A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities. It should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

National Curriculum in England, DfE 2013

PE Curriculum Intent

Thomlinson Junior School believes that every child should have the right to a curriculum that champions excellence; supporting pupils in achieving to the very best of their abilities. We understand the impact that Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA) has in the day-to-day life of our school and children. We believe that PESSPA can provide: a way of improving the mental health of our children; increase the learning capacity of children within class after Physical Activity; range of different learning opportunities; better teamwork of pupils; and an understanding of how to work as a team.  We aim to:

• Provide an exciting, rich, relevant and challenging PE curriculum for all pupils. 
• Teach pupils a range of skills that not only helps them within sport, but also that they can use throughout their life (e.g. teamwork and leadership). 
• Offer our pupils a range of opportunities to be able to represent the school is a variety of sports and activities.
• Ensure that our SEND children are given a fair chance to access the PE lessons.
• Allow our children to leave in year 6, being able to complete the 3 swimming targets. This is done through our links with Wigton Baths and each class having a 6-week spell at the Baths each academic year.
• Use coaches to improve the links between School Sport and the local area (e.g. Wigton Cricket Club, Wigton Rugby Football Club and Carlisle United Football Club).
   

PE Curriculum Implementation

As a school, we have chosen the Primary PE Passport scheme of work from Year 3 to Year 6. The scheme of work supports our PE teacher in delivering fun and engaging lessons which help to raise standards and allow all pupils to achieve to their full potential. We are confident that the scheme of work more than adequately meets the national vision for PE. It provides immense flexibility and integrates with our own assessment procedures.  

PE Curriculum Impact

Pupil's progress will be assessed throughout each unit of work using formative and summative assessment methods.  Pupils progress will be monitored by the individual class teacher, or from feedback from the coach, who will use these methods to set realistic targets for the individual pupil, based on their strengths and weaknesses. At the end of each unit an indication of the progress that they have made will be recorded. This will allow an overview of all progress made over that academic year.  The milestones for physical education set out the knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils of different abilities and maturities are expected to have by the end of each key stage.

Inclusion in PE

At Thomlinson Junior School, we aim to enable all children to achieve to their full potential. This includes children of all abilities, social and cultural backgrounds, those with disabilities, EAL speakers and SEN statement and non-statemented. 
Communication between the PE Leader (Mr. Powell) and the SENCO is crucial in ensuring the inclusion of all SEND children. This includes having the right resources for those children who can’t access a mainstream PE lesson, and also being able to staff after-school clubs with enough members of staff to allow children to join in – this then gives a greater opportunity for these children to represent the school in PESSPA events.
 

Additional Information

PE is part of the National Curriculum and every child is expected to take part. If you would like your child excused from games for health reasons, a written note should be provided, supported by a Doctor’s note if your child needs to be excused long-term.

We have excellent outdoor sports facilities, including our recently installed MUGA (Multi Use Games Area), covering a broad spectrum of exciting, enjoyable and enriching activities, including Swimming, Cross-Country, Football, Rounders, Netball, Athletics Hockey and Dance. These outdoor pursuits are matched with Dance, Gymnastics and Circuit Training in our splendid School Hall, all of which are equally accessible for both boys and girls.

In addition to Thomlinson’s own sporting programme and Inter-Junior School Competitions, our excellent facilities also play host to a number of tournaments between the local primary schools.