Sport

The structure of the PE programme for this age group develops the basic movement skills of each child further through the introduction of Gymnastics, where children are able to explore different movement patterns (to develop their flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance) whilst working collaboratively (through paired and group performance and analysis). The children will also continue to learn the life skill of swimming so that they feel confident, competent and safe in the water.

For this age group, pupils will also be introduced to both general and specific sports that facilitate both ‘hand-eye’ and ‘foot-eye’ coordination to encourage each individual to gain the greatest amount of physical body awareness to improve their fundamental movement skills – again, without compromising the overall ethos of enjoyment.

Sports covered: Swimming, Gymnastics, Invasion Games, Dance, Athletics, Basketball, Football

“Sport Education Model”

This approach to PE provides children with a more authentic experience of sport as pupils participate in ‘seasons’ that last a term, rather than completing half term units of work.

The aim of this model is for pupils to take an active role in their own sport experience by serving in varied and realistic roles that we see in authentic sport settings such as; captains, coaches, statisticians, trainers, officials, publicists and health and safety.

Whilst there is still a focus on developing each child’s physical skills, there is an important emphasis on developing their social and emotional qualities that ultimately spark enthusiasm and enjoyment towards participating in sport.

Each pupil will belong to a team that aims to develop their character, confidence and their connections with others through team names, chants and uniforms as they work together to learn and develop new skills, tactics and respectively compete against other teams.

Success is not reflected solely by a team’s win-loss record but by the overall performance of the team and its members. Familiarising our pupils with the skill sets required to train and compete at their level is vital for their long-term development. Each scheme of work is designed to teach the skills essential for a pupil of a particular age and this expands year upon year.

Children are coached in rugby, football, hockey, netball and cricket. School matches start at Lower 2 withteams playing fixtures against other local prep schools as well as taking part in IAPS national tournaments.

Games lessons take place twice a week and are taught by a motivated and highly qualified coaching staff who always promote excellence and enjoyment at the individual and team level.

In the Infants pupils are exposed to a wide variety of sports and physical activities, termly rotations of swimming, dance and real PE take place in Reception, Lower and Upper One. A double lesson of games is taught once a week with the sports rotating every half term. This programme covers: cricket, football, hockey, athletics, netball and rugby.