Our Vision
To inspire and enable all children to lead a physically active life, helping them to develop physical strength and stamina, mental wellbeing, and a passion for their chosen activities. We want to develop and foster competitive spirit through team sports and self-challenge so that every child is able to set and achieve personal goals.
We want to provide a positive experience of physical activity and sport which can help to build lifetime habits of participation. To achieve this, PESSPA at New Mills Primary must always have fun at its heart.
Our Curriculum
At New Mills Primary School we have an ambitious PESSPA curriculum which goes above and beyond the national curriculum in terms of activities offered. We pride ourselves on pupil voice in PESSPA and regularly consult with children to make sure that we are offering something for everyone at a level they can access and enjoy.
Our PESSPA curriculum is planned to respond to a variety of needs including:
· Individual child and whole class needs – our PE lessons are based on where a child is in terms of their development and lessons are differentiated to try and encompass all abilities. Ongoing assessment is key to this, as is the role of the PE lead in knowing the likes dislikes and strengths of every child in the school
· The often-differing motivation of children with SEND – our curriculum is flexible enough to deliver one off sessions or blocks of PESSPA ‘interventions’ with children with different learning needs
· Broad base of activities based on core skills rather than ‘sports’ – Until year 4 or 5 we do not play traditional forms of any sport in PE. Teaching is instead based around
core skills and transferred to game play in a variety of formats using different kinds of equipment.
· Whole school topic links – which embed PE and PA in the wider school curriculum
· School Sport timetable – Units of work correspond with the School Sport calendar to ensure children have experience and confidence to play a sport which are asking them to participate in at a competitive level.
· Practical considerations such as weather, hall and playground use and other school events and activities which determine where and how PESSPA can be delivered in school
· Stretching the most able – We have included elements in our curriculum which challenge the most able e.g. Waterpolo for those who have met the National Curriculum swimming standards.
· Cross curricular learning within PE – To help a child achieve mastery in a variety of core skills and competencies, we deliver learning on the same skill in different contexts e.g. ball skills on court and in the water through waterpolo
· Keeping fun at the heart of PESSPA – we want children to be active and learn in a PESSPA context without even knowing they are learning
· Progression from one year to the next – what we ask children to engage with, builds from one year to the next. Children see this progression and they understand what is ‘next’ for them in a certain area.
Our PESSPA offer
We use our Sports Premium Funding to employ a dedicated PE Coordinator. Her role is to facilitate, deliver and develop PESSPA in the school. The PE Coordinator works with children, sports leaders, teachers, support staff, kitchen staff, governors, external providers, local and national strategic bodies and parents to plan the overall offer. The practical implementation of this approach includes:
· Physical Education
We offer 2 hours of PE per week to all classes including Reception. We cover a variety of subject areas including Invasion Games, Strike and Field Games, Net and Wall Games, Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, Outdoor and Adventurous Activities, Dance, Fitness and Cycling. We also offer classroom-based PE lessons on the School Games Values.
The separate Progression of Skills document outlines what the learning outcomes for each PE subject area are by year group and the end of year expectations, are used to assess progress at the year end. This end of year summative assessment is only a small part of how we evaluate what, how and why children learn and encourage a ‘Head, Heart, Hands’ approach to learning during a lesson. Children are encouraged to develop a growth mind-set, where they engage in and take ownership of the learning task, have
resilience to learn from mistakes and become critical thinkers. We encourage all children to think why am I learning this skill? What do I need to do to improve/develop, and how will this impact my what I am able to achieve.
· 1 – 1 Intervention
We are able to offer 1 – 1 PE based interventions for children with SEND. In the past this has included ‘Chimp Management’ sessions, small group slacklining, individual cycling activities and swimming at Peak School hydrotherapy. These interventions have helped engaged hard to reach children or those struggling with PE in a large class context.
· School Sports and Festivals
At New Mills Primary School we are very lucky to have a School Sports programme run by New Mills High School. NMS Head of PE, works with year 7,8 and 9 Leaders to deliver a full programme of events throughout the academic year. The programme includes traditional sports such as Netball, Swimming and Football but also includes a range of sports which children may not have tried before such as Cyclocross, or Boccia. NMPS attend all events and festivals, usually with 2 teams. On average children in KS2 attend 5 events each per year. Criteria for attendance is tailored to individuals based on consultation with the children.
Alongside local events we attend a full spectrum of festivals and county qualifier events organised by the High Peak School Sport Partnership. These events give children the chance to compete against schools across the High Peak or in sports they may not have tried before e.g. Mapquest or gymnastics
· Physical Activity Physical Activity is at the heart of our school day. We have operated a daily mile style running scheme continually for the last 5 years with great success. The scheme has developed over the years from running to obstacle courses, skipping sessions and challenge activities. KS2 run on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and KS1 run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This initiative has developed the long-term fitness and resilience of our children.
We encourage physical activity throughout the school day through teachers use of ‘Brain Breaks’ in the classroom, outdoor learning, active break and lunch times and through encouraging active travel to school.
· After School Clubs We operate a variety of before and after school sports and activity clubs based on consultation with parents and children. These activities are well attended and are
based around yoga, forest schools and multisports. We often have ‘one off’ sessions run by external clubs such as Buxton Basketball club and Mellor Lacrosse Club.
· Lunch Time Clubs
Lunch time sports and activities are very much child led. Sessions can be based around particular sports or activities and are often used to prepare children for interschool sports events. Successful lunch time clubs have been based on tennis, basketball and Dance.
· Special Events
We run a yearly program of PESSPA based special events and activities which offer a fun way to engage both children and our wider school community. Past events have included a Scooter Duathlon, Sponsored Flossathon, Mini Olympics Sports Day, Sport Relief Mile in fancy dress, Morris Dancing, Trig Point Challenge and Day of Dance. Many of these events raise money for the school PTA.
· Residential and OAA
We offer a full program of off site residential and outdoor adventurous activities for our children. These activities enable children to work outside of their comfort zone and within a team environment. The program is progressive through the year groups and children look forward to the next stage:
Year Group | Activity | Duration |
Year 2 | Mellor Cross Walk | Day trip |
Year 3 | Lantern Pike Walk | Day trip |
Year 4 | Whitehall visit | Day trip |
Kinder Reservoir Walk | Day trip | |
Year 5 | Kingswood Residential | 2 nights |
Big Stone Walk | Day trip | |
Year 6 | Lea Green Residential | 3 nights |
Kinder Walk | Day trip |
· Sports Leadership Scheme
Children at our school currently have a number of opportunities to develop their leadership skills through sport:
1. Sports Captains scheme – We select 4 children from year 5 to be Sports Captains for the year. Children apply through a formal application process and the previous years captains choose the new captains based on their written application. The Sports Captains will be role models for the whole school and will work with school staff to promote competitive sports events, sportsmanship and teamwork values
2. External Interschool sports events – Captains are selected for all external sports teams. These captains help encourage and inspire their teammates and set an example of good sportsmanship and fair play
3. Playground Leaders – All Year 5 children will get the chance to be a Playground Leader which involves setting up and leading playground games for KS1 children
4. Daily Mile Buddy – Children in KS2 have the opportunity to be a Daily Mile Buddy for children in KS1
5. Mini Leaders – During curriculum PE lessons children are given the opportunity to lead activities such as warm ups and demonstrations
· Local Sports Pathways
We work hard to develop strong meaningful links between the school and local sports clubs so that children can see a pathway for their chosen activity or sport. These links include signposting, taster sessions and club promotion. We have good links with New Mills Golf Club, Football Club and Tennis Club, Buxton Basketball Club and New Mills Leisure Centre.
· Cycling/ Scooting
5 years ago, we identified that several children were leaving primary school unable to ride a bike or even attempt the Bikeability course offered in year 5. As a result of this we have therefore built our capacity to deliver in house cycling skills for all children. Our focus on cycling provides children with the skills to make active travel choices and gives them a skill for life. The school has invested in a set of balance bikes and a set of scooters.
Year Group | Activity | Outcomes |
Reception | Weekly balance bike lessons leading to all children trying a pedal bike by the end of Reception. | Core strength and balance, spatial awareness, confidence to try and ride with pedals |
Participation in Scooter Duathlon | Personal challenge | |
Year 1 & 2 | Participation in Scooter Duathlon | Personal challenge |
Scooting lunch time club | Development of spatial awareness, core strength and coordination | |
Year 3 & 4 | Bikeability Level 1 | Half day playground based cycling skills, signalling, safe stopping and starting |
Participation in Scooter Duathlon | Personal challenge | |
Scooting lunch time club | Development of spatial awareness, core strength and coordination | |
Year 5 | Bikeability Level 2 | 2-day road-based cycling skills leading to a child being able to safely cycle on the road |
Learn to Ride | 1 – 1 cycling lessons for any children who are still struggling | |
Participation in Scooter Duathlon | Personal challenge | |
Scooting lunch time club | Development of spatial awareness, core strength and coordination | |
Year 6 | Bikeability Transition | 1 day route planning training on local journeys |
Bikeability Fix | Training in cycle maintenance | |
Learn to ride | 1 – 1 for any children still struggling to ride |
· Values and Pupil Voice
Our school motto is ‘Happy, Healthy, High Achievers’ and children are encouraged to see the link between these three elements. Our PESSPA offer plays a key role in the delivery of these school values and we encourage children to see that ‘Healthy’ enables ‘High Achievement’ and ‘Happiness’.
Alongside the school values, the School Games Values of Determination, Passion, Teamwork, Respect, Honesty and Self-Belief are embedded in our PESSPA curriculum and planning, and children are encouraged to evidence the practise of them in their work. Children are given classroom-based lessons in what the values mean, how they can demonstrate them in action and how to apply them to a competitive sporting situation.
We also run an annual School Games Values Film making competition for year 5 and 6 where teams of children work together to plan, write, film, and edit a short film showing one or more of the values.
Pupil consultation is a strong thread running through our PESSPA offer. Our Sports Captains help to run a variety of consultation exercises with children across the school from subjects such as playtime rotas, equipment purchases and types of activities on offer. We use the results of these surveys to directly improve what we do e.g. Children were asked how daily running sessions could be improved and obstacles were suggested. We installed obstacles
such as hay bales and jumps and the motivation of children increased dramatically. This commitment to pupil voice links directly to our desire to promote British values of democracy through our PESSPA curriculum.
The Impact
A detailed assessment of the impact that our coherent and embedded approach to PESSPA has on children at NMPS can be found in the PESSPA Action Plan for each academic year (published on the school website every July).
Below are some of the quantitative and qualitative assessment methods to determine the impact of our work in PESSPA each year.
· Assessment for Learning – Questioning during lessons to assess the progress of learning in real time
· Attendance records – We have data showing an overall improvement in lateness and morning attendance due to our daily running sessions
· Participation Recording – For school sports events and after school clubs
· End of module assessment – For each topic or term, progress is measured against expectations for that year group
· Anecdotal – We place high value on conversations with pupils about the impact PESSPA has on them. These conversations often happen during running sessions, at sports events and in informal lunch time clubs. This evidence is used to directly inform future practice.
· Sports Performance – To some extent the school’s performance in external sports events can be used to help assess the success of PESSPA. An example of this has been our focus on Sportshall Athletics in PE and subsequent improvement in performance at reaching a county final.
· Numbers of children filtering to external clubs – We monitor which children start attending external sports clubs such as Stockport Harriers, football, cricket, tennis and basketball clubs
· Annual parent questionnaire – We often receive feedback on PESSPA through this channel
· Parent Surveys – We regularly use Survey Monkey to gather the views of parents on subjects such as the success of After School Clubs and Active Travel options.