PE
PE Curriculum Overview
Subject Leaders: Mason Storey and Ben Smith
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated”
At Benton Dene Primary School, high-quality teaching and learning is at the forefront of our curriculum. We strive to ensure all of our children increase their motor competence, understanding and rules, tactics and strategies and have healthy participation in physical activity inside and outside our school. We ensure our children develop the skills and tools to improve and maintain their health, physical and mental, and their overall wellbeing. Our children are exposed to challenging and motivating PE which helps develop their understanding of leading a healthy, active lifestyle inside and outside of school.
Physical Education (PE) is different to sport or physical activity. It encompasses various disciplines, including physiology, psychology and sociology to establish its knowledge base. By integrating the essential knowledge from these disciplines, PE enables children to effectively and confidently apply them.
PE plays a vital role in minimising inequalities and equipping all children with the necessary knowledge to engage in physical activity, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
How is the content/theme chosen?
The content has been carefully selected to establish strong connections with key themes and ensure coverage outlined in the National Curriculum programmes of study, as well as the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) framework. This aligns with our competitive North Tyneside sporting calendar. At Benton Dene Primary School, we ensure a clear and progressive sequence that is systematically taught to all pupils, enabling them to acquire the intended knowledge and skills. The content could be tailored or modified according to the needs or interests of specific cohorts.
Progression in PE
Progression is built upon the key three pillars: motor competence; rules, strategies and tactics; and healthy participation. We aim to develop these three pillars throughout EYFS, KS1 and KS2. Allowing our children to build declarative and procedural knowledge about physical activity. Declarative knowledge is the ‘know-what’ and procedural knowledge is the ‘know-when’.
Motor Competence
Motor competence is taught through the development of motor actions, including the coordination of fine and gross motor skills. We believe they are necessary for our children to participate in activities in everyday life, including play and physical activity.
Fundamental Movement Skills
Our children experience an understanding of how fundamental movement skills (FSM) are key to establishing and maintaining physically active lives across a broad range of activities. In the EYFS, pupils are taught to develop a good level of fundamental movement skills which are the basic motor patterns which are not learned naturally. They include locomotor skills (such as running and jumping), stability skills (such as twisting and balancing), and manipulation skills (such as throwing and catching) which are best developed between the ages of 3 and 8. Our curriculum includes progression from these simple movements to more complex movements as children get older.
Rules, Strategies and Tactics
Movement execution is a vital part of successful participation in sport and physical activity. However, it is not enough to be competent alone. Intelligent movement requires pupils to move in accordance with the demands of the context, which is informed by their knowledge of the relevant conventions and conditions of the activity. At Benton Dene Primary School, pupils are taught the knowledge that informs and successfully directs their movement: that is, knowledge of rules, strategies and tactics.
Healthy Participation
Pupils need to learn how to participate in physical activity in a healthy way. We ensure that our children are taught to challenge misconceptions and restricted understandings of how to participate in sport and physical activity that might have been established outside of school. This leads to developing healthy participation inside and outside of lessons.
What do we put in place to ensure progression of knowledge and skills is taking place?
Progress is extremely important in every subject area. At Benton Dene Primary School, we have developed knowledge and skills progression documents for each subject area, including PE. These documents serve as a guide for planning, ensuring that the content taught to specific year groups is well-sequenced and appropriate. By carefully selecting and mapping out the learning objectives and expectations for each year group, our teachers have a clear understanding of the progression of knowledge and skills. This enables children to build upon their prior knowledge and abilities throughout each term and academic year. We dedicate a staff meeting every year to PE and focus on what our staff would benefit from to enhance their understanding of PE.
How is PE taught at Benton Dene Primary School?
At Benton Dene Primary School, we place great importance on the teaching and development of Physical Education to ensure our pupils lead active and healthy lives. Our PE curriculum is designed to align with the National Curriculum for Physical Education across Key Stage 1 and 2, and work within and beyond the Early Years Framework across our Foundation Stage providing a comprehensive framework for our teaching and learning objectives.
Starting from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we lay a strong foundation for our children's physical development by integrating both indoor and outdoor activities. EYFS forms the basis for our children to work on their Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) in a variety of environments. This approach allows them to explore and master skills such as running, jumping, balancing, and throwing from an early age. As children engage in activities that promote their gross motor skills, they develop core strength, balance, and body awareness. These foundational skills serve as a strong basis for the emergence and refinement of fine motor skills, which involve the coordination and control of smaller muscles, particularly in the hands and fingers. By providing opportunities for active play and physical activities in our EYFS curriculum, we support the development of gross motor skills that directly impact the advancement of fine motor skills.
To ensure dedicated time for PE, every year group in our school accesses two hours of dedicated PE lessons per week. This commitment allows our children to actively engage in a wide range of physical activities and develop their skills in a structured and supportive environment. Additionally, each year group undertakes two units of PE per half term, covering a diverse range of activities and focusing on specific areas of physical development.
We are passionate about providing every child with the opportunity to become physically literate. Physical literacy encompasses the knowledge, skills and confidence to engage in a variety of physical activities and lead an active lifestyle. We believe that physical literacy is a fundamental aspect of a well-rounded education, as it not only promotes physical health but also enhances cognitive, social, and emotional development. Through our comprehensive Physical Education programme, we strive to foster physical literacy by providing a range of activities and experiences that cater to the diverse interests and abilities of our children. Whether it's team sports, individual pursuits, or outdoor adventures, we aim to instil a love for physical activity and equip our pupils with the necessary skills and knowledge to make informed choices about their health and well-being. By emphasising physical literacy, we empower our children to develop lifelong habits of staying active, maintaining fitness, and enjoying the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Key vocabulary plays a crucial role in our PE lessons. We have designed a comprehensive vocabulary programme which exposes children to relevant terms and concepts, helping them build a strong foundation in understanding the language of PE. Our teachers model accurate demonstrations, showcasing correct techniques and movements to the children. This approach ensures that pupils have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how to execute movements effectively and safely.
Through our well-rounded PE curriculum, we strive to instil a love for Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA), nurture essential skills and promote a healthy and active lifestyle among our children. By aligning our curriculum with the expectation within the National Curriculum and adopting a holistic and skills based approach, we provide a solid foundation for our children's' physical development and overall well-being.
How do we assess our children to ensure they are making progress?
We believe in the importance of ongoing assessments to gauge our childrens' knowledge and skills. Our class teachers carefully observe and assess the children's progress, comparing their outcomes to subject-specific skills and knowledge documents. At the end of a discrete teaching block or term, our staff gather a comprehensive overview of the children's achievements in each unit. This information is crucial for planning appropriate next steps in their learning journey and provides a view of learning across the entire school.
We understand the significance of catering to the diverse needs of our children, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). To ensure inclusive provision and assessment, we make necessary adaptations, such as adjusting the colour or size of equipment and providing additional time during activities or games. Children with SEND receive specialist support in PE to ensure an inclusive environment is maintained. We are committed to ensuring that our pupils with SEND are not limited in their participation or progress. Additionally, the PE lead collates all of the data at the end of each term for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1 & 2. These assessments provide a comprehensive overview of their progress and serve as valuable tools for tracking their development over time. We use this information to inform our teaching and to provide targeted support where needed, ensuring that every child receives the necessary guidance to reach their full potential.
What wider opportunities are provided for our children?
At Benton Dene Primary School, we take pride in our extensive wider school offer, providing our children with a rich variety of opportunities beyond the curriculum. We believe in nurturing the whole child, promoting their physical, social and emotional well-being through a range of engaging activities.
Our school boasts an exciting and diverse extra-curricular offer, providing pupils with the chance to explore their interests and talents outside of regular school hours. These sports clubs vary and give a breadth of options for our children to choose from. These extra-curricular activities not only foster personal growth and skill development but also promote teamwork, resilience and a sense of belonging within the school community.
We also value healthy competition and the benefits it brings to our children. We actively participate in various sporting competitions and festivals, giving our children the opportunity to showcase their skills and sportsmanship against other schools. These events instil a sense of pride and healthy competition among our children, while also promoting physical fitness and a love for sport.
In our commitment to providing active and fulfilling play times, we have implemented OPAL play. OPAL stands for Outdoor Play and Learning and focuses on creating a stimulating and inclusive environment for active play. Our children have access to well-designed play spaces and a wide range of resources that encourage imaginative play, physical challenges and social interaction. OPAL play promotes active and creative playtimes, fostering physical development, problem-solving skills and positive social interactions.
To further prioritise physical activity throughout the school day, we have introduced the concept of an Active 5. This initiative ensures that our children have opportunities for brief bursts of physical activity during the school day. Whether it's a quick energising dance session, a stretch break or a mini workout, the Active 5 encourages movement and helps to maintain focus and productivity in the classroom.
By providing an extensive extra-curricular offer, encouraging participation in competitions, implementing OPAL play and incorporating the Active 5 initiative, we strive to create a well-rounded and active school experience for our children. Through these opportunities, we aim to nurture their physical, social, and emotional development, promoting a lifelong love for physical activity, teamwork, and personal growth.
What does our swimming provision look like at Benton Dene Primary School?
Our children are offered a full swimming provision in Year 4. They are taught to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively (for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
How do we offer an extended curriculum?
At Benton Dene Primary School, we are proud to offer an extended curriculum to our children. They are given the opportunity to access OAA trips to Robinwood and High Borrans. This gives our children the opportunity to take part in activities such as archery, canoeing, climbing and zip wiring. Alongside these activities, they are taught to develop their teamwork and communication skills through raft building, orienteering and multiple team challenges.
Beyond the Physical
Our school is an official partner with Beyond the Physical and we utilise their physical literacy-informed and mastery-based PE Scheme of work to teach transformational PE to our children. By creating children who are Masterful Movers, Skilful Solvers and Confident Connectors we ensure every child has a purposeful, meaningful and holistic PE journey during their Primary school years to embed a positive experience of physical activity for life.
