PE at Thornhill
Hello, my name is Mr Ayres and I am the PE teacher at Thornhill Primary School. I have always been interested in sport and physical activity and I enjoy jogging, getting out on my mountain bike and hiking. My job is very exciting as I get to witness the passion the children have for sport daily.
To contact Mr Ayres please email: gayres.teacher@thornhill.durham.sch.uk
Please see below for the amazing sports and activities we have planned for the children this academic year:
Progression of Skills and Knowledge in PE
Philosophy |
PESSPA (Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity) at Thornhill Primary School
PESSPA is at the heart of Thornhill Primary School. As a staff team we have the following aims: For our children to enjoy being active For all children to be physically literate For all children to have the knowledge, skills and motivation to equip them for a lifelong healthy lifestyle For all children to have the potential to participate in lifelong physical activity and sport For all our children to experience competitive sport For our children to develop important life skills through regular sport For our children to be confident in the water and be able to perform safe self-rescue
At Thornhill Primary School we have amazing facilities for our pupils to flourish. We have a 3G multi-surface, ideal for PE lessons. The school grounds benefit from two multi-sport pitches, low level climbing course, sand pit with run up area, sprint track, a large field and forest school area. Each class at Thornhill Primary School take part in 30-minute daily PE lessons. In Key Stage 1 our children master the fundamentals of sport allowing them to excel in a range of physical activities as they get older. We work alongside Treetops Occupational Therapy and value their expertise to support children’s fundamental movement skills. All of our children benefit from this bespoke programme during PE lessons. We also teach our children to lead healthy active lifestyles to take into adulthood. Our children are physically active for sustained periods of time, helping them to reach the target of sixty minutes of physical activity per day set by the Government. We have a school buddy system where older children run sport and physical activity sessions at break and lunch times allowing children to be active for 45 minutes over theirallocated break time each day. We have funded extra swimming lessons, allowing our children to swim over several school years. Our children have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of competitive sports leagues, festivals and competitions ran by Education Enterprise Ltd. At Thornhill Primary we are creating closer links with local sports clubs to help signpost our children to out of school sport. We have closer relationships with a number of clubs in the local area. At Thornhill Primary School we use the School Games Values to teach our children about important life skills such as teamwork, respect, determination, passion, honesty and self-belief. We recognise the importance of having a healthy mind and body. We have recently been awarded the Gold School Games Award, an achievement which demonstrates the staff and children’s passion for physical education, school sport and physical activity. |
Intent: What we are trying to achieve through our curriculum… |
Our aim is to deliver an ambitious and exciting curriculum; that is accessible to all our children in school from EYFS to Year 6.
The intent is to offer our children the opportunity to take part in a broad range of activities where they get to be active for sustained periods of time and experience healthy competition. We aim for each child to be confident and capable participants, who enjoy the subject and develop the skills and knowledge to tackle new concepts and challenges with a positive can-do attitude. At Thornhill Primary, we recognise that children need to develop fundamental movement skills to enable them to become competent and confident movers who can access the range of activities on offer to them. Physical activity starts in EYFS with fine and gross motor experiences developed incrementally. At key stage 1 children master basic movements, participate in team games and perform dances using movement patterns. Pupils continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills in key stage 2. Children 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. We follow the National Curriculum for Physical Education, which aims to ensure that all children: develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities |
Implementation: How our curriculum is delivered… |
Our curriculum is delivered through daily PE lessons (30 minutes) that are challenging and enjoyable. We cover a wide range of sports and activities in line with the national curriculum.
Our children swim continuously in two academic years. Currently we use the sports premium money to purchase two extra lessons, allowing our year 3, 4 and 5 classes the chance to swim weekly. We use the sports premium funding to invite local sports coaches and health professionals to deliver sessions to our children and have a number of after school clubs for children to attend. This provides our children with a wide range of sporting experiences and makes links with the community so our children can take part in sport outside of school. We enter a wide range of sporting events, festivals and competitions for all our children to attend, through Go Well and the Education Enterprise Legacy. Historically we always spend above and beyond the money we receive from the sport’s premium money. We track our children’s participation and send the appropriate children to events in line with the new school games framework. We encourage an active playtime where children receive 30-40 minutes of playtime per day. We use playground leaders to help run activities.
We use a range of purposeful assessment systems to ensure coverage, challenge and understanding of key concepts. Within lessons, through questioning, discussions and tasks, teachers are continuously monitoring pupils’ progress. Children also take part in core tasks and use the bronze, silver and gold assessment method to understand their own progress and how to improve further. Each class take part in Forest School and each class have taken part in Team Up Kids, a programme that promotes both physical and mental health. During lunchtime, we have a wide variety of structured activities led by specialist teachers. There are activities which focus on fundamental movement skills, activities led by buddies and team games including team practice sessions. Active travel is promoted through the WOW Travel Tracker where children earn badges for walking, cycling or scooting to school. We also take part in the Big Pedal and Bike ability courses. We work closely with Tree Tops Occupational Therapy to provide children with extra support if they experience any motor and sensory difficulties. We are continuously striving to better ourselves by looking for CPD (continuing professional development) opportunities. We ensure that all staff are trained in and share these key principles that run throughout the subject, across all year groups.
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Impact: The difference our curriculum is making… |
The impact Physical Education has on our children is enormous. The children speak positively about PE and enjoy taking part in daily lessons. We believe the 30minute daily lesson makes a difference physically, mentally and socially. The progress they make both academically and in sport is excellent. This is evident in the monitoring and tracking of progress. Our children also perform well at festivals and competitions, with organising staff often commenting on the skills and excellent attitude of the children. We also take part in competitive leagues against other schools where we perform exceptionally well.
Our participation and focus on PE also supports behaviour and attitudes as it helps develop British Values such as tolerance and respect and develops skills such as teamwork, co-operation and perseverance. The link with our Occupational Therapist means pupils are supported with their self-regulation and motor skills, which make an impact in the classroom. Our buddies also do an amazing job and their impact can be seen during playtimes, as they lead circle games and children enjoy the structured activities which helps support excellent behaviour. There are a variety of activities over lunchtime for children to participate in. During the 2022-23 academic year we want every child to attend at least one sporting event where they represent the school in a competition, festival or league. Through daily lessons our children also develop important like skills such as perseverance, determination and sportsmanship. Our aim is for this to help children as they progress through year groups, key stages and move into secondary school. PE also helps teach children about British Values such as respect and tolerance for others. Through PE reading is encouraged for example children lead warm ups and follow the cards.
Our children get to take part in many wonderful sporting opportunities, such as the World Cup School Event, Mascots at Shildon AFC, various sporting leagues, competitions and events. We have a wide range of sporting after clubs available to all pupils free of charge. For our younger pupils, they participate in weekly fundamental movement sessions with experts. Our pupils have also had the change to work with professional footballers and athletes and have the opportunity to also find out about careers within sport which are available to them.
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