PE
‘Sport is a language that everyone speaks and it can be used to change lives. It’s more than keeping fit, it’s about respect, team building, trust and confidence.’ – David Beckham
Intent
At Boston Pioneers Academy we recognise that sport can have a significant impact on both the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of our learners.
Working in association with Elite Sports Coaching and our Local Sports Partnership, we intend to deliver high-quality teaching and learning opportunities that inspire all of our learners to:
- Participate in regular physical activity – giving our learners the chance to develop healthy habits that we hope will last a lifetime.
- Develop life skills – Teaching our learners how to cooperate and collaborate with others as part of an effective team, understanding fairness and equity of play to embed life-long values.
Essentially, our curriculum aims to improve the wellbeing and fitness of all learners at Pioneers Academy, not only through the sporting skills taught, but through the underpinning values and disciplines PE promotes.
Implementation
At Boston Pioneers Academy, we follow the guidelines set out in the National Curriculum to ensure we offer a variety of sports, enabling our learners to have the chance to develop wide skills set; whilst also building strength and endurance.
The National Curriculum for PE aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities.
- Are physically active for sustained periods of time.
- Engage in competitive sports and activities.
- Lead healthy, active lives.
At Boston Pioneers Academy, our core PE sports lessons are planned for and delivered by specialist sports coaches from Elite Sport Academy and our teaching staff which focus on inclusion, challenge, and progression.
The core concepts we seek to develop in our pupils through our P.E. teaching are:
- Acquiring Skills: To perform basic and advanced skills in a range of activities that develop muscular strength, flexibility and bone health including weight-bearing activities such as climbing, jumping, skipping, gymnastics, dance, circuits, and sports such as basketball.
- Problem Solving: Team building and logical thinking.
- Tactical understanding and cooperation: To know how to outwit opponents through developing tactics and working together (games and athletics).
- Benefits of exercise: To know that PE has both physical, mental and social benefits and that alongside a balanced diet, constitutes a healthy lifestyle.
- Leadership: To know how to communicate, make decisions and lead with confidence.
- Technology: To know how technology can be used to improve and enhance performance.
What does this look like in each phase?
EYFS
As part of the EYFS statutory framework our learners are taught:
- To be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement.
- To understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
- Gross motor skills (control and coordination in large movements) to provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being, moving confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space.
- Fine motor skills (control and coordination in small movements) to help with hand-eye co-ordination, handling equipment and tools effectively.
Key Stage 1
During their time in KS1 our learners will be taught to:
- Master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing, and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities.
- Participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending.
- Perform dances using simple movement patterns.
Key Stage 2
While in KS2 our learners will be taught to:
- Use running, jumping, throwing, and catching in isolation and in combination.
- Play competitive games, modified where appropriate (for example, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders, and tennis), and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending.
- Develop flexibility, strength, technique, control, and balance (for example, through athletics and gymnastics).
- 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 improvement to achieve their personal best.
In addition to the above:
- Pupils in KS2 receive weekly swimming lessons as part of their P.E. offer for a term each year, delivered by qualified swimming instructors at our local pool.
- Pupils in Year 6 to receive a week’s intensive top-up swimming course to meet the National Curriculum requirements for swimming.
- Pupils in Year 5 to receive Bikeability training, to support those children who bike to school.
- Our learners are invited to attend competitive sporting events within the local area. We adopt an inclusive approach which endeavours to encourage not only physical development but also mental well-being. These events also develop teamwork and leadership skills and are very much enjoyed by the children.
- Each year, a group of Year 5/6 children are invited to become Play Leaders for the school. They develop into sporting role models for the younger children, assisting with lunch-time clubs, our annual Sports Day, and any other Sporting activities.
- We provide opportunities for all learners to engage in extra-curricular activities after school. This is an inclusive approach with the aim of encouraging not only physical development but also well-being.
- Learners from across the Academy participate in sports festivals covering a variety of sports throughout the year. These inclusive festivals aim to enhance and develop children’s skills and create an excellent introduction to new sports.
- Learners in Years 3,4 and 5, also get the opportunity to take part in an adventure day/week to take part in new activities to build up their confidence and communication skill and work as a team.
