At Willow Tree we believe that Sport and P.E are vital to the physical and emotional health and well-being of our children. We are dedicated to raising the standards of the teaching of P.E in school and ensuring that our children become more engaged in sports and more active.
We know that by providing children with a varied P.E curriculum and opportunities to attend different sports will have a positive influence on our children and provide them with a great start for a healthy and active future.
Each year we hold a Sports Enrichment week which is subsidied by ‘Sport Premium Funding’, we usually ask for a £1 donation from parents of pupisl wishign to take part. It offers a fantastic opportunity for pupils in Years 3-6 to try out a new sport that is not currently on the PE curriculum and to see what opportunities are available for them in our local community. The sports we include change each year, but could include climbing, dance, cherrleading, archery skateboarding and much more.
John F. Kennedy
Willow Tree’s PE and Sport curriculum has been designed to inspire pupils. We have incorporated a wide variety of sporting opportunities to enable all children to succeed. At Willow Tree we recognise the importance of PE and the role and impact it has on children’s progress and development and we strive to promote long term healthy lifestyles. Our broad and balanced curriculum aims to develop pupils own confidence and self-belief whilst also developing an ethos of friendly competition.
Willow Tree is in close proximity to Salford Quays and therefore we recognise the importance of swimming and water safety. In Years 3 and 5 the children will learn swimming and water safety skills, and in Years 5 and 6 the children will take part in water sports sessions. With Willow Tree being a city centre school we also recognise the limitations for some children to experience sporting opportunities beyond the school grounds and therefore ensure our children have the opportunity to experience outdoor adventurous activities through our links with Lledr Hall.
At Willow Tree we offer our pupils at least one hour of curriculum Physical Education each week, with some classes offering two hours. In addition to the curriculum PE all KS2 pupils are offered a further 5 hours of active play through our structured playground zones. During lunchtime play our sports coach organises sports for KS2 children supported by our Sports Leaders.
Each class in KS2 has a sports leader who are a crucial part of our PE curriculum by providing important pupil voice and are there to support and promote PE to their peers.
At Willow Tree we want to ensure our children get the best quality PE and sport provision and receive quality first teaching. With this is mind, the delivery of our PE curriculum is through both class teacher and our specialised sports coach. In addition to this we are part of the Salford Sports Partnership programme which not only provides valuable continuing professional development opportunities but also access to level 2 competitions, enabling our children to experience friendly competition at a higher level. We also supplement our bespoke PE curriculum with the Get set 4 PE scheme which provides support in delivering a quality first PE lessons for our staff and pupils.
At the heart of our curriculum are eight core skills that pupils will develop throughout their PE journey at Willow tree. These core skills are; perseverance, cooperation, respect, determination, feedback, teamwork, fair play and decision making.
Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1
In EYFS and KS1 there is an emphasis on Fundamental Movement Skills. This enables pupils to obtain the skills needed to then move onto sport specific lessons in Key Stage 2 where they can put these skills into practice. In lower Key Stage 2 our pupils start to learn specific sports and are introduced to competition through half termly inter house competitions. When pupils progress onto Upper Key Stage 2, they continue to develop their skills in the Sport Specific lessons in Years 3 and 4, but with a greater emphasis on tactics and leadership.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, pupils are given the opportunities to take up a variety of different sporting afterschool clubs. From Year 2 upwards our children are encouraged to participate in Level 2 competitions organised through our Sports Partnership. In Upper Key Stage 2 our Year 5 and 6 children take part in Water Sports, including kayaking, sailing, and windsurfing at our local Water Sports centre. We feel these opportunities are imperative to our children to give them experiences they may otherwise never get.
In Year 6 our Year 6 children are given the invaluable experience and opportunity to visit Lledr Hall for a residential trip where they experience a range of outdoor adventurous activities.
At Willow Tree we want our children to develop a love of sport and participate in sporting opportunities beyond what school can offer. In order to develop this each year we host a SPORTS ENRICHMENT programme over 2 weeks. During this time we link up with local clubs and give children taster sessions in a variety of sports to enable them to see what opportunities are available to them in the local area.
Our P.E curriculum is a starting point for lifelong learning and a love of physical education and sport. The carefully planned curriculum ensures pupils start by mastering the basic fundamental skills in order to be successful in a variety of sports. Children have access to a vast range of sporting opportunities, enabling all pupils to experience success along the way and learn the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Children are actively competitive and learn about fair play and how to be a good sports person whilst also developing their own self-belief and personal experiences with PE and Sport.
The use of assessment, questionnaires, pupil and teacher surveys ensure that consistent high quality lessons take place, and that sufficient CPD is put in place when and where needed.
We have developed strong links with local clubs and take advantage of the opportunities available to us in the local area. Our active play times and range of after school clubs allow further opportunities for our pupils to compete in sport and embed values such as respect and fairness. We make full use of our extensive school facilities to provide the best possible opportunities for all children to participate.
Through the successful implantation of our PE curriculum all children will leave Year 6 having obtained confidence and experienced success in a wide range of skills and sporting opportunities.
