Physical Education Intent Statement

At SMSJ, we aim for all children to lead an active lifestyle and understand the importance of life long physical activity. We have therefore selected and tailored the PE curriculum in line with the National Curriculum objectives.  Our aims are for all our children to:

• 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.

Our PE scheme of work incorporates the content of the National Curriculum, along with opportunities to meet the very specific needs of our children.  Given that the majority of our children have English as an Additional Language (EAL), these opportunities focus on:

1. Language development and understanding of key PE vocabulary

To encourage language development, Teachers share new vocabulary at the beginning of each PE unit. Teachers reinforce this new vocabulary throughout each lesson and link the vocabulary to the corresponding techniques and movements when teaching new skills. Children are encouraged to use the correct subject terminology and are rewarded when successful in the use of it. 

1. Oracy development

In every lesson, oracy opportunities are planned in to allow pupils to discuss aspects of PE in pairs or small groups. Children are also actively encouraged to use effective communication within games and participate in tactical discussion in their teams. At the end of each PE lesson, children are asked to evaluate and feedback to their partner/team.

1. Learning experiences

In order to broaden children’s life experiences we provide first-hand learning opportunities, which expose children to physical exercise in the world around them, through sports clubs, competitions and residential trips. Each PE unit supports children to develop their fundamentals and equip them with the key skills to be able to achieve the core task at the end of each unit.

As well as this, we have specialist sports coaches to support children’s growth and development in dance and gymnastics. We also recognise the importance of children understanding water safety, both in and out of the water. We therefore provide our Year 3 children the opportunity to build basic water skills and equip them with the techniques to be able to swim up to 25 metres.

In addition, we have an annual Active and Healthy Me Week in school, where children participate in intra school sports competitions (Sport’s day), as well as a variety of different activities that encourage active and healthy lifestyles.

At SMSJ it is our intent that our curriculum inspires children of all abilities to flourish in physical education. Our aim is for our children to master the fundamental movement skills and apply these across a range of sports and physical activities, while engaging imagination and creativity in their tactics and techniques. We aim for our children to develop into independent and confident learners, who are able to improve on their own and others’ performance, able to cooperate, collaborate and communicate with others and able to understand the fairness of play while remaining resilient.

Physical education at SMSJ provides challenging and enjoyable learning through a wide range of activities including: sports competitions, dance, gymnastics, athletics, games, swimming and outdoor adventurous activities. This supports all children from EYFS to Year 6 to develop their knowledge and skills across a broad range of areas and develop a responsible attitude towards their own physical journey.

At SMSJ, we know how important it is for staff to have current, up to date skills in this ever changing society and the subject leader endeavours to share updates on a regular basis which gives staff the subject knowledge and first-hand experience to deliver effective, engaging lessons. New staff also receive hands on training to ensure they are confident in delivering effective PE lessons at SMSJ. Specialist sports coaches deliver some of our physical education lessons which provides our staff with valuable CPD whilst sessions are being delivered to ensure our children are receiving the highest quality physical education.

PE and our School Vision

At SMSJ, we firmly believe that ‘With God, all things are possible’ (Matthew 19:26) and we are dedicated to ensuring that all learners live and breathe this throughout their PE lessons. We nurture all children by providing them with the skills and understanding to live an active and healthy life. We inspire them with exciting opportunities to take part in sports clubs, competitions and events. All of the learners at SMSJ, achieve in their own way, whether that is through gaining physical confidence, learning cooperation and team work, or resilience in accepting good sportsmanship. PE at SMSJ is lead with passion and commitment as we believe that all learners deserve the very best physical education.