PE (Physical Education)

At St Andrews Benn, we recognise the importance PE plays in the curriculum and are committed to providing all children with opportunities to engage fully in Physical Education. The aim of our PE programme is to provide a safe and supportive environment for children to flourish in a range of different physical activities, which is essential in supporting their physical, emotional, spiritual, social and moral development, as well as encouraging them to live a healthy lifestyle. PE lessons encourage children to compete against themselves and others, whilst being challenged to improve their physical, social, emotion and thinking skills. We encourage children to transfer the school values and promises to sporting and physical activity, ensuring that they aim to be the very best that they can be whilst demonstrating the school vision of ‘FAMILY’. Pupils will develop their skills across all areas, so that they become independent and confident individuals. Furthermore, children will learn to embrace competitiveness and understand challenge, developing a deeper understanding of resilience and perseverance, which can be applied throughout their lives.

Pupils in EYFS, are given ample opportunities to develop their fundamental movement skills and extend their balance, agility and coordination. They engage in dance, games, gymnastics, outdoor play, and athletics in Physical Education. They have plenty of opportunities to explore and understand movement daily, through planned and expressive play.

In Key Stage 1, pupils continue to develop their movement skills, mastering basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as further developing balancing, agility and coordination. They participate in small team games, developing skills, which are needed to compete, such as attacking and defending, as well as teamwork. They begin to understand what it feels like to be part of a team. Children take part in competitions within their class and compete with themselves to achieve their personal best. KS1 children have a broad range of experiences and opportunities to understand and experience how their body moves through dance, gymnastics, athletics and games.

In Lower Key Stage 2, children will continue to take part in a range of challenging and enjoyable learning through sporting activities including invasion games, net & wall games, striking and fielding games, gymnastics, dance, health and wellbeing, outdoor and adventure and swimming. Through PE, children begin to develop their accuracy in their movement skills and start to show more control, confidence and precision in their dance and gymnastics routines. Children begin to evaluate their own work and take part in peer assessment.

In Upper Key Stage 2, through a variety of sports, children develop their leadership skills, and they have a variety of experiences and opportunities to progress throughout the key stage, including the opportunity to go on residential. They continue to develop self-evaluation and peer assessment.

At St Andrew’s Benn, we have recently adopted the ‘Complete PE’ scheme to teach our PE from KS1 to Upper Key Stage 2. This scheme ensures that children are provided with a wealth of opportunities to develop their physical abilities, as well as by developing their personal best. Complete PE supports teachers by provided high-quality planning, resources and lessons. Children participate in 2 hours of high-quality lessons each week, taught either by their class teacher, or a PE coach. Children are encouraged to participate in the varied range of extra-curricular activities. We provide inclusive and enjoyable clubs which increases children’s physical activity. Clubs are offered to both KS1 and KS2 children. Children are encouraged to stay active at break and lunch times and can access a variety of equipment to use.

Children at St Andrew’s Benn will continuously develop a range of skills, which allow them to live a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle. From our lessons, children learn to take responsibility for their own fitness and grow up to live happy and healthy lives, utilising the skills and knowledge acquired through PE. Pupils will be able to work as part of a team, as well as take on leadership rolls throughout the curriculum, and transfer these skills into later life. The children at St Andrew’s Benn, leave school equipped with the skills and values, such as perseverance and resilience, for them to take forward into their future.