We are proud to be awarded both the Gold 'School Games' and the Gold 'Healthy Schools' Award. This is testament to our commitment to support the health and wellbeing of all our pupils and staff, as well as providing equal opportunities to all.

At Thornton Dale, our PE curriculum is based on the National Curriculum. This has been built upon using Elevate's progression model (see below). We partner this alongside the resource Complete PE, approved by Youth Sport Trust, to ensure high quality PE lessons are taught.

Our PE curriculum is formed by three pillars: safe and nurturing environments, high expectations and our innovative approach.

 Our Intent 

Our Christian vision is focused on ensuring children feel safe, nurtured and valued. Providing a safe and happy learning environment is essential for us to challenge our children and encourage them to be resilient and determined. Children learn best when relationships are secure, and they feel psychologically safe.  We aim for all children to:  

- To have exceptionally high expectations for all aspects of the PE curriculum. We have a relentless determination that every child can achieve. PE has been a strength at school (as was reflected in 2019 OFSTED) and this needs to be maintained. We are committed to achieving excellence. 

- To inspire and challenge our children through an innovative teaching approach - this includes the use of specialised coaches who work with staff and children, and our opportunities pledge to ensure a wide range of experiences.

- To achieve excellent standards including all aspects of the PE National Curriculum; striving for every child to reach at least age-related expectations.

- To engage and excite our children through real, relevant and purposeful learning, including visits, specialist experts and opportunities to work with our parents and local community to enhance learning further.   

- To provide equal experiences for all our children to develop a love of physical education and a range of sports regardless of background or circumstance, by providing a range of exciting opportunities including extracurricular activities.

- To equip our children with the skills and knowledge they need to be physically active, develop healthy lifestyles, make healthy choices, and also know the positive impact this has on long-term health and wellbeing.

- To enable our children to articulate their learning confidently, remembering knowledge and vocabulary. 

- To encourage all children to be advocates of sport, being proud of their individual achievements and as team players.

- To ensure any inactive learners are inspired to engage with physical opportunities offered to them and all learners build fitness through sustained periods of daily exercise

- To prepare and inspire our children for further learning in PE in secondary school and beyond.

Our Implementation 

- In EYFS, Physical Education is taught primarily through a play-based curriculum that focuses on both gross and fine motor skills. Coordination, balance and agility are developed through opportunities both in and outside the classroom with a focus on building core strength and awareness of risk and opportunity.

- Throughout KS1-KS2, PE is taught twice weekly through discrete lessons. The curriculum is mapped from physical development in EYFS to the national curriculum objectives from Y1-6. The curriculum progresses each year (see curriculum progression document). 

- Forest Schools is taught across the school with each year group, from EYFS to Year 6, accessing a term of learning throughout the year. This encourages a non-competitive love of physical activity and connection to nature and the natural world, helping to build children’s understanding of the value of physical education. This is with a familiar adult to push children’s own personal boundaries and support risk taking. Our forest school curriculum is nurture driven, yet skills based.

- Specialist coaches are used throughout the year to enhance both the children’s learning and the subject knowledge of the staff.

- Curriculum design ensures competitive opportunities are available for all children, through internal fixtures once a half term. We have made links with local schools to partake in small scale external competitions fortnightly to ensure children are ready to participate in the competition pathway. This supports transition and readiness for secondary school and provides children the opportunity to represent the school.

- Children in Y3/4 are given the opportunity to secure the National Curriculum swimming requirements, leaving time in Y5 and Y6 for further development if needed.

- A breadth of physical opportunities is enhanced through the year with specialist visits, ranging from Olympic cyclists to climbing walls. Our Opportunities Pledge enhances our PE Curriculum by ensuring that every child has access to a range of alternative physical exercise opportunities. An example of this is our sport day in our annual Happy Fest.

- A wide range of extra-curricular opportunities are provided to enhance mainstream physical education through a series of afterschool clubs provided by specialist coaches.

- New resources invested, including cross curricular play equipment, to improve provision during lunch and break times. Our play leaders support and train our sports leaders to deliver, inspire and play games during breaktimes and lunch time to sustain physical activity. Our sports leaders become sporting role models for the younger children and develop their leadership skills

- Investment into the high-quality PE resource 'Complete PE', approved by Youth Sport Trust, ensures our teachers are supported in delivering enriching lessons to enhance pupil’s knowledge and skills and revisit prior learning, progression in physical and physical literacy skills is clear and the overall quality of PE across school is improved. 

- Enrichment days are offered at least once a half term to make children aware of clubs local to them. This also broadens children's experiences of a variety of different sports.

- Fruit is provided for all children, including KS2 children to promote healthy lifestyles and deeper understanding of physical education.

- Sports leaders (KS2 children) are trained in the Autumn Term who support play at breaktimes, demonstrate pupil voice and monitor resources.

- A staff member has become a Play Leader who supports children’s play, set activities at breaktimes and support external fixtures. Play leaders role includes encouraging groups such as girls and SEN to partake in sports.

- Thornton Dale PE tops have been invested in to promote our sporting culture out of school. Children are proud to represent our school at fixtures. These tops are funded by our annual fundraising events ie. Sponsored Walk/ Sponsored Colour Run.

- Our PE display is updated and added to frequently. It includes up to date news headlines to represent individuals and their achievements, whilst inspiring our children. Children’s achievements are shared on the wall to promote our nurturing and valued approach, as well as also being shared in our weekly celebration assemblies.

Our Impact 

The impact of our PE approach is that:

 - Assessment outcomes are strong, and children make outstanding progress in PE.

- Children understand and can articulate the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle, encouraging them to take responsibility of their own health, wellbeing and fitness.

- Children have increased confidence, motivation and understanding towards a broad range of sports and have developed skills within these.

- Children enjoy participating in a variety of sport both in and out of school, developing lifelong healthy habits. This is enabled by the safe, supportive environment provided and the nurturing relationships between staff and children.

- Children can talk confidently about PE and their learning, including subject specific vocabulary.

- Children strive for sporting success and have developed skills that underpin life such as resilience, team work and sportsmanship.

- Through specialist coaches, CPD training and Complete PE resources, staff are confident and supported in delivering high quality PE lessons that are engaging, challenging and fun. 

Click here to read more information on our Sports Premium.

Please see our PE Curriculum below:

Please see our long term plan for 2024/25 below: