PE AT KIRKLEATHAM HALL SCHOOL

Pupils are offered a range of active moments and physical activity throughout the school day/week. We offer a progression of experiences during their timetabled PE and swimming lessons, with every encouragement to extend these experiences through participation in out-of-school activities which is supported by Panathlon, Redcar and Eston School Sport Partnership and Lead Inclusion schools. 

These experiences and competitions are an amazing experience for all our pupils as they participate in fun and exciting events outside of school with their peers and staff. They also have opportunity to be around many other peers from different schools where they will compete, communicate, succeed and most of all have fun with, during physical activity.

A progression of learning objectives, combined with differentiated and varied teaching approaches, endeavour to provide stimulating, enjoyable and challenging learning situations for all pupils.  Through the selection of differentiated tasks, it is intended that all pupils, irrespective of ability, will learn to enjoy success. Which is celebrated throughout the terms as well as at the end of the year. Each success will hopefully motivate pupils to further develop their individual potential. In 2020, we bought into a scheme called Complete PE within school which is an interactive online resource that enables both specialists and non-specialists to plan and implement high quality teaching within physical education. It currently comprises of over 700 suggested sequences of learning for Foundation, KS1 and KS2, a resource that is constantly growing and developing and one we can adapt and use in order to devise our own PE curriculum to meet our learners needs. This enables us to devise an online curriculum map with supporting lesson plans, but also the ability to devise our own categories so we can develop our own exciting PE curriculum. This ensures all the learners are receiving the PE curriculum they require where they will learn, succeed and progress.

We have trained numerous class teams in MATP (Motor activity training programme) which is a programme to provide meaningful PE for our most complex learners. MATP is recognised within the Special Olympics. Each class, with children with complex needs, work on the children’s mobility, dexterity, kicking and striking skills. We will come together as a school to celebrate their achievements and what they can do within sport and PE.

The school believes that physical education can contribute a vital and unique element to our pupils’ physical development and well-being, so long as it is experienced in an environment which is safe, supportive and, where appropriate, challenging. We will continue to learn and develop to provide the best PE opportunities we can for our learners.

The emphasis is upon providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment that encourages maximum participation, and rewards endeavour, while remaining sympathetic to pupils’ physical needs and degree of learning difficulty. Whilst celebrating their abilities not their disabilities.

Pupils are to be provided with a balance of individual, group and team activities, some of which are competitive.  These will cater for their individual preferences and needs, improve fitness and skills and provide a framework of understanding for the future.

In 2021-2022 we applied for The School Games Mark which is a government led awards scheme to reward and recognise school’s engagement (provision and uptake) in the School Games against a national benchmark and to celebrate keeping young people active, and we are delighted to announce that Kirkleatham Hall School has recently been awarded the Gold Award. We are really proud of this achievement and will continue to work towards the key areas of the school games mark throughout the year.

Throughout 2020-2021 we were very busy developing our physical activity. Over the year we had Phillip Hornby in from Aspire Judo who took 4 groups and demonstrated the principles of Judo. All the groups loved this especially Teesdale in secondary as children who lack in confidence were volunteering to help and another child who doesn’t like to be touched was getting involved and performing the acquired moves on staff. Upon listening to the children’s voice I enquired further about Judo and developed a Lead Inclusion day for the Tees Valley so more children could experience Judo.  

We also accessed Yoga bugs within EYFS, primary and secondary which they still enjoy and experience, going on a yoga adventure each week.

As the year progressed we lost our hall due to some exciting building work taking place which will open up many more physical activity and opportunities to all of our learners. To ensure we still met the needs of our children and ensure they were getting a broad area of physical education while we didn’t have a large hall I devised an interim plan whereby each class were given an area of PE to develop in their classroom or outside. Teachers received the appropriate equipment within their classroom so it was easier for teachers to facilitate the lessons.

In the Spring and Summer term we also took part in lots of exciting opportunities and were accessing sporting events led by the school sports partnership. 11 classes went on a school trip to various sports events to develop vital physical education including football, athletics, striking and fielding and many more. Children from EYFS to KS4 joined these events and had so much fun as well as developing fundamental skills.

At the beginning we had a meeting with the local authority about a new opportunity for some funding and an initiative for the secondary schools. I decided to focus this initiative on biking in school. I worked with Lisa Yates on devising an action plan for this and bought 14 new mountain bikes for our children to use. I also purchased 2 PMLD bikes to make this inclusive and allow them the opportunity to ride alongside their peers. I am working towards making links with a business for staff to go on training in how to maintain the bikes but also teach our FE children so it will be their responsibility to take care of them. On the 4^th May we held a cycle 4 all day in school and Wheels for all joined us with 16 variety of bikes to provide the opportunity for all our learners to experience or gain the ability to ride a bike. The day was amazing and all the children accessed a bike by using a hand bike, a tandem, a balance bike, PMLD bike etc. The children had a great time alongside the staff who also loved the day and asked for this to be repeated next year. We even had a downpour after lunch but this did not stop the groups that were timetabled, as they wore their waterproofs and rode the bikes in the rain.

This year for 2022 – 2023 we have so many fun and exciting opportunities planned for all of our learners to develop their physical activity within school. As well as participating in numerous competitions and events across the Tees Valley.