‘We Are Athletes’ at Powers Hall Academy 

At Powers Hall Academy, 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 develop children's basic physical competencies, build confidence in their ability and build the foundations for a lifelong love of sport, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.

PE lessons encourage children to compete against themselves and others whilst being challenged to improve their physical, social, emotional and thinking skills. These skills are embedded in the heart of our planning.

Our objectives in the teaching of PE align with the National Curriculum in that we aim to ensure all pupils:

• Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
• Are physically active for sustained periods of time
• Engage in competitive sports and activities
• Lead healthy, active lives

Implementation

Our PE lessons are planned using the Get Set 4 PE platform, which aligns with our core values, our whole child approach to PE and the objectives laid out in the National Curriculum. Get Set 4 PE is planned so that progression is built into the scheme which ensures our children are increasingly challenged as they move up through the school.

The curriculum planning in PE is carried out in three phases (long-term, medium-term and shortterm). The long-term plan maps out the PE activities covered in each term during the key stage. The PE subject leader works this out in conjunction with teaching colleagues and pupils in each year group. Together we create a broad and balanced curriculum that is exciting for our children to learn through. Our medium-term plans give details of each unit of work for each term. These schemes of work provide an overview of the unit, links to other areas of the National Curriculum and assessment criteria for that unit. The short-term lesson plans provide opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding in each activity area.

Assessment

Our sports coach will assess the children’s work in PE, both by making informal judgements, as they observe them during lessons, and through assessing against the specific objectives set out in the National Curriculum and recorded using the Get Set 4 PE assessment software. We have clear expectations of what the pupils will know, understand and be able to do at the end of each Key Stage. Teachers are supported with resources to know how to prepare children for their next phase of education. These resources include the Get Set 4 PE progression of skills document, progression ladders and knowledge organisers.

Swimming

During KS2 children will have a series of structured swimming sessions for one, usually in Year 5. They will be 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)
• Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

We hold an annual Sports Day where every child competes in an event for their team.  This event has an opening and closing ceremony and a pupil workforce to maximise opportunities for children to hold positions of responsibility. 

Impact

The impact of this curriculum design will lead to outstanding progress in their performance, competition and social and mental development. Children will therefore be expected to leave Powers Hall Academy a well rounded individual physically, socially and mentally and will have reached at least their expected level in PE. We hope the children will understand the importance of physical activity, sport and PE and motivate children to become confident, resilient and disciplined, so that they become independent and take responsibility for their health and fitness throughout their life.

The expected impact of our PE curriculum is that children will have:

• The ability to acquire new knowledge and skills exceptionally well and develop an in-depth understanding of PE.
• The willingness to practise skills in a wide range of different activities and situations, alone, in small groups and in teams and to apply these skills in chosen activities to achieve exceptionally high levels of performance.
• High levels of physical fitness.
• A healthy lifestyle, achieved by eating sensibly, avoiding smoking, drugs and alcohol and exercising regularly.
• The ability to remain physically active for sustained periods of time and an understanding of the importance of this in promoting long-term health and well-being.
• The ability to take the initiative and become excellent young leaders, organising and officiating, and evaluating what needs to be done to improve, and motivating and instilling excellent sporting attitudes in others.
• Exceptional levels of originality, imagination and creativity in their techniques, tactics and choreography, knowledge of how to improve their own and others’ performance and the ability to work independently for extended periods of time without the need of guidance or support.
• A keen interest in PE. A willingness to participate eagerly in every lesson, highly positive attitudes and the ability to make informed choices about engaging fully in extra-curricular sport.
• The ability to swim at least 25 metres before the end of Year 6 and knowledge of how to remain safe in and around water.