St Wilfrid's C of E Primary School

At St Wilfrid's our children are...

At St Wilfrid’s we aim to develop a love of physical activity and sport that will set the foundations for a healthy lifestyle. Through good physical education, we aim to promote and provide our children with a broad PE curriculum alongside extra-curricular clubs and activities to cultivate and sustain a love for being active. The children are taught to understand the positive impact being active has, not only on their physical health, but also the positive benefits to their mental health.

Participating in all physical education activities helps children to develop self-esteem and interpersonal skills. Children collaborate, communicate, evaluate and improve their performances in all aspects of the PE curriculum. We aim to increase children’s understanding of rules, strategies and tactics as both a player and an observer in sport and we believe that opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

We provide a broad and balanced programme of physical education through gymnastics, invasion games, dance, athletics, striking and fielding games, net and wall games, outdoor and adventurous activities (including residential trips) and swimming. This is delivered mainly through the PE Planning scheme of work although we do have a number of external specialist coaches for certain units in each year group which mean children and teachers have access to professionals for their lessons.

Children have 2 PE lessons each week and all sessions reflect and promote the importance of fitness and encourage an understanding of why a healthy lifestyle is important.

In Reception, opportunities are provided for children to be active and to develop their co-ordination, control and movement through moving and handling activities. Children are encouraged to develop their spatial awareness and motor skills whilst learning multi-skilled games that continue to build their physical literacy.

In KS1, the curriculum focuses on fundamental movement skills to develop agility, balance and co-ordination. This includes a broad range of opportunities such as ball skills, team games and multi-skills as well as gymnastics and dance. Within lessons, children are engaged in competitive and cooperative physical activities, where they can become increasingly competent and confident in sport.

In KS2, pupils will continue to apply and develop a range of skills and complete units of work where children can communicate, collaborate and compete with one another. The curriculum content offers a broad range of skills with a variety of sports such as football, basketball, dance, gymnastics, hockey, netball and athletics. Within KS2, children develop their swimming ability by learning to use different strokes to ensure they swim competently and confidently.

Teachers encourage the correct use of key vocabulary in all areas of the PE curriculum and record children’s attainment, progress and performance on Seesaw.

All children access our on-site Forest School for a term each year as part of the OAA element of the curriculum. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills in a different environment as well as developing an appreciation of the outdoor world.

There are regular opportunities for children to participate in external festivals and competitions in the local area such as athletics festivals, rugby festivals, gymnastics competitions and the Great Big Dance Off. There is also a broad programme of extra-curricular activities available to children such as football, cross country, dance, netball and gymnastics.

Our Sports Crew consists of a number of very enthusiastic Year 6 children who arrange regular whole school events such as football and benchball competitions. Children complete in their houses in each year group with Sports Crew organising, leading and refereeing the competitions before awarding a trophy to the winning house.

Children at St Wilfrid’s feel safe and confident to take part in all aspects of PE and participate in lessons which are progressive, engaging and fun. Children build the skills needed to participate in a range of sports and physical activities and are active in their daily lives. They have a positive attitude to sport and PE and become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Through team games and competitions children develop both leadership and cooperation skills and build their self esteem. They have the opportunity to meet new people as well as learning the notion of fair play, good sportsmanship and dealing with both success and defeat. By introducing children to such a wide range of PE opportunities, we are opening doors for them to go out and pursue individual sports and physical activities at a higher level, promoting a love for sport to prepare them to live happy and healthy lives.