PE at St James'

Our Vision

Oracy, Initiative, Futures, Keeping Safe and Well, Opening doors to the Wider World

Intent

At St James C of E Junior School, we understand the vital role that be PE plays in the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of children. We aim to provide children with the chance to take part in a wide variety of opportunities and experiences, regardless of their ability, background or experience.

We strive to provide children with skills and knowledge to keep themselves active and healthy, throughout their lives. We hope that through the array of sporting opportunities we provide, children will develop a passion and love for physical activity and continue this into their later lives. In addition, through high quality PE lessons, as well as access to clubs, festivals and competitions, children will develop resilience, confidence, teamwork and sportsmanship.

Implementation

In order to provide this, we have identified the following curriculum drivers:

Oracy- Children at St James often join the school with English as an additional language and/or poor language acquisition. Children will be encouraged to communicate and discuss their ideas. They will be asked to explain their thinking in the context of PE and they will be taught activity-specific vocabulary. PE requires communication and collaboration and is an excellent opportunity for children to develop their oracy skills.

Initiative

All children are encouraged to set personal challenges and strive to be the best they can. We encourage children to think about how they have done and what they can do to improve, always striving to do their best.

Futures

PE can open many doors for children. For many of our children at SJJS, PE and sport is an area where they can feel success. By providing them with the foundations of an active and healthy lifestyle, we can ensure they carry this forward with them throughout their lives. In addition, the positive traits learned through PE and sport will allow children to grow into considerate, hard-working, respectful, responsible and resilient citizens, preparing them for their future lives.

Opening Doors to the Wider World

Because of the demographic of our children we strive to provide opportunities for PE and sport that they may not otherwise get. Many of our children do not take part in sporting opportunities outside of school, so by exposing them to a wide variety of sports and physical activities we can show them that there truly is something out there for everyone. We take part in many festivals, competitions and other events throughout the year, giving all children the chance to be a part of the SJJS team.

In addition, our links to local clubs and community organisations gives children a chance to make connections and build a sense of community within the local area. We want our children to aspire to be anything they want and so in providing these

Wellbeing

Wellbeing is at the core of the PE curriculum. Physical and mental health are intrinsically linked and at SJJS we recognise that our children face unique challenges in this area. We understand that issues with poor wellbeing can stand in the way of children achieving their full potential at school. With this in mind, we can engage and inspire children through PE and sporting opportunities, understanding the links between mental and physical health.“The Youth Sport Trust know that good health supports successful learning and can impact on attendance, attitude and behaviour for learning and specifically how inactivity affects more than just a child’s physical health but undermines their mental and emotional wellbeing. PE, school sport and physical activity is proven to enhance physical health, boost mental wellbeing, build resilience, lift academic achievement and create active habits for life.” (Youth Sport Trust, https://www.youthsporttrust.org/mental-wellbeing)

Impact

At St James Junior School, we ensure that our PE curriculum is progressive and allows children to develop fundamental skills and apply them to a variety of sports and activities. All children are provided with the skills and given opportunities to demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best. Our pupils are physically active and this has positive implications on their learning in the classroom. Children understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle and understand the importance of exercise. We hope children enjoy PE and develop a love of sport and physical activity, which they pursue outside of school and in future life outside of primary school. All pupils understand the values and importance of fair play and being a good sportsperson. Our aim is for Year 6 pupils to leave school with the skills to swim 25 metres competently.

Sports Premium 2022-23

Sport Premium is an amount of money which the government has allocated to schools to promote and develop the Physical Education and School Sport provision. Schools receive this funding based upon the number of children in the school.

We are committed to using this resource in developing high quality PE lessons, alongside greater opportunities for participation in a wide variety of sporting opportunities, competitions and clubs for all of our pupils.

2018/2019 was a very successful year for PE at SJJS. Because of increased participation, pupil involvement and participation in a range of intra and inter school sporting competitions and festivals, we qualified for the Silver School Games Mark through the Youth Sports Trust.