Our St Columba's PE Curriculum

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At St Columba’s, we aim to deliver a high-quality Physical Education curriculum that inspires all pupils to develop a lifelong love of physical activity. Through our use of the Get Set 4 PE scheme, we ensure that learning is progressive, inclusive, and accessible to all.

Our intent is to:

• Develop pupils’ competence and confidence in a broad range of physical activities 

• Build fundamental movement skills in EYFS and Key Stage 1 as a foundation for future learning 

• Provide opportunities for pupils to apply skills in competitive and cooperative contexts 

• Promote physical health, mental wellbeing, and active lifestyles 

• Ensure all pupils, including those with SEND and those less active, can succeed and enjoy PE 

From the earliest years, children develop their fundamental movement skills, physical confidence and enjoyment of movement through a progressive curriculum that builds towards increasingly complex skills, games and sporting experiences. We provide a broad and balanced range of activities including gymnastics, dance, games, athletics, outdoor adventurous activities, fitness and team sports, enabling every child to discover activities they enjoy and experience success.

Inclusion underpins every aspect of our curriculum. We recognise that children develop at different rates and arrive with different experiences, interests and levels of confidence. Our teaching focuses on individual progress, enjoyment and participation, ensuring that all pupils feel valued, supported and appropriately challenged. We celebrate effort, resilience, teamwork and personal achievement alongside physical performance, creating an environment where every child can experience success.

Our curriculum is continually reviewed and refined through pupil voice, staff feedback and ongoing evaluation. By listening to our children and responding to their experiences, we ensure that our PE provision remains relevant, engaging and representative of our school community.

Ultimately, our ambition is that every child leaves St Columba's Primary School as a physically literate young person—confident in movement, motivated to be active, respectful of others and equipped with the knowledge, skills and positive experiences needed to lead a healthy, active and fulfilling life. We want every pupil, regardless of their background, identity or ability, to know that there is a place for them in sport and physical activity, both within school and beyond.

 

School Sport (School Games and Competition)

At St Columba's Primary School, we believe that competition is an important part of every child's physical education journey. Our intent is to provide a wide range of competitive opportunities that enable all pupils to develop confidence, resilience, teamwork and a love of being active, while promoting positive attitudes towards sport.

We recognise that competition looks different for every child. Therefore, we offer a balance of intra-school competitions, inter-school festivals, School Games events and personal challenge events, ensuring that all pupils, regardless of ability or experience, have opportunities to participate, achieve success and represent our school. We participate in both competitive events and inclusive events, so all our children find joy and confidence in being active.

Our approach is underpinned by the School Games Values:

• Passion – encouraging children to enjoy taking part and always give their best. 

• Self-Belief – helping pupils develop confidence in their own abilities and celebrate personal progress. 

• Respect – demonstrating fairness, kindness and respect towards teammates, opponents, officials and everyone involved. 

• Honesty – promoting integrity, fair play and doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. 

• Determination – encouraging children to persevere, overcome challenges and never give up. 

• Teamwork – working collaboratively, supporting one another and recognising that everyone has an important role to play. 

Throughout the academic year, pupils have opportunities to participate in many events, such as football, netball, athletics, cross-country, tennis, cricket, rugby, basketball, swimming, boccia, dodgeball,  Key Steps Gymnastics and multi-skills competitions, alongside inclusive festivals that celebrate participation and personal achievement.

We like to celebrate not only success in competition but also the values, effort and sportsmanship shown by our pupils.

At St Columba's, our goal is for every child to experience the excitement of competition in a supportive and inclusive environment. We want pupils to leave our school understanding that success is measured not only by winning, but by showing courage, respect, perseverance and a willingness to challenge themselves. Through these experiences, we aim to develop confident, resilient and respectful young people who enjoy participating in sport and physical activity throughout their lives.