Our Curriculum

Our Mission:

Our aim is to ensure all children:

• Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
• Are physically active for sustained periods of time
• Are confident to be able to participate and officiate in competition
• Suitably challenged and provide opportunities for all children to excel
• Have the skills and confidence to continue sport beyond school
• Lead healthy and active lifestyles both in and out of school

Planning and Progression:

The majority of our Physical Education sessions are delivered by Tom Littlewood, our sports specialist and qualified teacher, ensuring that quality and consistency is delivered across all lessons. Our long-term curriculum map is carefully planned to allow for our six core themes to be developed and mastered during their time at St. Andrew’s. During KS1 these are taught through specific skills-based sessions which builds into sport specific sessions during KS2. The use of PE Passport ensures that we are providing age-related challenges to all children and to promote progression through sessions. When other practitioners are teaching Physical Education sessions, they follow PE Passport Planning and provide evidence through the app. Staff are observed half-termly by the PE Lead to check for consistency and quality of delivery across the school.

To give children a broader experience of physical activity during lessons, children in KS1 regularly visit our on-site forest school, which provides children the skills to support them in growing up in their local environment. During the Spring term, the PE Lead delivers a six-week taster program which gives children the opportunity to try a range of sports they would not normally take part in, such as; archery, fencing, orienteering and golf. Year 4, 5 and 6 also take part in swimming lessons for a full term, delivered by qualified swimming coaches at our local pool.

Assessment and Identification

At St. Andrew’s we use PE Passport to track and assess children’s progression in Physical Education. In each session, children are assessed against an assessment outcome and whether they are working towards, at or above, and evidence is collected through media which is taken by assisting adults. At the end of each topic children are further assessed at their working level on performance, social and competition. This allows us to identify our gifted and talented children who then benefit from participating in a weekly more able challenge group led by our PE Lead. Children working below the expected levels are then identified and targeted through quality first teaching to work on the required skills.

Each term, KS2 children complete a 15m bleep test. Results are then collected and compared against previous data to identify children who need fitness interventions and to also track our more able students.

Competition and Events

Our school is part of the North West Essex School Sport Partnership, offering opportunities for all children to be able to participate in inter-school sport events and competitions. Our more able children participate in regular Level 2 competitive tournaments which lead on to level 3 county finals if successful. Festivals offer a more informal competition, providing opportunities for more children to participate in events and represent the schools. Finally, the SEN events give children on the SEN register as chance to take part in competition in a more inclusive environment.

Within Physical Education lessons, children are taught to both compete and officiate a range of sports. At the end of a six-week unit, children participate in inter-house tournaments as well as supporting the officiating of the matches. These promotes confidence and understanding of rules of the game and to be able to represent the school in inter-school tournaments.

Healthy and Active Lifestyles:

The understanding of leading a healthy and active lifestyle is often discussed within Physical Education sessions, including healthy diets, drinking water and being physically active. Children take part in 2 hours of high quality and active PE lessons every week. Our school promotes active break times by providing children with a range of equipment to use as well as training MDA’s and TA’s to with games they can use with the children. Play Leaders are also used to increase the amount of activity across the whole school and between Key Stages.

The WOW Walk to School program is also used to promote active travel to and from school. It is used as a tool to track which children are regularly walking, scootering or cycling to school and it rewards them with a badge each month. We have recently introduced the ‘Active Cup Award’. Each class has been given an activity band which is worn by a different child each day and tracks step count, the class with the most steps at the end of the week is awarded the Active Cup. Finally, the Daily Mile is also introduced to KS2 children to get all children more active during lunch times.

Extra-curriculum Program:

Our school offers a broad and exciting range of Extra-curricular activities for all children to get involved with. These are regularly rotated so all children get the chance to find the sport they are passionate about. Each year we run a sports fair, inviting local clubs to attend and promote their clubs, whilst offering free trials to all our children. These club links are important to help offer a wider range of extra-curricular activities. Clubs are required to offer 2 free pupil premium spaces each term to help build the barrier to children accessing sports. The PE Passport is used to track which children are accessing clubs, and children who are not are offered first spaces at the free extra-curricular club run by Tom Littlewood.

Celebrating and promoting PE:

We believe by offering a broad range of activities and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle promotes an environment where children want to continue sport beyond the classroom. We regularly promote sporting achievements both in and out of school during Friday Celebration worship and our Half-termly newsletters. Our sports day is an annual event watched by parents, where children compete in their houses to win the Sports Cup. The links we make with local clubs and the six-week taster sessions gives all children the opportunity to find their sport.

Tom Littlewood

School Sport Co-ordinator

October 2021