“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” Plato
DCFC letter
Statement of Intent
PE at Charnwood aims to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing in our children. Physical fitness is an important part of leading a healthier lifestyle. We follow the National Curriculum and aim to offer children a wide range of sports that children might not get to experience anywhere else. We aim to deliver high-quality teaching and learning opportunities that inspire all children to succeed in physical activities.
Furthermore, we want to teach children how to cooperate and collaborate with others as part of a team. Children should be able to enjoy competition, inside and outside of school, whilst playing with fairness and respect. Learners should learn that the only way to be successful is to work hard, show resilience and believe that anything is possible.
Finally, all children should understand how to live a healthy lifestyle away from school by recognising the need for regular fun physical activity, socialising, avoidance of stress, healthy nutrition and quality sleep.
Through our PE curriculum we offer 2 lessons per week of PE where children develop skills and confidence in a range of sports. We have ever increasing opportunities to take part in new sports.
Why PE?
- Boosts academic learning.
- Encourages physical activity for life.
- Prevents sickness and disease.
- Provides an outlet for creativity and self-expression.
- Develops cooperation and teamwork.
- Builds self-confidence.
- Provides opportunities for personal goal setting.
- Increases personal fitness and motor-skills development.
Implementation of PE At Charnwood:
- OPAL – Children spend 1.4 years of their primary school during playtime. This time is valuable and needs careful planning and support. To ensure that this time and our wonderful school grounds are used to their full potential, our school has adopted an OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) philosophy that allows the children freedom to explore play in their own imaginative ways, often using found and gathered resources in the natural outdoor environment.
- PE – We offer a broad PE curriculum with 2 hours of quality lessons per week in a wide variety of sports. Children enjoy the wide range of sports on offer from orienteering to swimming. We also encourage active breaks in our classroom learning.
- Active Areas – Children have access to fitness equipment, a running track, gardening areas, the sensory garden and the Forest School area.
- Weekly Mile – Children are encouraged to run a mile around the running track each week.
- Forest School – Children receive termly woodland sessions and one half-term per year of Forest School one afternoon per week. Forest School Page
- Afterschool Clubs – Children have the opportunity to take part in a range of afterschool sports and inter school competitions.
Impact of PE at Charnwood
Children understand the significance of PE as part of a healthy lifestyle and develop an understanding of how exercise helps mental health. At Charnwood, we use summative assessment to determine children’s understanding and inform teacher planning. The children complete each key stage with good skills in each aspect of PE. Each part of the PE curriculum is reviewed on a termly basis by the subject leader.
