavours in and outside of school and are encouraged to share their sporting greatness in external clubs. 

Impact 

Physical Education at Wootton has the potential to have a positive lifelong benefit on the health, fitness and wellbeing of our pupils as well as improve their physical abilities within the subject. When a child leaves Wootton in Year 6 they will have learned and explored the benefits of physical education and will have shown an improvement in agility, co-ordination, flexibility, strength, technique, control, balance, endurance, perseverance and resilience. Children will become more confident and skilled in a range of activities, games and sports as every child is encouraged to participate in sporting activities both inside and outside of school. Children also display heightened levels of engagement within the classroom as a result of improved social, mental and physical development within PE. Children at Wootton will leave this school well prepared for the step up in Physical Education and sport at secondary school, able to meet and succeed in the increased levels of expectation they will receive.