WESTFIELD PRIMARY Physical Education Policy January 2015 Review date: January 2017 This Policy was written by A Bennett
OUR OBJECTIVE At Westfield the primary aim of our physical education programme is to provide all children with the opportunity to become physically literate. Teaching children the practical skill-based element of PE but developing an individual s lifestyle, cognitive, social and affective skills also. We aim for every child to enjoy what they are doing and achieving. Every child should be made to feel that he or she has achieved success either as an individual or as one of a team. We wish to produce physically active, independent learners who will be keen to participate in physical activities. They will experience the effects of exercise on their bodies and be able to describe what is happening to them. It is expected that each child will become more agile, stronger and healthier by participating fully in all aspects of Physical Education. We aim to encourage the development of co-ordination hand and eye and whole body through a range of activities. This will enhance skill levels and lead to great enjoyment and self-motivation. As they improve, their confidence in themselves will grow as well. By mastering even the simplest techniques, either by discovering by themselves, or by teacher demonstration, they will hopefully enjoy Physical Education and gain a feeling of achievement. It is to be hoped that every child will learn social skills such as tolerance, fair play, honest competition, good sporting behaviour and co-operation as individuals, team members and spectators. Leadership qualities will be encouraged. We want to ensure an understanding of safe practice and recognise how rules, laws and codes contribute to healthy physical activity. This positive attitude towards good sportsmanship and the wearing of appropriate attire is to be modelled by teaching staff at all times. All children will be instructed in the safe handling of any apparatus they use, whether gymnastic apparatus, or indoor and outdoor equipment. The provision of extra-curricular activities is an important extension of the Physical Education syllabus. It includes after school clubs in gymnastics and athletics and coaches from football clubs. Each child participates in the annual sports day activities which parents and siblings are invited to watch. We closely follow Val Sabin scheme of work at Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and 2, which dovetails with the QCA Physical Education Scheme of Work. KEY STAGE 1 PE involves our children in a continuous process of planning, performance and evaluation. The greatest emphasis is on performance in three areas Games, Gymnastics and Dance. 1. GAMES simple competitive games and how to play them as an individual, in pairs and small groups. Basic skills will be taught as a basis for later transfer of learning. 2. GYMNASTICS basic actions such as travelling, turning, rolling, jumping, swinging, climbing and balancing on both floor and apparatus. 3. DANCE developing control in co-ordination, balance and poise when travelling, jumping, turning and by gesture and stillness; performing movements and patterns and developing moods and feelings through the medium of dance.
CURRENT PRACTICE The programme of Physical Education is designed to ensure that, by the age of five, the children will be able to move confidently and imaginatively with increasing control and co-ordination and an awareness of spaces and of others. This policy is closely tailored to meet the individual needs of the children at their particular stage of physical development. Children s individual skills in Gymnastics are monitored and encouraged by reference to Val Sabin scheme of work. This scheme is linked with the QCA where the children will use their skills and agility, in combination and in sequence, with the aim of showing as much control and precision as possible. The programme of Dance develops awareness of body parts, appropriate use of space, movements reflecting moods and feelings and the ability to perform as individuals, in pairs and small groups. They will focus on creating and performing short dances, using movement to explore and communicate ideas. The emphasis on Games is based on two fundamental principles: Laying the foundation for life-long physical activity. The children will be encouraged to participate in games as individuals and as members of a team, resulting in a sense of achievement, success, enjoyment and good sportsmanship in competitive sport. Developing basic game-playing skills, especially catching and throwing. The children will play games based on net games and striking and fielding games and later on will start to play simple invasion games. KEY STAGE 2 GAMES There is a progression in gaining skills throughout this key stage, heavily building on the work done in Key Stage 1. It is important that children are able to master basic skills before they leave Westfield and it is from that basis that we teach. The basic skills are broken down into three main areas sending, receiving and travelling. These bring out all the skills needed in all major games catching, hitting, throwing, heading, trapping and travelling with a ball. These skills will enable children to adapt a variety of games and enjoy a wide range of activities. The games the children will be taught are divided into three categories: Invasion games e.g. football, netball (high five), tag rugby Net/wall games e.g. tennis, badminton Striking/fielding games e.g. hockey, rounders, cricket The children are given a large range of apparatus to help them learn these skills and work in small groups ranging from two to six to ensure that all children participate fully at all times. Full-sided games are not allowed by the various sports governing bodies in Key Stage 2. Small-sided games with simple or locally made up rules (by the children) can be used as a progression right through the school with the rules becoming more complicated as the children mature.
General skills will be taught in the lower part of Key Stage 2 so that more specific teaching points can be grafted onto the basics higher up the school. Many of these skills overlap into the other areas of the curriculum and PE should not be seen as part of that overall development of the children and not as a subject which is divorced from others. Overall, we try to give our children an insight into the skills needed for all games, extended those who are more able by giving them an opportunity to participate in organised tournaments as often as possible. Within school, the four houses are involved in various sporting competitions that are held throughout the year. Children who would not normally represent the school in inter-house activities have the opportunity to represent their houses and the responsibility that entails. The children elect house captains and these children are responsible for organising teams to participate in any house sporting competitions there may be. DANCE Dance, in its various forms gives an opportunity for the children to express and communicate their feelings, ideas and moods. Working individually with a partner or in a group, the children develop their sense of rhythm and master a range of movements in response to various stimuli. Children will be given time to compose dances involving creating, improvising, selecting, exploring and refining content, sometimes incorporating work from other aspects of the curriculum. They will be expected to perform and then evaluate their own and other s work in a constructive way. They will be able to create characters through movement and gesture using visual images and descriptive passage as a stimulus. If possible the children should also be given the opportunity to work with dance groups from different cultures. GYMNASTICS Gymnastics seeks to develop the skills in body management, kinaesthetic and aesthetic awareness through direct and guided discovery methods of teaching. These skills should be practised and developed both in relation to the floor and apparatus. The children will be expected to acquire control, co-ordination and versatility in increasingly challenging situations and will develop strength, especially in the upper body and maintain flexibility. These are based on natural actions such as rolling, swinging, leaping, balancing and inverting. Children aim to improve performance and become able to apply new skills to new problems. They learn to compose sequences of movement showing dynamic qualities, fluency and control. As they progress, each child will be encouraged to observe and comment constructively on their own and other s work. They will be taught how to access, modify and improve their work in order to achieve a better standard by criteria that the teacher gives them. The children will be given opportunities to work and share with a partner, then with a larger group wherever possible. Small and large apparatus will be used to challenge the children further.
ATHLETICS Athletic activities concern the fulfilment of individual potential. These activities build on a child s natural capacity to run, jump and throw and these activities provide opportunity for children to learn to develop these skills. They promote all-round physical development, speed, stamina, strength and flexibility. The children are given the opportunity to improve their performance in terms of distance and time and learn how to measure, judge and record accurately. The children will explore different running, jumping and throwing activities and take part in simple challenges and competitions. They will be given the opportunity to experiment with different ways of travelling, throwing and jumping, increasing awareness of speed and distance. SWIMMING Swimming provides the best all-round exercise in terms of flexibility, strength, speed and stamina. It is a crucial skill and may be essential when taking part in any residential trips. The swimming programme is run by an ASA qualified teacher and Year 4 children attend lessons at Woking Pool in the Park. The children are taught the National Curriculum swimming activities, giving them the opportunity to learn and improve swimming and survival techniques and knowledge of water hazards. The children learn to enjoy being in water and become more confident by finding out how to float, trying new ways of propelling themselves through the water. As they progress they are taught strokes and personal survival techniques. The children are encouraged to achieve different levels of competence and can gain certificates of achievement at all levels. We aim to ensure that all children at the end of Key Stage 2 should not only be able to swim a distance of 25m, but should be able to understand and appreciate the limitations for that achievement in open water and hostile conditions. ATTAINMENT TARGETS There are six attainment targets for Key Stages 1 and 2. A great majority of our children will be working at levels 2 5. The expected level for the majority of children at the end of Key Stage 2 is level 4. INCLUSION All children will be given equal opportunity to take part in physical activities, regardless of sex, age, race, ability or disability. We are constantly mindful of the need to provide praise and encouragement for all and to monitor progress in relation to the children s individual needs.
LESSON STRUCTURE Except in extraordinary circumstances, all conform to basic structure: 1. individual warm-up activities 2. individual and small group activities which may include small apparatus such as bean bags, balls, hoops, quoits, ropes etc. 3. team games (including as appropriate, experimenting with rules and instructions) 4. cool down RESOURCES Class teachers are responsible for the organisation of their lessons and for moving, checking a returning apparatus used to the correct area when the lesson has finished. Specially selected gym monitors will also help to maintain the correct organisation of the PE equipment. ROLE OF THE CO-ORDINATOR Monitor levels of achievement Provide an on-going support for the staff Ensure there are adequate resources in all areas within the limit of the allocated budget Ensure resources are in good repair and safe to use Ensure all staff are aware of the range of resources Ensure all staff know how and where the resources are stored Keep up to date with developments in the curriculum Prepare and review curriculum guidelines Organise in-service training PARENTS We expect that parents will play a very supportive role. We ask that they spend time with their children developing their physical skills and understanding of rules and conventions. We ask them to provide correct school PE kit and to ensure that long hair is always tied back for any PE activity. We also require that they abide by the school rules concerning jewellery and County s rules concerning earrings, which must be removed by the child for any PE activity without exception. The understanding of aspects of sportsmanship and fair play is also taught through example by parents. A written report on the children s progress in PE is provided to all parents at the end of each academic year.