Radstock Primary School
Physical Education
At Radstock Primary School, we believe in the importance of “a healthy mind in a healthy body” (Juvenal, Satura X)
Primary children are expected to: use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination; play competitive games, modified where appropriate, for example, badminton, 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 performance and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best. All pupils should be able to swim at least 25 metres by the time they leave primary school.
As one of the first schools in Wokingham to achieve the Platinum School Games Award in 2019 and the winner of the Get Berkshire Active Primary School Award in 2019, we strive to enable every child to be physically literate, supporting their development as competent, confident and healthy movers. Physical literacy can be described as the building blocks – confidence, determination, agility, balance, co-ordination, knowledge and understanding – for lifelong participation in physical activity. Sport activity enables children to develop invaluable qualities and transferrable skills such as discipline, teamwork, communication, endurance and ambition, all of which enhance children’s learning both in and out of the classroom and across all areas of the Primary Curriculum.
We believe that sports and extra-curricular clubs play an important part in promoting social inclusion, healthy lifestyle choices and self-confidence.
As a school, we:
- are committed to equipping every child with the skills and confidence to lead a healthy life
- provide access to a high quantity and quality of sports before, during and after school
- deliver an inclusive curriculum which inspires and engages all children
- seek opportunities for inter-school and intra-school (house) sporting competitions
- ensure every child has an equal opportunity to take part in PE and Sport
- utilise our sporting facilities effectively
Progressive learning objectives combined with varied teaching approaches endeavour to provide stimulating, enjoyable and appropriately challenging learning experiences for all of our children. Through the selection of differentiated tasks, our children will enjoy success and be motivated to further develop their individual potential. Each year group has 2 hours of PE a week – one session is taught indoors and is either dance or gymnastics and the second session is an outdoor lesson where invasion games and striking and fielding games are taught. In accordance with the National Curriculum, we provide swimming instruction in Year 5. We have specialist PE teachers and coaches who work with children and staff to further develop expertise.
Through lesson time, specialist coaching and our broad range of sports clubs, we support children in developing skilful use of the body, the ability to repeat and refine actions and to perform them with increasing control, co-ordination, fluency and safety. We also support children in developing their ability to select, link and apply skills, tactics and compositional ideas. Children are encouraged to describe and make simple judgements on their own and others’ work, and to use their observations and judgements to improve performance. We believe in the importance of drawing cross-curricular links and children are taught about the effects of exercise on the body in science and PSHE as well as PE. We promote an understanding of safe practice, and the development of a sense of responsibility towards a child’s own and others’ safety and well-being.
Curriculum Leader: Mrs Sutton
