In 2024 Deanshanger were awarded the School Games Mark Gold Award - a government led awards scheme launched in 2012 to reward schools for their commitment to the development of physical activity across their school and into the community.

Intent

At Deanshanger Primary School, we believe that physical education is a vital part of the curriculum as it not only promotes a healthy and active lifestyle but teaches the key values of teamwork, determination, self-belief and respect. We provide a broad and balanced curriculum, giving all children the opportunity to develop their physical competence and confidence. The intent of our curriculum is to provide every pupil with high-quality PE and physical activity provision both inside and outside of school. Physical literacy is at the heart of our offer, ensuring every pupil leaves our school with the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding of physical activity for life.

Implementation

We aim to ensure all PE lessons are engaging and enjoyable for all children. All children receive a minimum of 2 hours of PE every week – 1 hour indoor and 1 hour outdoor. Our children have the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities arranged through teaching by highly skilled teachers and quality specialist coaches who attend school to deliver coaching sessions to our children. All year groups use the Real PE programme to teach their indoor PE (including dance and gymnastics), which heavily focusses on coordination, balance and agility and promotes mastering and improving key skills within sport. There is a heavy focus on individual self-improvement, no matter what the perceived ability. For outdoor PE, year groups use peplanning.co.uk to ensure a consistent approach across the school. Children learn key skills and how to play a multitude of sports during their time at DPS. Please see the curriculum plan below. 

Our curriculum is further enriched through taking part in events and competitions, which take place across the county and across the Trust. Our partnership with Northamptonshire Sport enables children to access competitive and non-competitive events across the year, allowing children to develop or showcase their skills. Children have access to after-school sports clubs which are led by specialist coaches, such as dance, multi-sports, football and dodgeball. To further promote a healthy attitude towards keeping fit, children take part in ‘Run-a-Mile’ to challenge themselves to improve their stamina. 

There are further opportunities to promote physical activity through Skip2BeFit, our partnership with Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL), Sports Leader activities at lunchtimes, active learning and brain breaks; and by promoting active travel to school through our partnership with WOW Travel Tracker. Special workshop days are also organised to provide children with a taster session of selected sports such as Quidditch, breakdancing and tennis.

We partner with MK Dons SET, who lead targeted intervention to children across the school, aimed at improving motor skills, behaviour and their overall perception of physical activity.

During our summer term, we hold a Sports Day when families and carers are invited in to share and celebrate the success of our children and their talents in sport. Children complete a range of activities both competitively and non-competitively. 

In Year 4 and Year 6, the children have the opportunity to attend a residential trip. The aim of this trip is to encourage an active, outdoor lifestyle and provide experiences that children might otherwise not have the opportunity to do. These trips also aim to promote independence and allow children to recognise and flourish in areas outside the classroom.

Children in Year 5 access swimming lessons to ensure they meet the minimum requirement of being able to swim 25m by the end of KS2. Catch-up swimming is also offered in Year 6 to help children to meet this requirement.

Success and recognition of physical activity is celebrated across the school by awarding Athlete of the Week to children who have achieved and/or shown positive sporting values in PE lessons, as well as celebrating extracurricular events via Class Dojo.

Impact

By the end of KS2 children will have:

• Developed a broad range of skills and demonstrate confidence in participating in a variety of physical activities. They can apply basic techniques to improve their performance in different sports, showing increased control, accuracy, and coordination.
• Understood the importance of physical activity for their overall health and well-being. They are able to explain how exercise contributes to physical fitness and mental health and understand how to live an active lifestyle.
• Honed their ability to work effectively as part of a team. They demonstrate strong communication, cooperation, and leadership skills, displaying respect and empathy for others during team sports and group activities.
• Taken on leadership roles within PE activities, such as refereeing games, leading warm-ups, playtime activities or organising and running events. They demonstrate responsibility for their own learning and are motivated to encourage peers to be active and engaged in physical activities.
• A willingness to participate eagerly in every lesson, highly positive attitudes and the ability to make informed choices about engaging in extra-curriculum sport.
• The ability to identify a variety of physical activities they enjoy and are motivated to continue being physically active outside of school.
• The ability to swim at least 25 metres before the end of Year 6 and knowledge of how to remain safe in and around water.