Physical Education (PE)

At Queensgate, we strongly believe that PE develops a child’s knowledge, skill and understanding, so that they can perform with increasing competence and confidence in a range of physical activities for the long-term. A varied curriculum (in-line with the National Curriculum) is in place to support this, with activities including dance, athletics, gymnastics, games, swimming and water safety and outdoor adventure activities. Teachers from Nursery to Year 6 follow the Get Set 4 PE scheme of work (please see sample documents below.)

Physical education promotes an understanding in children of their bodies in action. It involves thinking, selecting and applying skills and promotes positive attitudes towards a healthy lifestyle. Thus, we enable children to make informed choices about physical activities throughout their lives.

Through the teaching of PE at Queensgate, we engage and challenge all of our children in a variety of ways, both through the varied curriculum we provide, and through our broad and vast variety of extra-curricular clubs, too. We currently employ a PE specialist to help deliver our curriculum and make sure that all staff are engaged in developing their PE subject knowledge.  Because of this, we have very clear intentions:

• Enable children to develop and explore physical skills with increasing control and co-ordination.
• Encourage children to work and play with others in a range of group situations.
• Develop the way children perform skills and apply rules and conventions for different activities.
• Show children how to improve the quality and control of their performance.
• Teach children to recognise and describe how their bodies feel during exercise.
• Develop the children’s enjoyment of physical activity through creativity and imagination.
• Develop an understanding in children of how to succeed in a range of physical activities and how to evaluate their own success.
• Assess pupils’ learning, analyse and interpret the results to inform future planning and lessons.

At Queensgate, we also see PE as vitally important in helping to contribute towards our children’s mental health and wellbeing. Our implementation sees each class partake in 2 hours of physical activity each week. In line with the National Curriculum, our long-term plan has been organised to meet the requirements of the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 programmes of study. Various games, dance and gymnastics units allow the children in Key Stage 1 to partake in a variety of team situations; to perform and master basic fundamental skills including throwing and catching, running and jumping and balance and agility. In Key Stage 2, children continue to develop these skills too, in competitive and non-competitive situations and also have the opportunity to take part in outdoor and adventurous activities and for the entire school year, children in Year 4 attend a weekly swimming lesson at Hazel Grove Leisure Centre.

In Early Years, Physical Development is one of the prime areas of learning. Opportunities for the children to develop both their fine and gross motor skills are always available in both the indoor and outdoor learning environments. The Reception children also take part in weekly PE sessions during which time they begin to develop their fundamental movement skills.

At Queensgate, we encourage the children to develop leadership skills through PE in a variety of ways. Our Sports' Council have many active roles throughout the week and we encourage Play Leaders in all year groups to co-ordinate a range of activities and games, both in curriculum time and at playtimes.

Children also have the opportunity for physical activity during morning and lunchtime breaks. Playground Leaders (trained pupils from Year 5) are on duty to co-ordinate a range of active playground games.

During the Summer term, we hold an ‘Eat, Fit, Keep Fit’ week which includes our Sports Day but also provides the children the chance to take part in a wide range of other physical activities for the entire week. Throughout the year, but especially in this week, cross-curricular links are made in many subjects. 

At Queensgate, we are supported by the Stockport SHAPES Alliance, which provides pupils from EYFS to Year 6 with the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sporting events and festivals- during the school day, and extra-curricular- held across the region. These all introduce a more competitive element into sporting activities. At Queensgate, we provide all children with a wide variety of extra-curricular sporting clubs, ranging from the traditional Football and Netball to Boxercise and Martial Arts. We also have excellent links with our community and are therefore actively able to encourage wider involvement at the many sports clubs and teams with whom we connect with.

We believe that because of everything we do, at Queensgate, in relation to physical education and sport, we have a positive impact on children’s outcomes, and, significantly, their mental health. Children leave Queensgate with an enjoyment of physical activity and sport.