Portway Infant School
Physical Education at Portway Infant School
At Portway Infant School, we believe that every child has the right to the highest standard of Physical Education delivered by highly skilled, trained and committed staff. We work hard to establish a culture of active participation where children understand the importance of being physically active and different ways to keep themselves healthy. We offer a rich and inclusive learning environment where every child is supported as a learner to develop their physical skills. The children are given opportunities to communicate and work collaboratively with others as well as being creative and expressing their thoughts, feelings and ideas through movement and dance. Learning in Physical Education is underpinned by our school's aims and vision, the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum/Early Years Foundation Stage and recent national initiatives. We motivate and inspire our children to achieve their very best.
Our Physical Education curriculum will teach the children to be active and experience a range of different school sports.
It will enable the children to:
Understanding the importance for exercise, mental well-being and the need for a healthy, balanced lifestyle is covered through PE sessions and cross-curricular links with Science, Design Technology and PSHE.
The learning journey in Year R
Physical Education in the Foundation Stage includes regular structured sessions and lots of opportunities for child initiated learning using our outside environment. Children enjoy playing on the climbing apparatus, riding trikes and scooters and exploring a range of different PE resources, for example, bats, balls, ropes and hoops. The Foundation Stage provides the basis on which children start to develop the fundamental movement skills of balance, co-ordination and agility. The children learn how to move confidently and safely in a variety of different ways. They use large and small scale equipment to develop their fine and gross motor skills. Through different physical activities, they learn to safely negotiate space both inside and outside.
The new EYFS framework for Physical Development states that children should “negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others. They need to demonstrate strength, balance and co-ordination when playing. They also need to move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skilling and climbing”.
During the autumn term, the children work on following instructions and developing spatial awareness. They focus on the skill of travelling, experimenting with different ways of moving, over, under, around and through balancing and climbing equipment. The children also cover 2 units of Write Dance, a structured programme designed to develop their hand control and co-ordination. They spend time riding the trikes and scooters, focusing on negotiating space successfully, adjusting speed and changing directions.
During the spring term, the children get creative at Cinderella’s ball and move to various different pieces of music. They are introduced to the 5 basic gymnastic shapes (star, pike, straddle, straight and tuck) which they perform on the floor and apparatus. The children are also introduced to point balances and perform these on the wall bars. They continue riding the trikes and scooters.
During the summer term, the children use bean bags then balls and work on balance, agility and co-ordination. They also prepare for their first sports day where they get to apply different skills learnt throughout the year. The children continue to enjoy riding the trikes and scooters.
Physical Education in Key Stage 1
Children in Key Stage 1 experience a multi-skills approach to physical activity which focuses on agility, balance and co-ordination. These core skills are essential and transferrable to range of different sports. The children begin to play more team games and start to develop their tactical awareness. The children get to explore their creative sides through gymnastics and dance. They also take part in cycling sessions which focus on the progression from balance bikes to pedal bikes and developing their cycling skills.
Year One
In the Autumn term the children focus on developing their athletic skills supported by an external coach from ‘Chance to Shine’ Cricket. They work on travel, changing direction, aiming at a target, sending and receiving and playing co-operative games. The children also enjoy making up a Pirate Dance, applying their movement skills and responding to music. This unit links in beautifully with the children’s learning in the classroom. They explore different ways of moving, stillness/pause and gestures. The other main focus during the autumn term sees the children progressing from the trikes and scooters in Reception to riding balance and pedal bikes. The children take part in weekly sessions which focus on building up their strength, balance and co-ordination. They continue to negotiate space successfully, adjusting speed and changing directions.
During the second half of the Autumn term we focus on the gymnastic element of ‘Shape and Balance’ which builds on the unit taught in Reception. They continue perfecting the 5 basic shapes and progress to working with a partner.
During the Spring term we continue with our athletic physical activity, this time focusing on different invasion games. We carry on our gymnastic work and progress to working with a partner on the wall bars.
During the second half of the Spring term the children learn to play some net/wall games then learn the skills involved in playing tri-golf. They learn to hold the different clubs correctly and strike the ball using the phrase ‘tick tock’. The children learn about the different areas of a golf course and become experts in chipping and putting. They also undertake another creative dance which links in with our topic on ‘Space’ where they imagine they are an astronaut heading to the moon. We work on different levels and changing direction.
In the Summer term the children learn to play strike/field activities which progresses into them applying the skills they have learnt to mini games of rounders. They work in teams of 6 and rotate between being the bowler, batter or fielders. They also prepare for their second sports day where they get to apply different skills learnt throughout the year.
Year Two
In the Autumn term children focusing on their athletic physical activity supported by an external coach from ‘Chance to Shine’ Cricket. They continue working on travel, changing direction, targets, sending and receiving and playing more competitive mini games. This term sees the children conclude their ‘Shape and Balance’ gymnastic work culminating in them applying the 5 different shapes, with a partner, to apparatus and performing quite complex sequences.
During the second half of the Autumn term two the children focus on invasion games and link this to the skills involved in playing hockey. They get creative making up their own penguin dance to a piece of music from the film ‘Happy Feet’. This unit links in with the children’s learning in the classroom. They explore different ways of moving, levels (high/low) and gestures.
During the first half of the Spring term we explore more invasion games and the skills associated with these. The children learn to play two games which require accuracy and precision - New Age Kurling and Boccia, which is a Paralympic sport. Both games are extremely inclusive for all.
The children play different strike/field games and enjoy developing their learning around responding to music. This unit uses the music ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor and allows the children to perform dances using simple movement patterns.
During the Summer term the children learn Country Dancing dances and perform using simple movement patterns. An annual festival is held at a local secondary school which allows some of the children to perform their dances alongside other children from other schools. The children continue with their cycling sessions building on where they got to in Year One.
The second half of the Summer term sees the children attend the local leisure centre and undertake swimming lessons aimed at developing water confidence, water safety and stroke technique. We also invite an external coach from the local Tennis Club to come and work with the children on different net/wall skills. The children also prepare for their final sports day where they get to apply different skills learnt throughout the year.
