Physical Education (PE)

Intent 

Anston Park Infant School believes that Physical Education (PE) is essential to ensure children attain optimum physical and emotional development and good health. The intent of our PE curriculum is to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the development of every child’s ability and achievement in the area of PE enabling them to know more about physical activity and keeping healthy. We aim for every child to understand the significance and importance of exercise and to develop habits leading to a healthy and active lifestyle. We intend to deliver high-quality teaching and learning opportunities that inspire all children to succeed in physical education and in developing lifelong skills.  We want to teach children how to cooperate and collaborate with others as part of an effective team, understanding fairness and equity of play to embed life-long values. We want children to become skilful in the ways they manage their bodies, control their movements and develop co-ordination. Our curriculum aims to improve the wellbeing and fitness of all children, not only through the sporting skills taught, but through the underpinning values and disciplines PE promotes. We want children to appreciate the joy of moving practically, skilfully and aesthetically and to develop a range of personal competencies such as concern for others and their safety, tolerance, fairness and how to cope with success and disappointment in competitive and non-competitive settings.

          Implementation 

• PE at Anston Park Infant School provides challenging and enjoyable learning through the 3 areas of sport - games, gymnastics and dance. Within each of the specific areas the areas covered are similar within each year group but the differentiation comes through `how' each area is taught
• The API Physical Education progression grids are used to plan lessons to ensure progression through year groups and children can build on a range of skills
• Pupils participate in two hours of high quality PE lessons each week, covering two sporting disciplines every half term.  This may include one 60 minute session with the “Live and Learn” sports coaches bought in using the Sports Premium grant to provide CPD for teachers to deliver PE lessons confidently.  In all lessons, pupils are encouraged to plan, perform and evaluate.  Also, children in the Foundation Stage have daily access to the Foundation Stage outdoor play area.
• Every class takes part in the “Daily Mile”, to help meet the government target of all children being active for at least 60 minutes a day.
• The PE policy makes links with other subjects including Science, PSHE, Maths, English, Art. The links are endless and the growing development of the child's co-ordination and concentration skills are also enhanced by physical education.
• In EYFS we recognise the importance of Physical development in the Early Years Foundation Stage as a key area of learning. There are two strands under Physical Development; Moving and Handling and Health and Self-care. :
•  Moving and Handling: Children learn to develop good control and co-ordination in large and small movements. They move confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space.
•  Health and self-care: Children learn the importance for good health of physical exercise, and a healthy diet, and talk about ways to keep healthy and safe. Children in the EYFS access time and space to enjoy energetic play daily, using large portable equipment. Furthermore, specific Physical Development lessons give children the opportunity to practise movement skills through games with beanbags, cones, balls and hoops. They participate in activities where they can practise moving in different ways and at different speeds, balancing, target throwing, rolling, kicking and catching. These skills can then be built on when children enter KS1.
• School provides free fruit for all children daily to encourage children to lead healthy lives
• We encourage children to have a foundation for lifelong Physical activity, leaving KS1 as physically active

Impact 

We help motivate children to participate in a variety of sports through quality teaching that is engaging and fun. We hold an annual Sports Day and, throughout the year, a number of extra-curricular clubs and sporting opportunities. From our lessons, our children learn to take responsibility for their own health and fitness. We equip our children with the necessary skills and a love for sport. Children will achieve age related expectations in P.E. They will hopefully grow up to live happy and healthy lives utilizing the skills and knowledge acquired through PE.