Were you successful in PE at school?
I personally loved PE at school and would go so far as to say that I was sporty but this had absolutely nothing to do with my physical ability. I was average at best but a few great teachers built my confidence and recognised my potential for leadership and teamwork so chose me as a house captain. Not your average captain average ability, quiet and not particularly popular – but being given the opportunity is something that I have always remembered. It’s these things that stick with children, boost confidence and give them the chance to succeed.
When teaching PE, we want to ensure success for every child. This is not a one size fits all approach. We are keen to adapt, grow and develop our practice to reach every child. Unfortunately, even young children can have developed a negative attitude towards PE if they see themselves as “not sporty”. Sometimes, the way PE is taught just feeds into this problem, creating an immediate divide between your ‘sporty’ and ‘non-sporty’ children, therefore disengaging a lot of the class. PE should not be about dividing children into those that can and those that can’t, but about allowing children to move through the progression of skills at their own pace, recognising their own success and supporting others. When children feel successful in their learning, they are far more likely to engage, challenge themselves and become learners for life.
‘Aim High, Work Hard, Be Kind’ is our school motto and something that is ingrained in our PE lessons.
If children are having fun and moving isn’t that all that matters?
In short, the answer is no. Although we would always want children to be moving and having fun, PE is part of the National Curriculum and learning is carefully planned out, just as every other subject in school. PE is a more complex subject than many people realise. So, who better to teach PE than qualified teachers who know how to get the most from their class, and are experts in delivering learning. The National Curriculum expects that fundamental movement skills are developed, along with agility, balance and coordination, both co-operatively and competitively. In addition to this the children are expected to participate in swimming lessons, and outdoor adventurous activity.
We began training and delivering Real PE at Coppice Valley in 2019, to ensure consistency and skills progression throughout school, following positive feedback from several local schools. This year, we have invested in becoming a Real Legacy school which allows us to work closely alongside a Real Legacy Leader to ensure high standards of PE delivery throughout school. At Coppice Valley, we are always striving to keep our training and research up to date, and moving forwards.
All of the fundamental movement skills can be applied in a wide range of sports. Remember, we have also been working on the Multi-Ability progression through Real PE too, e.g. building resilience, staying healthy, giving feedback, inventing games, considering tactics. The Multi-Ability Cogs include; Physical, Social, Personal, Creative, Cognitive, Health and Fitness, and when the children have all of these working together, they can be successful in PE.
What about taking part in sports and competition?
Now it is no secret that I can be a little competitive when it comes to sport! I am that parent that gets told to quieten down on the side lines at football. I am that teacher that will run across the field even though it is not permitted to cheer on the children in the relay race. I may have even whipped off my shoes and competed bare foot in the sports day adult race.
Of course, sports and competition have a place in our Physical Education but here’s how it works. Real PE builds children’s skills up to the point that they can complete the fundamental movement skills at such a high level, it is subconscious. This is aptly named the ‘Black Level’ where performing the skill becomes automatic, otherwise known as mastery level. Once children are at this level in their skills, they then have the brain space to consider tactics, rules and collaboration. I have witnessed as a parent, children being thrown too early into competitive sport with very little understanding of the game, or skills that they require, which can be both frustrating and dangerous. This way, the children are prepped to succeed.
This model of the conscious competence theory of learning a new skill illustrates this clearly, and can be applied to learning any new skill.
Competitions become part of the PE lessons as children reach that black/mastery level of subconscious skill. We are also part of the Harrogate School Sports Partnership which involves taking part in competitions at a level to suit their age group. For the younger children, for example, there will be no official winners but awards will be given out for displaying the School Games Values; Determination, Teamwork, Self-Belief, Respect, Passion and Honesty.
Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds
It will come as no surprise that Covid19 has affected many people’s physical and mental health, which includes our children, so we have pushed more than ever to ensure that our children have a broad range of access to physical activity. Research tells us that exercise reduces stress levels and produces endorphins, which make us feel happy. For those key worker children in school over lockdown, they did spend a great deal of time physically active outdoors. We are very fortunate at Coppice that we have a beautiful and vast outdoor space to learn in. We are passionate about outdoor learning generally but Covid19 gave us an excuse to be outside for most of the school day. For those at home, we had our own school PE challenges, along with the Real PE at Home, which the children can still access now.
Many families used the opportunity to explore our local area, and share their hidden gems with others. I know our family dog was very happy with all of the new walks. However, not everyone had that luxury with juggling work and home learning. I don’t think I would be exaggerating to say that some children became addicted to screens as families were just trying to survive each day, which needless to say can put a strain on their physical and mental health.
After the school closures, we found a big divide in children’s fitness levels, and were keen to close that gap. One of our big changes this year is that the children are now coming to school in their kit on PE days which means that children are spending longer actively participating in their lessons, and any fear of having to get changed in front of others is removed. Obviously, getting dressed is a skill itself that we are incorporating into our daily role-play in EYFS, where children can explore this in play without time restrictions. We are also using this opportunity to create exciting links with local clubs.
So far this term, we have been lucky enough to work with Cross Fit Harrogate, Harrogate Town FC, Sophie Zealand from Katrina Hughes School of Dance, Kixx Football Academy, and our Lower KS2 children have been on a Bushcraft Residential covering outdoor adventurous activity. Throughout the year, children throughout school from Y1-6, walk to the Hydro swimming pool for their lessons. We are also looking forward to working with Harrogate Gymnastics, I Want to Ride my Bike, and more.
The Bigger Picture
We know that exercise brings health benefits, including improving fitness, reducing obesity and reducing mental health issues. But research also suggests that children’s brains are better activated to learn in the classroom following exercise. Children need regular movement to focus.
PE is used as a learning tool to develop effective learning behaviours that can be applied in all lessons throughout school. Our aim is to give children the effective learning behaviours to become lifelong learners. The full potential of PE cannot be reached if we only focus on the physical. The traditional multi-activity approach doesn’t connect physical education with wider learning. This one-size-fits-all approach may be fun for some but it is unlikely to connect with long term learning. Primary physical education needs to concentrate on the core physical, cognitive, social and emotional learning that helps integrate children’s experiences and also sets up connections beyond the PE lesson.
This feels an exciting year for PE at Coppice Valley!
Written by Emma Baxter: PE Lead at Coppice Valley
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