The PE curriculum at Darrington aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Develop competence to excel in a broad range of sports and physical activities
• Are physically active for sustained periods of time
• Engage in competitive sports and activities
• Lead healthy, active lives

Teaching and Learning Overview
Children are taught in accordance with the National Curriculum for PE. At Darrington, we deliver a sequenced, structured, broad and balanced curriculum. We ensure that teaching and learning builds progressively throughout the school year and across each year group. Through the PE curriculum, pupils will develop their knowledge and skills through the following domains of knowledge:

• Athletics (running, jumping, throwing, catching)
• Dance and movement (movement, sequences, communicating ideas, rhythm, performance)
• Gymnastics (balance, shape, travelling, sequences, flexibility, strength, control)
• Team Games (competitive games, attacking and defending, passing, fielding, dribbling)
• Outdoor Adventurous Activities (orientation, problem solving, navigation, teamwork
• Swimming (water safety, different strokes, confidence)

They will also develop knowledge, skills and confidence in:

• Leadership (communication, tactics, refereeing, explaining rules, coaching)
• Evaluation (reflecting, analysing, improving, communicating)
• Responsibility (being fit and active, leading a healthy lifestyle)

Effective delivery of the National Curriculum Expectations will ensure that children develop into ‘thinking’ physical beings and ‘doing’ physical beings which impact on the behavioural change to equip them for lifelong participation.

Physical Education is taught in a whole-class setting by the class teacher and is therefore not reliant on one key member of staff. Teachers plan their lessons using the PE PRO scheme of work. Please click here to find out more.

The lessons are designed to motivate, engage and inspire children from the first moment, helping to grow each child’s love of PE and sport. They follow a clear lesson structure and have achievable, but challenging, objectives and incorporate different learning styles. SEN children have access to the curriculum through variation of space, task, equipment and people (group size). Each class has 2 PE lessons per week, which are 60 minutes in length. They will complete 2 x units of work every half term: 12 over the school year.

PE lessons are broken down into 5 stages:

• Warm-up
• Athletic development
• Skill
• Game
• Review

Key Concepts:

As pupils progress through each unit of work, the following five key concepts will be explored and revisited to develop pupils’ knowledge, skills and competence in physical education:

1. Competence: the selection and application of skills, tactics and compositional ideas. The readiness of body and mind to cope with physical activity.

• Movement (self): travelling, rolling balancing, sliding, jogging, running, jumping, dodging, spinning, skipping
• Movement (object control): bouncing, throwing, catching, kicking, striking
• Balance: control, stability
• Agility: changing and controlling direction and position
• Coordination: using senses together, dribbling, hand-eye co-ordination, completing movements in dance
• Speed: moving body or parts of body at controlled pace
• Tactics: strategy, plans
• Attacking and defending: 5 principles (width in attack, width in defence, depth in attack, depth in defence, delay in defence)

2. Performance: using physical competence and knowledge to gain a better understanding of physical activity.

• Technique: skill, ability, capability, proficiency, expertise, style
• Performance: conduct, accomplishment, achievement, completion, fulfilment, implementation, execution, presenting, improving, refining
• Spatial awareness: awareness, understanding of self and objects within a space, changes in position
• Physical literacy: performing with confidence, performing actions accurately
• Rules: regulation, directions, commands, guidelines, safety, referee, decision making

3. Creativity: exploring and experimenting with techniques, tactics and compositional ideas to produce efficient and effective outcomes.

• Applying tactics: strategy, games, planning, sequencing, creating
• Competition: rivalry, contesting, opposition, match, game, round, heat, event
• Co-operation: collaboration, working together, combined effort, teamwork, partnership, coordination
• Communication: instructions, discussion, interaction, encouragement, clarity

4. Healthy, active lifestyles: understanding the positive contribution that regular, fit for purpose physical activity makes to the physical and mental health of the individual in preparation for their future lives

• Safety: ourselves, others, dangers, risks, long term effects of exercise, keeping heathy, rescue, confidence, limitations, rules
• Health and fitness: mental, physical and social well-being, types of exercise (aerobic, circuit, yoga/Pilates)

5. Evaluation and analysis: Comparing performance with previous ones and those of others to demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best

• Evaluation: assessment, appraisal, judgement, analysis, improving
• Determination: self-improvement, resilience, personal best

Pedagogy

A typical teaching sequence in PE will be designed to teach new skills, practise and refine these and give children the opportunity to use and apply them:

• ‘The Big Picture’ – setting the PE learning that is about to take place within the chronology of pupils PE learning and skill development to date, starting with what the children know, understand, are able to do and able to say.
• Specify key vocabulary to be used and its meaning.
• Learn new skills and techniques – demonstration, modelling, safety
• Practise and refine skills and techniques individually, interactively or in teams
• Use and apply new skills and techniques in games, routines, activities, events
• Provide opportunities for children to critically review their own work and that of others and make improvements where needed
• Provide opportunities for competition or performance
• Assessment and reflection on the learning and skill development that has taken place.

End points:

By the end of EYFS, pupils will:

• Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing
• Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others
• Confidently and safely use a range of large & small apparatus
• Talk about the different factors that support their overall health and wellbeing
• Move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing

By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils will:

• master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching
• develop balance, agility and co-ordination
• apply these movements to a range of activities
• participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending
• be able to perform dances using simple movement patterns

By the end of Key Stage 2: pupils will:

• use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
• be able to play competitive games such as badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis, and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
• develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance through athletics and gymnastics
• take part in outdoor adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team
• be able to compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

Progressive objectives

Our progressive objectives show what pupils should know and be able to do in each aspect of PE as children move through the school. These are used to support planning and the ongoing assessments of pupils’ work. The children are assessed against the appropriate statements after each relevant unit of work. This is done using a traffic light system- easily recorded and monitored.

Monitoring and evaluation

The PE Subject Leader monitors the quality and effectiveness of teaching provided throughout the school via regular informal observations with feedback given to teachers delivering physical education lessons. 

The Subject Leader and class teacher will together monitor the learning and progression made by pupils across the key stage.

For the Health and Safety of all our pupils, it is important that the correct PE kit is worn for all PE lessons. Changing into appropriate clothing is an important part of the routine. Details of the appropriate kit can be found in the School’s Uniform Policy. Teachers should also wear appropriate clothing.

PE Kit

Required: White T shirt

Required: Black shorts

Optional: In winter months, black tracksuit trousers/jogging bottoms and sweatshirt/ jacket.  No hoods on tracksuit tops or jackets

Optional: Trainers for outdoor PE (gymnastics, dance and indoor games will be in bare feet)

Long hair must be tied back and jewellery must be removed. Teachers will not take responsibility for looking after jewellery.