PE
Physical Education
At Ashbury Meadow, Physical Education (PE) promotes active and healthy lifestyles, improved physical skills, personal physical development and knowledge of the body in action. These are invaluable knowledge and skills which will support our pupils throughout their education and, ultimately, enhance their quality of life throughout adulthood. Knowledge and skills are acquired through our spiral curriculum, which promotes fitness, enhances strength and physical technique, and familiarises pupils with the rules of games. PE enables pupils to learn confidence, perseverance, team spirit, positive competitiveness and organisation, all of which enhance their collaboration and communication skills. Ashbury Meadow’s rights-respecting ethos also allows pupils to develop the skills of fairness and respect in sporting activities.
Pupils in EYFS have weekly PE lessons, with lessons in Reception being delievered by specialist coaches from City in the Community (CITC). Pupils in KS1 and KS2 have 2 weekly PE lessons, of which one is delivered by CITC coaches in conjunction with the class teacher. This lesson focusses on fundamental movement skills, but also teaches the physical skills needed to succeed in a range of sports. The second PE lesson is often taught by the class teacher. In KS1, this largely builds on the skills taught in the first lesson. In KS2, children learn the rules and tactics for a range of sports, such as basketball, football and cricket. This second PE lesson can also include dance, a topic taught by by an external dance specialist. Vocabulary is taught discretely through lessons and pupils are challenged on what the vocabulary means as part of their ongoing assessment for learning. Year 4 pupils also attend weekly swimming lessons throughout the year.
Our school has achieved the Gold Schools Games Mark over the last 4 applicable years, and we are now in the process of applying for the platinum award. In doing this, we offer a variety of high-quality sporting opportunities at our school. Pupils develop their personal and team sportsmanship through inter-school and intra-school matches, which are often hosted at Ashbury Meadow. This includes the involvement of targeted teams for least-active pupils, pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Pupils also compete in a range of local competitions and extra-curricular clubs before and after school. Moreover, our lunchtime sporting initiatives, such as pupil sports leaders, ensure that all pupils are active between morning and afternoon lessons.