At Leigh Academy Milestone we aim to inspire all children to develop a love of physical activity and sport. Promoting ‘physical literacy’ is at the core of our day-to-day practice to ensure children have the opportunities to enhance motivation and confidence, physical competence and knowledge; and develop an understanding of the importance of movement and exercise in maintaining good health. We aim to deliver high-quality teaching and learning opportunities that inspire all children to succeed in physical education and also help to develop associated life skills. We listen to what our children say and try to provide positive experiences through our PE curriculum, as well as expand and broaden opportunities through an engaging extra-curricular programme across the academy.
- Through quality physical education, whole school values and a whole child approach, we aim to nurture confident, resilient children who will always strive for their personal best.
- Children will meet the national curriculum expectations in P.E. and we support children to develop mastery of concepts and inspire enthusiasm and interest in the subject.
- We strive to develop our pupils’ understanding of how to live with a healthy lifestyle and make healthy choices.
- We aim to ensure that our delivery of physical education leads to all pupils leaving our academy with the skills and mindset to be successful in their sporting challenges and active lifestyles at school and beyond.
- We are dedicated to ensuring that our children are well supported and their well-being is a priority; through P.E we develop healthy minds and bodies.
- The subject leader for P.E. will meet the senior leadership team and representatives from the Trust on a regular basis to evaluate provision in order to ensure that teaching and learning in P.E. is highly effective.
- Staff CPD is a core focus and there is a staff development programme in place which has been working to upskill teaching staff and support staff to create a sustainable way to develop the standards of PE across the academy. This is done via a mixture of online and face-to-face training from the following organisations: Complete PE (PE curriculum delivery) Progressive Sports, (PE curriculum delivery) Take Pride (Born to Ride Cycling Scheme) MATP GB Special Olympics (Enhancing PE curriculum for high needs and PMLD classes) and Rebound Therapy (to enhance this provision)
- All classes are working towards ensuring young people have 60 active minutes per day. This is achieved through creating timetabled slots for: The Daily Mile, Yoga, structured movement breaks, interactive whiteboard activities such as Just Dance or brain breaks, chair aerobics, SMILE room sensory regulation activities and physiotherapy programmes.
- We also have weekly timetabled sessions for Aqua Learn Hydrotherapy and Rebound Therapy for PMLD and high needs classes.
- Lessons are planned through the national curriculum, considering the importance of both the breadth and depth of learning.
- We use Complete PE to map and guide our curriculum. This platform is an interactive physical education resource designed to support the implementation of a high-quality PE curriculum. This enables classes across the academy to have access to high-quality planning with challenging learning, ongoing staff CPD, resources from the Youth Sports Trust and an effective assessment tool to to track PE attainment and physical activity levels.
- The gym and outside space are timetabled in order to give each class an equal opportunity to access P.E. lessons.
- The subject leader for P.E. has mapped out the curriculum, to ensure that there is a coherent sequence, which progressively builds skills and knowledge.
- We regularly take part in offsite sporting events for Kent School Games, intra school KSENT sports fixtures and LAT sporting events as well as hosting our own inter-school activities. This allows students across the school the opportunity to develop teamwork, communication and leadership skills in a fun but competitive environment.
- A key aim has been to develop the swimming ability of our students across the school and we take part in weekly sessions at Fairfield Leisure Centre over the academic year. We offer weekly lessons led by a qualified coach to students, starting at key stage 1 right through to key stage 4.
- We have a strong focus on enhancing students’ experience of physical activity through creating a strong programme of extra curricular activities. We have many sports clubs and enrichment activities on offer and regularly have coaches running sessions from Dartford FC, Progressive Sports, Olympia Boxing, Kent Cricket, Kent Rugby and Take Pride to offer our students a chance to develop new skills and broaden their experience.
- Pupil voice is used to inform planning and implementation of any sport clubs and sport enrichment. Student surveys apprise us of activities students wish to participate in and as a result we have set up many different clubs in sports like football, basketball, boccia and multi sports, archery, dance and martial arts.
Experience in PE should provide a depth of learning in a positive and engaging environment. Basic underlying principles and skills will have been practised as well as the opportunities to develop these into more complex processes. Pupils will enhance physical development and movement patterns through improving agility, balance and coordination. They will develop knowledge and skills associated with different sports and gain an understanding of tactics. Pupils will improve physiologically and psychologically through developing physical literacy on their learning journey at Leigh Academy Milestone.
Pupils will be confident to try new things and take risks. They will be able to make quick decisions and choices when planning tasks or performances. They will have a range of strategies for solving problems and show resilience to keep going when they find things difficult. Pupils will understand the benefits of working in different group dynamics. They will have the confidence to lead and support others. They will understand the importance of physical activity in a wider context and possess the skills and enthusiasm to develop their learning further.