Physical Education (PE)
Physical Education is defined as learning to develop and care for the human body through movements produced by skeletal muscles.
PE CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
INDOOR PE PROGRESSION OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
OUTDOOR PE PROGRESSION OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Intent
Fairlawn Primary School recognises and values the importance of Physical Education (PE), aiming to develop a fun, inclusive, high-quality curriculum that inspires all pupils to succeed, whilst attaining optimum physical, emotional and social development and well-being.
By fully adhering to the aims of the national curriculum for physical education, we ensure that all pupils:
- develop confidence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
- are physically active for sustained periods of time
- engage in competitive sports and activities
- lead healthy, active lives
Our curriculum, which is underpinned by our school’s values, enables pupils to develop and embed a wide range of knowledge, skills and vocabulary.
We are also passionate about the need to teach pupils how to co-operate and collaborate with others as part of a team, alongside understanding fairness and the resilience to persevere; these are all pivotal life-long values.
Implementation
At Fairlawn, the PE curriculum is taught through the use of different schemes of learning; all in-line with the National Curriculum and all constructed to maximise quality of learning and outcomes:
EYFS and KS1 – Rising Star Champions (Outdoor PE), I-Moves (Indoor PE)
KS2 – The PE Hub (Outdoor PE), Rising Star Champions, I-Moves (Indoor PE)
All lessons are progressive, and time is built in to the curriculum to allow key skills to be repeated, practised and refined as and when necessary.
Every class has two hours of high quality physical education every week. These are either taught by the class teacher and/or our sports coach. Our teachers are encouraged to be reflective practitioners and are provided with CPD opportunities to further enhance the quality of teaching. Our sports coach is also available to provide team-teaching support to our two ECTs.
At Fairlawn, PE lessons follow a very important structure: warm-up and stretch; introduction of skill; practise of skill; application of skill; warm-down. This enables us to ensure that there is quality and consistency of teaching across the school.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is an important part of our school’s philosophy and we are currently applying for Healthy School’s status (silver award). In Years 2-6, pupils participate in the Mega Mile, whilst we regularly engage in competitions, e.g. The London Mayor’s Drink Water campaign and in national programmes, e.g. Eat Them to Defeat Them. We also send a team to the annual London Mini Marathon event in Westminster.
In Year 4, the children learn to swim at the local swimming pool through two-week intensive courses. We continue to monitor and assess their attainment right up until the end of Year 6 and offer booster sessions to those children who are yet to meet the national requirements.
We offer a wide range of after-school sports clubs run by teaching staff, our sports coach and outside agencies. We regularly monitor club attendance and will often send out personal invites to children who we feel would benefit most from additional activities.
Assessment is an important tool at Fairlawn. In the summer term, KS1 pupils are assessed on their ball skills and interventions are put in place, led by our sports coach, for those children who require additional practise and support. In addition to this, class teachers complete a half-termly assessment of Indoor PE. This information informs future planning and is shared with the PE subject leader and with parents (through the annual school report).
We are currently in our 18th year of membership with the Lewisham Sports Partnership programme (LSSP). This regularly brings a number of exciting opportunities to the school:
- Year 6 sports leader programme. Once trained, the leaders support KS1 and LKS2 interventions, lead lunchtime activities and are team captains at our annual sports day in July.
- Termly intra-school competitions (skipping, speed bounce and chest push), including whole-school finals
- Competitions with local schools (football, basketball, swimming, netball and athletics)
In 2021, we signed up for the Lewisham School Games Programme, enabling our children to compete in a range of sports with other local schools. In 2022, our basketball team qualified for the London Youth Games.
We are passionate about girls’ participation in sport. We currently have a Years 5 and 6 girls’ football team who compete in the Saturday Blackheath League. In 2024, they represented Millwall at the London Primary Stars Tournament. We are also a member of the Girls Football in Schools programme. Our netball team trains in the summer term.
We also believe in the importance of children having knowledge of sport beyond their own experiences. From Reception to Year 6, the children learn about a sporting hero each half-term. These range from past athletes like the legendary Muhammed Ali to a present Paralympian like Sophie Christiansen.
Sport in the community is very important to us. We have a fantastic relationship with our PTA who organise excellent events for the children, e.g. The Get Set to Tokyo active challenge and the Easter Bounce, whilst we regularly share sports information through our weekly newsletter and website. We have strong links with a number of local sports clubs and often signpost our Gifted and Talented athletes in their direction.
Impact
Children at Fairlawn make excellent progress in PE and are eager to attend after school sports clubs and competitive events.
Our curriculum aims to improve the wellbeing and fitness of all children at Fairlawn Primary School, not only through the sporting skills taught, but through the underpinning values and disciplines that PE promotes.
We aim to motivate children to participate in a variety of sports through quality teaching, equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to enable them to grow up to live happy and healthy lives.
All children must wear a suitable PE kit on their two designated PE days. You can refer to our kit policy below for further details:
Fairlawn PE Kit
| Indoor PE | Outdoor PE | |||
| Reception | White T-shirt or polo shirt Black/navy blue shorts or jogging bottoms Plimsolls (optional) | |||
| KS1 | White T-shirt or polo shirt Black/navy blue shorts Shoes and socks (removed on entry to hall) | White T-shirt or polo shirt Black/navy blue shorts Suitable footwear Plain tracksuit may be worn in colder weather | ||
| KS2 | White T-shirt or polo shirt Black/navy blue shorts Shoes and socks (removed on entry to hall) | White T-shirt or polo shirt Black/navy blue shorts Suitable footwear Plain tracksuit may be worn in colder weather |
Watches should be removed at the start of a lesson, stud earrings covered and long hair tied back.