Physical Education

Physical Education and Sport at Middleton Cheney Primary Academy

Our intent: 

At MCPA, we provide a positive and inclusive physical education and sports experience, that empowers our pupils with the knowledge to sustain a healthy and active lifestyle.

Our aims:

• Provide a broad range of experiences and opportunities to be physically active
• Facilitate our children leaving primary school with a positive outlook on P.E and sport 
• Empower our children to follow a healthy and active lifestyle
• ‘Physically educate’ our children
• Ensure both physical education lessons and extra-curricular opportunities are centred around and follow an inclusive approach 

Our curriculum:

At MCPA, the children undertake two hours of physical education lessons a week. Our curriculum offers a broad range of education and sporting experiences: health related fitness, invasive games, net and wall sports, gymnastics, swimming outdoor adventurous activities (OAA), dance, striking and fielding sports and athletics. Our curriculum is designed to develop not only the fundamental movements and skills required to be confident within sports and physical activity, but to ‘physically educate’ and empower the children with the knowledge so they can lead a healthy and active lifestyle. 

We are always looking at ways in which we can ensure the highest quality of physical education is provided to our pupils: over the last couple of years, we have partnered with Wade Gymnastics to provide CPD to teachers, and quality coaching to pupils; most recently, we have worked closely with the British Orienteering Association to develop our OAA topic and ensure quality orienteering sessions are delivered. 

Swimming:

Children in Key Stage 2 receive a 12-week block of swimming lessons in each year. These are held during the school day at Brackley Swimming Leisure Centre and the children are taught in ability groups, working towards various stages and certificates which are presented in assembly at the end of the relevant term. 

Meeting national curriculum requirements for swimming and water safety
What percentage of your current Year 6 cohort swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres?  98%
What percentage of your current Year 6 cohort use a range of strokes effectively (for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke)?  98%
What percentage of your current Year 6 cohort perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations?  100%
 

MCPA Young Sports Leader Programme and clubs:

Our young sports leader programme trains and develops over 50 year 6 pupils to plan, deliver and evaluate extra-curricular clubs for foundation and key stage 1 pupils. Clubs are delivered to an average of 25, 4–7-year-olds each lunchtime. 

Throughout the course, our sports leaders are empowered to utilise skills such as time management, organisation, teamwork and communication, to deliver lunchtime clubs that inspire and enthuse be physically active. The children are provided ongoing training and feedback throughout the year, which develops key teaching areas such as health and safety, demonstration, differentiation and engagement, to ensure sessions are fun and meeting the needs of each pupil who takes part. At the end of the programme, our sports leader team then apply their knowledge, by organising and delivering the foundation and key stage 1 sports day. 
 

The Monthly Challenge:

As part of our whole school aim to empower and ‘physically educate’ our pupils, our year 6 sports leaders deliver our monthly challenge each lunchtime. Pupils from foundation to year 6 are encouraged to undertake different forms of physical exercise, which centre around that month’s health related component of fitness (e.g. cardio-vascular or muscular endurance). When a pupil completes a minute of exercise, they receive a counter for their year group. Year groups can then receive their bronze, silver, gold and diamond awards, as they complete more minutes of exercise throughout the month. Currently, the average number of minutes completed each month as a school is 3,500, with highs of 4,000. 

Our young leaders our empowered to evaluate and reflect upon the number of minutes achieved each month and develop new initiatives to ensure high pupil engagement is maintained. 

Recognition of quality Physical Education and sport (Gold School Games Mark):

Each year, Northamptonshire School Sport assess and evaluate our physical education and sport provision; this is completed in line with School Games Mark, an award which celebrates and recognises the effectiveness and quality of opportunities given by the school to its pupils. Each school must submit a range of evidence to meet set criteria for either bronze, silver or gold standards. Most recently, Northamptonshire School Sport have awarded our school with a Gold standard in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years – we will continue to strive to achieve this moving forward. 
 

Our partnership with Chenderit:

We are incredibly fortunate to have a close partnership with our local secondary school (Chenderit), which is based within the village. Throughout the year, our primary school sports coordinator Tamsyn King), organises regular festivals and competitions for both key stage 1 and 2 pupils, ranging from ball and multi-skills games, to sports specific events such basketball, rounders and athletics. These events are open to all primary schools within the local area and we attend them with an inclusive centred approach; we want as many children to participate and gain new experiences, which ultimately, leaves them enthused and inspired to continue being physically active. 

Part of our partnership with Chenderit, is the additional support and time given by Tamsyn King, within MCPA. Each year, Mrs King delivers CPD and sessions in multi and fundamental movement skills to key stage 1 teachers and children, in addition to inclusive days and year 6 transition sessions held within school. 
 

Taster days:

Each year, we look to extend the experiences our children have by providing ‘taster days’ in school. These days are delivered by coaches and professionals in their chosen sports and aim to inspire and broaden the opportunities the children are given, to try an activity they may have never experienced before, ranging from sports such as fencing, archery and skipping. 
 

Extra-curricular opportunities:

In addition to the opportunities within the school day, we offer our pupils the following after school provisions:

-    Hot Shots Basketball club (key stage 2)
-    Inclusive club (key stage 1 and 2)
-    ProSports multi-skills club (key stage 1 and lower key stage 2)
-    Chenderit competitions and festivals (key stage 1 and 2)