Earlham Primary School

• Our physical education curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness; 

• We believe that physical activity matters, that negotiating our way in the world is as much a physical as an intellectual journey;

• We follow the national curriculum and our units of learning build on previous skills and knowledge;

• Our children start school movement poor: their co-ordination, ball skills and spatial awareness and judgement are under-developed. Our PE curriculum is therefore designed to develop fundamental movement skills of balance, locomotion and ball skills;

• There is a deliberate repetition of key locomotion and ball skills units from Reception through to Years 1 and 2, to enable the children to practice and further hone the fundamental skills they will need to participate in the games units offered in Key Stage 2;

• Each class has a weekly session of indoor and outdoor PE; indoor units include gymnastics and dance; outdoor units are games-based;

• The indoor PE curriculum revisits activities and skills to reinforce previous learning and ensure children further develop these skills over their school journey;

• Each year group studies a unit of work around team work and problem-solving, so children develop their understanding of what makes an effective team, with a focus on co-operation and responsibility;

• Specialist coaches introduce the children to a range of competitive sports, talent spotting, and coach teams to participate in local competitions;

• Opportunities to compete in sports build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect;

• Our Year 4 pupils attend weekly swimming lessons;

• Year 6 pupils enjoy a residential programme which involves a range of ambitious activities including archery, orienteering, canoeing, sailing and climbing;

• Healthy diet and lifestyle are explicitly taught as part of our science curriculum in Years 2, 4 and 6, and as part of our PSHE curriculum.

Covid adaptations to our PE curriculum: Whereas previously children had two PE lessons each week (indoor and outdoor PE) we are teaching one PE lesson a week, supplemented with a 10-minute morning warm up in the playground, a 15 minute fitness break in the morning, and another 15 minute fitness break at lunchtime, so overall the children are active for the same period of time. Our PE lesson activities have been risk assessed to ensure they are safe and all equipment used is sanitised after each use.