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 Planning 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 attainment is assessed using a combination of the Essentials Curriculum Assessment (which is used as a whole school) and the Primary PE Planning Assessment Guides (which can be found at the end of each unit of work). The PE teacher uses their professional judgement, based on what they have seen in during PE lessons, to judge whether each child is at WTS, EXP or GD level within that unit of work.  This is then recorded on ScholarPack that can be shared as necessary and builds a picture over each academic year. This can then be used to inform future planning.  
• Children are encouraged to self and peer assess their skills taught from the lessons.
• Formative assessment is undertaken each lesson in PE and pupils are very much encouraged to be involved in that process. Through using the curriculum map which shows the progression of skills, both teachers and pupils can evaluate process.  Feedback is always verbal, and will be given to the pupils throughout a lesson.
• Summative assessment is undertaken at the end of each unit and the end of each academic year.

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.