Physical Education
A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities. It should provide 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.
The national curriculum for physical education aims to ensure that all pupils:
- 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.
Key Stage 1
At Heap Bridge we ensure 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. We place value on engaging 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
In KS2 we develop this further ensuring children continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to linking them to make actions and sequences of movement. Our 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.
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.
Swimming and Water Safety
All schools must provide swimming instruction either in KS1 or KS2. At Heap Bridge we deliver a comprehensive swimming programme in Year 4. Any child not meeting the expectations set out below continue to access swimming provision in Year 5 and 6 if necessary.
In particular, pupils should be taught to:
- swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
- use a range of strokes effectively [for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke]
- perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
Justification
At Heap Bridge Religious Education (R.E.) has an essential role to play in preparing children to become knowledgeable, open-minded members of the diverse multi-religious world and multi-secular society that we live in today. Our ambitious RE curriculum aims to enable children to succeed in life. Religious Education enables children to explore in different ways religious and non-religious communities, through enquiry of life’s big questions through our in depth, sequenced curriculum. Religious Education allows children to explore what people believe and the difference this makes to how they live. Exploring religion in a depth through a progressive and sequenced curriculum builds a strong foundation and prepares the children for the next chapter in their life. We provide a safe space where they can make sense of the world around them whilst reflecting on their own personal knowledge, developing the tolerance and respect about the ways others live. We encourage our children and staff to take pride and celebrate their own personal traditions and each other’s traditions. We use the agreed local SACRE syllabus as the basis of our curriculum to ensure that we meet our obligations to provide Religious Education under the 1988 Education Act.
Statement of Intent
Many of our children here at Heap Bridge do not have a faith themselves and have minimal experiences of religion and so often start school with limited knowledge and skills involved in knowing about and learning from religion. Our curriculum is designed to broaden children’s knowledge and understanding of religion so that we can develop children who are tolerant and respectful of other’s differences and can live harmoniously in a multi-faith society.
Our curriculum for RE aims to ensure that all pupils:
1. Know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews, so they can:
- Describe, explain and analyse beliefs and practices, recognising the diversity which exists within and between communities and amongst individuals
- Identify, investigate and respond to questions posed, and responses offered by some of the sources of wisdom found in religions and worldviews
- Appreciate and appraise the nature, significance and impact of different ways of life and ways of expressing meaning
2. Express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions, so they can:
- Explain reasonably their ideas about how beliefs, practices and forms of expression influence individuals and communities
- Express with increasing discernment their personal reflections and critical responses to questions and teachings about identity, diversity, meaning and value, including ethical issues
- Appreciate and appraise varied dimensions of religion
3. Gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews, so they can:
- Find out about and investigate key concepts and questions of belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, responding creatively
- Enquire into what enables different individuals and communities to live together respectfully for the wellbeing of all
- Articulate beliefs, values and commitments clearly in order to explain why they may be important in their own and other people’s lives.
RE in the EYFS
At Heap Bridge our children will encounter religions and worldviews through special people, books, times, places and objects. They will listen to and talk about stories; being introduced to subject specific words and use all their sense to explore beliefs, practices and forms of expression. Our children will ask questions and reflect on their own feelings and experiences and use their imagination and curiosity to develop their appreciation of and wonder at the world in which they live in.
The most relevant statements for RE are taken from the following areas of learning-Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Understanding the World-
‘Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world.’ (EYFS Framework 2021)
Implementation Planning:
The locally agreed syllabus delivered at our school uses an enquiry based approach to the teaching and learning of RE in order to develop children’s critical thinking skills and increase their engagement and motivation to learn. This approach enables children to learn through a wide range of teaching and learning opportunities such as studying quality texts, through creating and studying art work, role play, trips and visitors to school. An overview of R.E. topics covered across each year group can be viewed below.
Statement of Intent:
For a full and comprehensive overview of our curriculum intent for RSHE, please read our RSHE Policy. This is embeded within an iframe below and also available for download using the One Drive at the bottom of this page.
Implementation Planning:
Subject Knowledge & Curriculum Planning
To ensure a clear focus on the above priorities the school has set out a detailed ‘Long Term Curriculum Implementation Plan’ which clearly sets out a progression framework for pupil’s acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding across the range of curriculum content taught from Reception to Year 6. This is embedded within the iframe below and also available to download from our embeded One Drive folders at the top and bottom of this page.
Impact
The impact of our work in RSHE is assessed using the end point statements at the end of the implementation plan. This is evidenced through children's finished work, discussions and observations made by the teacher. A sample of children's experiences across the curriculum can also be seen on our school blog.