Sport and PE at Yattendon – Our Vision

 

At Yattendon School we believe that health and physical activity is important in promoting lifelong values. Yattendon School does this by providing enjoyable opportunities for all of its pupils to participate in curriculum PE and school sports clubs. We value the benefit it brings to children’s self-confidence and well-being.

 

 

Throughout the 2020-21 academic year we will be focusing on the following key areas:

1. The engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity – kick-starting healthy active lifestyles

2. The profile of PE and sport being raised across the school as a tool for whole school improvement

3. Increased confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport

4. Broader experience of a range of sports and activities offered to all pupils

5. Increased participation in competitive sport

 

Physical Education at Yattendon

 

At Yattendon we deliver two hours of PE each week. These lessons will be very different, as one will be traditionally taught games/sports including: netball, football, tag rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics. These lessons will be supported by Visionary Sports Academy (VSA) coaches: Mr D Pedley, Mr S Pedley and Mr H Magnus. VSA put their coaching philosophy at the forefront of everything they do when collaborating with Yattendon’s teachers, prioritising individual development before the importance of winning. VSA ensure every session looks to replicate the intensity of a real game, but is played with a smile and without the fear of failure. 

 

 

 

The second hour of PE will be a real PE lesson. real PE is a unique, child-centred approach that transforms how we teach PE to engage and challenge EVERY child at Yattendon. It is fully aligned to the National Curriculum and Ofsted requirements and focuses on the development of agility, balance and coordination, healthy competition and cooperative learning through a unique approach to teaching and learning in PE.

 

 

At the start of the year, we signed up to officially become a Daily Mile school. The aim of The Daily Mile is to improve the physical, social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing of our children – regardless of age, ability or personal circumstances. The Daily Mile is a social physical activity, with children running or jogging – at their own pace – in the fresh air with friends. Children can occasionally walk to catch their breath, if necessary, but should aim to run or jog for the full 15 minutes.

 

The Daily Mile has an array of health benefits, including:

• Fitness, stamina and energy levels are increased
• It reduces obesity and improves body composition – bone density, muscle strength, joints and cardiovascular health
• Gross and fine motor skills are developed, leading to better balance and helping to reduce dyspraxia
• Children are less sedentary, doing more moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA)
• It promotes the idea of self-care with children becoming more aware of their own health and the need to take responsibility for it
• Children doing The Daily Mile have the chance to create better health outcomes for the future
• There is no feeling of being left out – it’s always 100% inclusive and all children take part, including those with special and complex needs
• The children enjoy it and look forward to it – having fun, in the fresh air with friends, with a sense of freedom
• Being outdoors, children can have those feelings which come through connecting with the weather, seasons and nature
• It can help to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress, with children feeling happier and refreshed
• There is no sense of failure – everyone succeeds at The Daily Mile because it’s not a race
• Confidence and self-esteem are improved and enhanced
• It helps children to develop greater resilience and determination
• After running and jogging for 15 minutes, greater focus and concentration is evident in class
• The children are often more settled afterwards, leading to improvements in behaviour
• As it’s a social activity, it can help to build relationships and reduce isolation
• Parents can start to see the benefits at home, often reporting that their children are eating and sleeping better, as well as encouraging their family to be more active

 

 

WOW Walk

 

The WOW – year-round Walk to School Challenge is being delivered by Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking who want to get as many children as possible experiencing the benefits walking to school brings. WOW rewards children who walk to school at least once a week with a collectible badge each month. There are 11 badges to collect across the year and daily journeys are logged by pupils on our interactive WOW Travel Tracker. If your family already cycles or scoots to school, these will count towards earning a WOW badge.

 

What are the benefits of walking to school?

Walking to school helps children feel happier and healthier and even do better in class because they arrive refreshed, fit and ready to learn. More families walking means fewer cars on the road during the school run, helping to reduce congestion and pollution at the school gates.

 

 

 

Swimming Data

 

The government requires schools to publish how many pupils within their year 6 cohort are meeting the national curriculum requirement to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

 

This condition has been added in response to recommendations from the Swim Group, who reviewed curriculum swimming and water safety in primary schools.

 

At Yattendon, we are very proud of our swimming provision and here is our data for 2020-2021:

 

Percentage of children who have met the National Curriculum Expectations:

92.3%

Percentage of children who have not yet met the National Curriculum Expectations:

7.7%

 

National Curriculum requirements for swimming and water safety:

• swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres

• use a range of strokes effectively

• perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.