Teaching Children to Love and Respect Their Bodies 

As part of our teaching in RE and Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE), we help children recognise that God gives them healthy bodies that they need to care for. Physical exercise helps to maintain their fitness and mental wellbeing. 

PE

PE is a practical subject which enables all pupils to participate in enjoyable, exciting and challenging activities. There are many forms available at the school in addition to PE lessons, horse-riding as part of emotional wellbeing for some learners, swimming and inter school competitions as part of our membership of the Forest Heath Sports Partnership. Many children also attend after school clubs that provide a wide range of sports activities including archery, basketball and dance. We hold a Healthy Schools Award and are committed to providing a wide-ranging curriculum for the development of physical, personal, social and intellectual skills and promotes a love of exercise into adulthood. Our Forest School provision from Nursery to Year 2 provides opportunities for movement and outdoor learning. Forest School is also offered to older vulnerable learners. We work with West Suffolk Council and Premier Sport to provide holiday sporting programmes for vulnerable pupils through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme.

Intent

PE develops pupils’ physical competence and confidence, and their ability to use these to perform in a range of activities. PE provides opportunities for pupils to be creative, competitive and to face up to different challenges as individuals and in groups and teams. It promotes positive attitudes towards active and healthy lifestyles. Pupils learn how to think in different ways to suit a wide variety of creative, competitive and challenging activities. They learn how to plan, perform and evaluate actions, ideas and performances to improve their quality and effectiveness. Through this process, pupils discover their aptitudes, abilities and preferences, and make choices about how to get involved in lifelong love of moving.

Implementation

Physical Education is taught by the class teacher,  and sports coach as this is a sustainable approach brought about through the Sports Premium funding.

Years 1 – 6 receive two hours of PE a week. The subject leader provides details of the programme of activities to be covered during each term. St Louis PE Curriculum uses resources from Complete PE Curriculum. The school follows the National Curriculum to ensure all skills are covered. We offer half an hour of swimming per week for 1 term in each year for years 3 and 4. In Year 6, children not yet meeting swimming goals attend lessons too. Swimming takes place at Abbeycroft Swimming Pool in Newmarket.

All areas of the curriculum are covered which consists of:

• Games
• Gymnastics
• Dance
• Athletics
• Swimming

There is also a high uptake at Sports Clubs offered before and after school. With a focus on well-being, the ethos of the joys of moving are promoted at St Louis. We have trained Year 6 Sports Leaders and Play Leaders to lead children in active play. 

Impact

The impact reflects what we have achieved from our intent, and we can see it by the vast array of activities and opportunities for sport in school. 

Pupils have the opportunity to be involved in competition outside of PE lessons with local schools through Forest Heath Sports Partnership. We are proud of our record of achievement at county level but also of our inclusive approach to engaging all children in competitions. 

Our PE Subject Leader works with a Year 6 teacher to prepare children for competitions. 

At St Louis, children often say that PE is a favourite learning activity.