At Ringway Primary School we aim to deliver a broad and comprehensive PE curriculum for all children throughout the school. PE sessions are delivered twice weekly; with one session being a ‘traditional’ PE lesson and another being a Commando Joes (CoJo) session.
We understand and value the vital role that high-quality Physical Education plays in the development of physical competence and knowledge of movement and safety, and the ability to use these to effectively perform in a wide range of activities associated with the development of an active and healthy lifestyle. Therefore, our curriculum has been designed to ensure that pupils progressively develop knowledge, skills and techniques before applying said concepts with creativity both when planning and performing routines in dance and gymnastics units as well as applying tactical concepts in collaborative team games. In P.E. lessons, children routinely demonstrate high levels of perseverance and resilience in order to further develop their knowledge and understanding of core concepts. Furthermore, children’s pursuit of excellence in a wide range of physical endeavours, and the associated celebration and sense of achievement when children have performed well, compounds the development of self-belief which is a central concept in our school’s culture. Where appropriate, P.E. lessons are differentiated, often through the use of formative, assessment for learning (AfL) strategies so that feedback can be both timely, concise and tailored to the needs of the learner; enabling all children to find success in their learning. Finally, the concepts of appropriate sporting conduct and behaving in a respectful manner underpin the ethos of P.E. at Ringway Primary School, ensuring that children are able to both celebrate their own successes and appreciate the successes of others in a fitting way. This further allows children to demonstrate core British Values in competitions and performances both in-school and in collaboration with other schools at organised events which promote participation, effort and fair play. Through this intent, we aim for our pupils to develop a love for P.E., find physical activities that capture their interests and passions and support them in sustaining an active and healthy lifestyle.
We are confident in the delivery of our PE lessons and that they form a part of an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum that both helps educate children on the importance of a physically active lifestyle, enables children to know and remember more regarding the varying rules and techniques linked to a wide-range of physical disciplines and do this is a positive and engaging way for the children. When appropriate, our staff work in collaboration with specialists from approved outside agencies in school in collaboration with school staff, such as LASP Outdoors, to support in the provision of a varied and challenging curriculum linked to our school values. Currently, all children in KS2 will engage with Outdoors Adventurous Activities at a level suited to their age and development as part of our core curriculum offer.
Our PE curriculum has been carefully planned to ensure a clear and balanced progression of skills, and appropriate levels of support and challenge, for children throughout our school from Reception to Year 6. This ensures that children are taught to: 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 and lead healthy, active lives. The broad content domains are as follows:
Reception and Key Stage 1:
- Introduction to PE (EYFS)
- Fundamental Skills (EYFS)
- Gymnastics
- Dance
- Invasion Games
- Ball Skills
- Sending and Receiving (KS1)
- Target Games (KS1)
- Net and Wall Games (KS1)
- Athletics (KS1)
- Striking and Fielding (KS1)
Key Stage 2:
- Dance
- Gymnastics
- Athletics
- Invasion Games
- Striking and Fielding
- Net, Wall and Target Games
- Fitness
In addition to this, children in KS2 will engage in swimming lessons delivered by specialist staff at a local swimming pool twice throughout the Key Stage. Swimming sessions in the Summer Term are to be provided for targeted children who have not yet attained the ‘Swimming and Water Safety’ criteria from the National Curriculum as a priority, to enable said criteria to be attained before children progress to secondary school.
Commando Joes sessions are cross-curricular, with each unit based around an inspirational figure, in which children are able to develop their confidence, knowledge, skills and understanding whilst building their capacity to choose intelligently between decisions that contribute to their character development and learning. This links to the ‘RESPECT’ framework of cores values that underpins the CoJo approach and ties in with our school values. Where appropriate, CoJo units have been planned to be delivered concurrently with relevant subject areas in our aspects of our curriculum. As an example of this, Year 4 complete the ‘Spartacus’ CoJo unit while learning about the Roman Empire in the Autumn Term.
Furthermore, we aim to – where appropriate – include active elements when delivering lessons across the curriculum to enhance learning, promote a healthy and active lifestyle as well as ensure that children are physically active for at least 30 minutes in a typical school day. In addition to this, throughout the year a range of after-school sports and games clubs are provided to raise interest and engagement in extra-curricular activities.
We are very proud to have two school sports kits, which have been generously sponsored by two local businesses, which children wear when representing our school in sporting events. The children are always very proud to represent our school and compete against others with this being an integral chance for them to learn key values that are best learned throughout competition such as: sporting conduct, respect, friendship and demonstrating excellence.
In the last academic year, we were extremely proud to win in the inaugural Bushell Bowl in the Bedlington School Sports Partnership KS2 Football Competition with the final round being hosted at the Newcastle United Foundation's NUcastle centre.