Beatrix Potter School Physical Activity Policy

At Beatrix Potter we believe we have a responsibility to help students and staff establish and maintain lifelong habits of being physically active. According to the Chief Medical Officer (Department of Health), regular physical activity is one of the most important things people can do to maintain and improve their physical health, mental health, and overall well-being. Promoting a physically active lifestyle among young people is important because:

  • through its effects on mental health, physical activity can help increase students' capacity for learning
  • physical activity has substantial health benefits for children and adolescents, including favourable effects on endurance capacity, muscular strength, body weight, and blood pressure
  • positive experiences with physical activity at a young age help lay the basis for being regularly active throughout life.

Aims

  • To ensure the statutory P.E. curriculum is taught.
  • To make sure there is training for staff and all those involved in teaching physical education.
  • To provide a range of extra curricular activities and ensure the views of children/parents/staff are considered when choosing them.
  • To ensure children can enjoy active break times.
  • To promote the celebration of sporting events.
  • To promote inclusion.
  • For children to understand how exercise affects their body.
  • To develop the children’s enjoyment of physical activity through creativity and imagination.
  • To encourage children/parents/staff to keep fit in daily lives byencouraging walking or cycling to school as evidenced in school travel plan.
  • To manage the use of outside agencies to help with running ofclubs, workshops, activities etc.

Physical Education Lessons

All the pupils at Beatrix Potter School receive 1 hour of P.E. taught by a peripatetic teacher using a range of schemes and planning. This will ensure a broad and balanced curriculum throughout the year which contains continuity and progression and differentiation. Through use of adult support where appropriate, we make sure every student in each year, can participate in regular physical education, including students with disabling conditions and those in alternative education programs.

In addition, a further 1 hour or more of physical education is made up from lessons given by specialised teachers in dance (all children), tennis (Y1-6) and other coaches brought in for specific sporting pursuits. For years 5 and 6 we offer a school journey which involves water sports and trekking.

Therefore, all pupils receive at least 2 hours of physical education a week over the year.

(Students in the Foundation Stage shall participate in physical education for at least 60 minutes during each school week, and students in Key Stage 1 and 2 shall participate for at least 120 minutes per week).

The scheme of work makes effective use of school and community resources and equitably serve the needs and interests of all students and staff, taking into consideration differences of gender, cultural norms, physical and cognitive abilities, and fitness levels.