Our Sports Curriculum

All the children at St. Mary’s have two hours of curriculum PE and sport each week. Our programme of study meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. Our curriculum also emphasises the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle. Lessons are taught by a combination of school staff and specialist sports coaches.

School Based Lessons

The table below shows the sports being undertaken through the year by each each year group:

 In Addition to School Based Lessons

• Y5 & Y6 each attend a weekly swimming lesson at Denton Wellness Centre once a week.
• Y5 are trained to lead play activities through the JPLA (Junior Play Leader Award) scheme.
• Y6 are given the opportunity to try out a number of Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA) during their residential visit to Robinwood Activity Centre.
• Y3-6 have sessions led by coaches from Lancashire County Cricket Club and Sale Sharks, during spring and summer.

Extra Curricular Sport and Competitions

The children are also given the opportunity to participate in a wide range of extra curricular and competitive sporting activities at school, local and regional level.

Their participation in these events fosters qualities such as self confidence, respect, team spirit, loyalty and self control.

Each year we take part in a wide range of sports competitions including: football, High 5, volleyball, basketball, Tag Rugby, swimming, cricket, indoor and outdoor athletics, cross country, cheerleading, dance, badminton, dodgeball and handball, often meeting with success. 

Our High 5 team have represented Tameside at the County Games for a number of years. Our Tag Rugby team have also played at county level. Our high quality provision has received national recognition through the Activemark award and we have recently been awarded the highest Sainsbury School games Gold Award.

Links with Local Clubs and Sports Associations

We are active members of the following sports associations:

• Tameside Catholic Schools Sports Association
• Tameside Sports Development Trust
• Tameside FA League

We are also affiliated to the following local sports clubs:

• Denton Youth Football Club
• East Cheshire Harriers
• Denton Netball Club
• Denton Dolphins
• Denton West End Cricket Club

Keep up with the latest sports news here and please find more information about our extra-curricular clubs and activities here.

Physical Education Statement of Intent

At St. Mary’s, we aim to provide a PE curriculum that pupils from Reception to Year 6 not only enjoy but also allows them to experience a range of activities that help them to develop their health, fitness and wellbeing. We intend to offer a high-quality physical education curriculum that inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically demanding activities. It provides 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. Through our teaching of PE, we will provide opportunities for pupils to develop values and transferrable life skills as well as providing them with opportunities to take part in a wide range of competitive sport.

It is our aim at St. Mary’s RC Primary School to develop and encourage:

• develop competence 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

Physical Education Statement of Implementation

At St. Mary’s, we know that P.E. is an integral part of our curriculum. We believe that the subject inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in physically demanding activities and helps them to become confident in a way which supports their health and fitness throughout their lives. Therefore, we believe that our children should be physically active every day, whether through daily physical activity, P.E. lessons, swimming lessons, lunchtimes or extra-curricular activities. We also believe that children should have the opportunity to compete in sport and other activities that build character and help to embed values such as teamwork, fairness and respect. Each class throughout the school will have at least 2 hours of PE per week.

EYFS

As part of the EYFS statutory framework pupils are taught:

Physical development: involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

Moving and handling: children show good control and co-ordination in large and small movements. They move confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space. They handle equipment and tools effectively.

Health and self-care: children know the importance for good health of physical exercise, and a healthy diet, and talk about ways to keep healthy and safe

Key stage 1

Pupils develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others. They are able to engage in competitive (both against self and against others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations. Pupils are taught to:

• master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities
• participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending
• perform dances using simple movement patterns.

Key stage 2

Pupils continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.

Pupils are taught to:

• use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
• play competitive games, modified where appropriate [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis], and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
• develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics]
• perform dances using a range of movement patterns
• take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team
• compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.

Teaching staff use the PEHub to carefully plan and craft lessons that challenge and allow the children to make excellent progress. Lessons are taught by both teaching staff and external coaches who provide expertise in a range of fields.

PE Curriculum Progression