Physical Education

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

Corinthians 6:19-20

Purpose of Study

The objective of our physical education curriculum, is to inspire every student to thrive and excel in competitive sports and other physically demanding activities. We aim foster physical confidence, supporting their overall health and fitness, while also instilling values such as fairness and respect through participation in sports and other physical endeavours.

Aims

The national curriculum for physical education aims to ensure that all students:

Develop the skills to excel in a diverse range of physical activities.
Maintain physical activity levels over sustained periods.
Participate in competitive sports and activities.
Lead healthy, active lifestyles.

Summary of Learning

Physical education is delivered using SHARES sports coaches and their unit plans, divided into key stages (EYFS, KS1, LKS2 & UKS2). Each key stage consists of six units per year, with identical units taught across all key stages simultaneously. Progression is evident as students advance through the years, with each unit focusing on skill development. Each lesson includes a learning objective, guiding students toward their final assessment for that unit.

P.E. Curriculum

Key Stage 1

Pupils will develop fundamental movement skills, becoming increasingly confident and capable. They should have access to a wide variety of opportunities to improve their agility, balance and coordination, both individually and when working with others. Pupils should take part in competitive (both personal best and against others) and cooperative physical activities in a range of progressively challenging contexts.

Pupils will be taught to:

master basic movements such as running, jumping, throwing and catching, while also developing their balance, agility and coordination, and begin to apply these skills across different activities
take part in team games, learning simple tactics for attacking and defending
perform dances using basic movement patterns

Key Stage 2

Pupils will continue to apply and develop a broader range of physical skills, learning how to use them in different ways and combine them to create sequences of movement. They will enjoy communicating, collaborating, and competing with one another. Pupils will also develop an understanding of how to improve in various physical activities and sports, and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own progress and success.

Pupils will be taught to:

use running, jumping, throwing and catching both on their own and in combination
play competitive games, adapted where appropriate (e.g. badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis), applying basic attacking and defending strategies
develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance (e.g. through athletics and gymnastics)
perform dances using a variety of movement patterns
take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges, both individually and in teams
compare their performances with previous attempts and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best

Swimming & Water Safety

At Our Lady of Walsingham, we provide swimming instruction as part of our Key Stage 2 curriculum.

Pupils will:

learn to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
develop the ability to use a variety of swimming strokes effectively, such as front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke
learn how to perform safe self-rescue in a range of water-based situations
Swimming lessons take place at Maghull Meadows Leisure Centre, and pupils travel to and from the pool with Maghull Coaches, ensuring safe and reliable transport for all sessions.