The Ethos of P.E in the School

St. Helen’s CEP school recognises the vital contribution of physical education to a child’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development as well as the role it can play in a child’s spiritual, moral and cultural development. We aim to provide a broad and balanced P.E. curriculum to aid children’s increasing self-confidence in their ability to manage themselves and their bodies within a variety of movement situations. Through a balance of individual, paired and group activities, we aim to cater for the different strengths, needs and preferences of each child, using differentiated activities where appropriate. We believe that through the variety of opportunities that PE offers, children can develop a sense of personal achievement, fair play, teamwork and an understanding of the ways in which sport can transcend social and cultural boundaries.

We plan a range of activities that aim to provide children with a broad base of movement knowledge, skills and understanding, which they can refine and expand throughout their primary school years. All children are encouraged to join clubs and extend their interest and involvement in sport. We encourage children to develop their creative and expressive abilities, through improvisation and problem-solving. Children are taught to appreciate the importance of a healthy and fit body, and begin to understand those factors which affect health and fitness.

Our Aims

The aims of Physical Education at St. Helen’s CEP school are:

• To promote positive attitudes towards physical activity.
• To develop social co-operation and positive attitudes towards others and to compete with a sense of fair play.
• To promote physical activity, physical skills development and a healthy lifestyle.
• To show an awareness, knowledge and understanding of safety when participating in physical activity.
• To encourage lifelong involvement in physical activity.
• To develop fair play through cooperation, collaboration and competition and manage to varying levels of success in competitive and co-operative situations and retain a proper sense of perspective in competition.
• To always try to achieve personal best.
• To have age appropriate activities.
• To understand the need for rules in games.
• To provide equal opportunities for all children regardless of their race, gender, background or ability, thus providing a programme of study that is inclusive.
• To provide equal opportunities for all children to achieve their full potential, through curricular and extra-curricular sessions.

Entitlement

Each child at St. Helen’s CEP school receives 2 hours of Physical Education curriculum time per week. The teaching of the Physical Education curriculum is broken into the following areas of activity:

• Dance
• Gymnastics
• Invasion Games
• Net and Wall Games
• Striking and Fielding
• Athletics
• Outdoor Education
• Swimming

In accordance with the National Curriculum, one hour of P.E. per week is used for swimming sessions. All KS2 pupils will attend swimming sessions at Medway Park with qualified instructors. Participation is compulsory. All children should be able to swim at least 25m by the end of KS2.