What does PE look like at Meldreth Primary?
Our physical education curriculum aims to inspire all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically demanding activities. It provides opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities are provided to build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.
At Meldreth, we recognise the contribution of PE to the health and well-being of the children. We believe that an innovative, varied PE curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities have a positive influence on the concentration, attitude and academic achievement of all children.
We are committed to giving children over two hours of PE a week as part of their curriculum entitlement and many of our children are active members of sports clubs and activities provided by our school and the wider community. Competitive sport is valued and children are taught about sportsmanship.
Our Curriculum Aims
Our 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
Curriculum Content
Early Years
Physical development is one of the three prime areas of the early years foundation stage and our curriculum develops a child's movement, handling of objects, understanding of their own body and health and levels of self-care.
Staff focus on developing children’s physical development, teaching and developing the fundamental skills of movement, balance, coordination, flexibility and agility. All children participate in daily 5-a-day Fitness to increase daily physical activity in our classroom.
Children are engaged in physical activity through riding bikes, climbing, balancing, crawling and are also continually developing manipulative and fine motor skills through a wide range of activities such as threading, painting, building and cutting. Our children are given the opportunity to undertake activities that offer appropriate challenge, both indoors and outdoors, using a wide range of resources.
Key Stage 1
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. They are increasingly able to engage 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
Pupils continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They are encouraged to enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. Furthermore, 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
We provide swimming instruction in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in our on-site training pool and deep water swimming at Melbourn Sports Centre. In particular, we teach pupils:
- to enter and exit the pool safely
- to become confident within the water through games and activities
- water safety and safe conduct around the pool area
- to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of 25 metres
- to use a range of strokes effectively (for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke)
Download our whole school curriculum plan for PE by clicking the link below
Competitive Sport at Meldreth Primary School
We believe that sport is an important contributor to a pupil’s physical and emotional health, builds individual and cooperative skills as well as team spirit. Our PE curriculum in school aims to provide a safe, caring environment in which all children, irrespective of their physical ability can learn effectively through physical activities.
Within school PE sessions all children have the opportunity to take part in competitive spots through events such as:
- Within class teaching sessions
- Sports week
- Sports Day Within our local cluster of schools all children will have the opportunity to take part in competitive events such as:
- Year 1 Multi Sports
- Year 2 Tennis Tournament
- Year 3 Orienteering
- Year 4 Athletics
In addition to this provision after learning specific skills in class, or extra-curricular clubs, cluster and county sports events are organised for those children that show dedication to our sporting values of:
- Team Spirit
- Good Sportsmanship
- Exceptional Talent
- Dedication and Determination
- Positive Attitude
In addition at Meldreth Primary School we offer many after school sporting opportunities (see below for more details), often these activities are of a competitive nature. We encourage all our children to demonstrate good sporting values. Events in previous years have included:
- Y3-6 Netball (High 5’s)
- Y4-6 Football
- Y5/6 Cricket
- Y5/6 Rounders
- Y5/6 Tag Rugby
- Y5/6 Quadkids
- Y5/6 Hockey (Quicksticks)
…we provide opportunities for talented children to take part in a wide range of curricular and extra curricular activities to promote different individual skills. These include sports clubs and competitions with other schools…access to this provision is open to all, but pupils with particular talent will be encouraged to attend…
