Intent

At Hillborough Infant and Nursery school, we want all of our children to develop a lifelong love of physical education and sport. We believe it is through experiences delivered by high-quality teaching and our broad, balanced and progressive curriculum, that children can inherit a positive outlook on physical activity and its importance. Children thrive when provided with a physical challenge and, with a combination of their best efforts and our support, can become the best versions of themselves. They will understand the importance of cooperation, collaboration, fairness, sportsmanship, respect and our values. These are skills that we hope to embed for future life. Now more than ever, children need to be aware of the role physical activity plays on both their physical and mental health. We want to provide children with opportunities that nurture limitless ambitions that encourage them to become sports journalists, nutritionists and even gold medalists. This will help foster a positive physical, mental and social outlook on their future.

Implementation

Our children are provided with weekly P.E. sessions delivered by high-quality teaching. The curriculum we have adopted ensures that children are given a wealth of opportunities to develop their physical movement skills as well as achieving whole child objectives. We have adopted the use of Real P.E., a programme that supports us in achieving these aims. We meet the requirements of the National Curriculum through this progressive, skills based curriculum. Children with additional needs are provided with appropriate support to enable them to take part and gain confidence in skills, understanding and motivation.

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we carefully plan provisions which are designed to support children’s physical development. We offer daily opportunities for children to develop their physical skills, both indoors and outdoors. Our children have access to free flow play for sustained periods of time throughout the day and are encouraged to use our range of learning environments including our Enchanted Woods, Sunshine room and Den. We explore meditation, yoga and share a range of healthy snacks to develop our understanding of the importance of a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

In Key Stage 1, our children build on the fundamental skills taught in EYFS, with the aim to master basic skill movements including running, throwing, jumping and catching. They also continue to develop their agility, balance and coordination. Children are introduced to individual sports as well as team games. Basic tactics are introduced to the children as well as competitive sports whether that be competing against other children, teams or themselves. Children are taught about healthy lifestyle with cross curricular links to science, building on prior knowledge from EYFS.

Impact

Our curriculum is designed to lead to outstanding progress in children’s performance and understanding that supports them in becoming well-rounded individuals physically, socially and mentally. Children leave our school with a love of sport and physical activity, both in and out of school. Children will have worked on their own aspirations in relation to P.E. and this will be carried on after leaving KS1, with children continuing to participate for enjoyment or competitively. Children will leave our school ready for the next stage of their life, where being physically active and their mental wellbeing is of the utmost importance to a happy life.