Physical Education

‘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.’

At Harpenden Academy we aim to:

develop practical skills to excel in broad range of physical activity.
lead active healthy lives.
engage in competitive sports and activities.

Our curriculum drivers shape our approach to teaching PE so that every opportunity is taken to relate PE to the needs of our pupils. PE is studied throughout each academic year and across each key stage so that pupils can gain a growing developmental understanding of the matters, skills and processes in our curriculum. Coherent contexts for learning engage ad involve pupil.

We assess termly using the Complete PE assessment criteria which help us to ensure that the children are making expected or accelerated progress. The children are assessed in all areas of the PE national curriculum.

Swimming

Swimming and water safety has been a requirement of the curriculum since 1994. The aim is for all children to leave primary school with a basic ability to swim competently. Requirements are broken down into:

· swimming 25 metres

· using a range of strokes

· knowing how to self-rescue.

Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 all have 1 term of swimming lessons at our local Harpenden Leisure Centre. Any child not meeting these swimming requirements are offered lessons in Year 6 to get them up to this standard.

Adaptability in PE

Our PE curriculum is designed with adaptability in mind, using the STEP principle (Space, Task, Equipment, People) to ensure inclusivity and engagement for all students. We offer a broad range of activities that support the 5 ways to well-being, including health-related exercises and accessible sports like Boccia. Our equipment variety, including different sized balls, balls with bells, and reaction balls, allows us to cater to the diverse needs of our students, ensuring everyone can participate and benefit from our program.

Sports Premium

School Sports funding is specific money put into primary schools by the government to improve PE for every child. This money is ring-fenced, to be spent only on provision of PE and sport in schools.

Our aims are to:

increase engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity
raise the profile of PE and sport across the school as a tool for whole school improvement
raise standards of PE teaching through increased confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport
widen the opportunities for pupils to experience a range of sports and activities at school
increase the levels of participation in competitive sport

Please click here to access our Sports Premium website page to find out more