Garden Fields school aims to provide all pupils from EYFS to Year 6 with a Physical Education curriculum that allows them to enjoy and experience a range of activities and opportunities in a safe and engaging environment to develop their physical literacy, health and wellbeing.

We intend to offer a clear pathway through the key stages in developing pupils’ motivation, confidence, physical competence, understanding and knowledge through a high quality and widely varied physical education curriculum.

The curriculum (as well as opportunities to compete and represent the school at sporting events and additional external activities) provides pupils with the opportunity to not only develop physical skills but social, emotional and cognitive skills and attributes, such as teamwork, problem solving, resilience, self-esteem, communication, respect and leadership qualities.

We believe that children learn best:

• when they feel secure and valued;
• when the objectives of the lessons and criteria for success are made clear to them;
• through doing, listening, questioning, discussion and watching others;
• with self-assessment and evaluation of their progress;
• by working at levels appropriate to their ability;
• through opportunities to develop and experiment with new skills; and
• through interaction and sharing ideas with their peers

We teach the Primary National Curriculum for P.E. with the ambition to teach lessons which will develop the necessary subject knowledge, skills, understanding and knowledge for our children at the appropriate key stages. This ensures that pupils’ skills and knowledge are developed upon year-by-year as they progress through the school.

Physical Education is taught by a combination of class teachers and qualified sports coaches. The curriculum is structured, using the P.E Passport (https://www.primarypepassport.co.uk/) to provide pupils with a range of sports and experiences throughout the school year, with units changing on a half-termly basis. Pupils will participate in a range of activities and will develop their skills and learning through team sports, individual sports, competitive sports and health and fitness. In Years 4-6, pupils will attend swimming lessons for one term. Garden Fields also has an outdoor, all weather running track, which allows the opportunity for classes to be active at various points during the school day. The curriculum is enhanced through regular participation in sporting fixtures, festivals and tournaments with other schools and lunchtime and after school extra-curricular clubs.

Beyond the curriculum, our KS2 pupils lead active playtime sessions for our younger pupils. Some of our Year 5 & 6 pupils train to be health leaders and bronze ambassadors to offer a range of physical activities and sporting games during lunchtimes; in doing so, they become active role models for younger pupils.

EYFS Provision

Physical Education for EYFS is part of the statutory framework and pupils are taught the following within lessons:

• opportunities to interact with each other in an active environment. The lessons focus on developing children’s fundamental movements, involving both grossand fine motor skills. Furthermore, these also develop their co-ordination, control, balance and basic communication skills. Pupils will also be supported and encouraged to develop their understanding of the importance of physical activity and the link to making healthy choices.
• the development of balance, control and co-ordination in a range of different movements at different levels and in a variety of activities, navigating safely within a spacious area and developing the ability to handle equipment within activities that focus on the fundamental movement skills.
• a range of activities that will develop and improve their movement. They will link very basic movements together to express themselves within dance and they will also have the opportunity to develop movement skills on appropriate gym apparatus. They will develop specific ball skills also, while other units will focus not only on the physical and technical aspects of sports but also on pupils’ social and emotional development.

Key Stage 1 Provision (Years 1 and 2)

Physical Education for KS1 has a strong focus on the development of fundamental movement skills, improving competence and confidence in the basic movements (including running, jumping, throwing, catching, skipping and hopping). Children will have access to a range of activities which will also extend their agility, balance and co-ordination skills. Pupils will engage in both competitive and non-competitive activities; these will challenge them both physically and cognitively.
In particular, pupils are taught to:

• Perform dances and link movements together creating sequences using simple movement patterns;
• Develop understanding of individual and team games;
• Participate in individual and team games, developing and applying simple tactics for attacking and defending; and
• Apply basic fundamental movements in a range of activities.

Key Stage 2 – Provision (Years 3 to 6)

Pupils will continue to develop fundamental movement skills and apply these to a broader range of skills and activities. Lessons will develop skills learned and they will be built upon in different ways to link and create sequences of movement.

Pupils will enjoy a range of activities and develop their communication, collaboration and competitive skills. They will have a deep understanding of the aspects required to improve themselves and others in a range of sports and physical activities, learning how to evaluate, provide feedback and recognise success in themselves and others.

In Years 3 and 4, there will be a progression of knowledge, skills and understanding in activities, including invasion games, net and wall games, gymnastics, dance, striking and fielding and health and fitness.

In Years 5 and 6, focus will be on preparing pupils for the transfer to secondary school physical education. This includes developing knowledge of the rules of team and individual sports and additional units of Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA). Furthermore, pupils will have a stronger understanding of the importance of health and fitness and have the appropriate knowledge and understanding of a healthy lifestyle.

Pupils will also have the opportunity to participate and represent the school in a range of external events to challenge and progress their abilities further beyond the school environment.

In particular, pupils in KS2 will be taught to:

• Create and perform dances and gymnastic routines using an advanced range of movements;
• Understand the rules and regulations for both individual and team sports and activities;
• Play competitive individual and team games (including badminton, tennis, rounders, cricket, basketball, football, tag rugby, hockey and netball, as well as OAA and leadership) and understand how and when to apply principles of attacking and defending;
• Participate in OAA to improve and challenge teamwork and individual skills;
• Evaluate their own performances and those of others and provide feedback, with opportunities to compare previous performances and highlighting and demonstrating improvements;
• Develop strength, power, flexibility, agility, co-ordination, control and balance within gymnastics and athletics.

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to have an understanding of, and know, how to apply, skills for the unit of work they have been learning, with clear progression year-on-year. It is our aspiration that, by the end of KS2, pupils will have high levels of physical literacy and a positive attitude towards physical activity to make informed life choices. We use both individual and summative assessment to determine pupils’ understanding and to review our implementation of the curriculum. The subject leader will monitor this across year groups.
Specifically, it is intended that pupils will:

• Have the ability to acquire and retain new knowledge and skills and have an in-depth understanding of Physical Education;
• be confident and competent in the development and progression of their own learning to practise a wide variety of skills in different activities and situations, both individually and in teams;
• Develop stamina and coordination and learn to sustain fitness levels over a period of time;
• Understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle;
• Understand the link between physical health and wellbeing;
• Have an understanding of how to acquire knowledge and skills within physical education;
• Be able to swim 25 metres at least and have a strong understanding of water safety.
• Have high levels of creativity and imagination in their chorography and tactics and be able to articulate how to improve their individual performances and the performances of others;
• Be able use their own initiative and develop into outstanding young leaders within physical education, sport and physical activity, instilling a positive sporting attitude in others;
• Have opportunities to build upon skills learned in lesson and extra-curricular clubs; and
• Develop a sense of fair play, cooperation, teamwork, honest competition and good sportsmanship.