Intent

 At Brushwood, we strive to create a culture which aims to inspire an active generation to enjoy PE, encourage each other and achieve. We provide a safe and supportive environment for children to flourish in a range of different physical activities which is essential in supporting their physical, emotional, spiritual, social and moral development.

• At Brushwood we offer a dynamic, varied and stimulating program of activity to ensure that all children progress physically through an inspirational and fully inclusive PE curriculum.
• We encourage all children to develop their understanding of the way in which they can use their body, equipment and apparatus safely yet imaginatively to achieve their personal goals.
• All children have the opportunity to enjoy being physically active, maintain a healthy lifestyle and using the medium of sport, increase their self-esteem. We aspire for children to adopt a positive mind-set and believe that anything can be achieved with determination and resilience.
• The intent of Physical Education is to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. Children are taught to observe and produce the conventions of fair play, honest competition and good sporting behaviour as individual participants, team members and spectators. Thus embedding life-long values such as co-operation, collaboration and equity of play.
• We provide opportunities for children to learn how to stay safe in water based activities by offering swimming lessons. Children become confident in the water, knowing how to keep safe and also meet the National Curriculum requirements of swimming 25m.
• Our PE Curriculum, along with PSHE and science, teaches children about the importance of healthy living and learning about the need for good nutrition.
• At Brushwood, we aim for children to develop the necessary knowledge and skills which will have a positive impact on their future by becoming physically active citizens to benefit their long-term health and well-being.

Implementation

• All pupils receive at least two hours of high quality PE using the vast outside space or school hall.  All children have a weekly PE lesson with their class teacher and have weekly sessions with a qualified sport specialist teacher. During these afternoons, children receive expert coaching to develop fundamental skills through a variety of activities and games suitable to their key stage.
• The PE curriculum is sequenced precisely to ensure progression of knowledge and skills throughout a child’s primary education, thus enabling children to build upon prior experiences and apply these fluently, with confidence. Children also have the opportunity to further these skills at after school sports clubs thus making club links within the community and development officers for specific sports. At Brushwood we provide a broad range of activities based on children’s interests and new initiatives.
• Inter and intra sports competitions are offered to all children at the school. Although we enjoy the competitive nature of sport, we also appreciate and encourage the importance of children ‘having a go’ and promote positive experiences of being physically active and good sportsmanship.
• We have an inclusive approach and value the importance of physical and mental well-being.
• Children take part in a range of invasion, striking & fielding or net & wall games, we promote imagination and creativity in gymnastics and dance as well as provide opportunities for athletics using both indoor and outdoor environments plus outdoor and adventurous activities.
• Pupils are encouraged to take part in after school clubs and have the opportunity to compete against other schools. In KS2, children go on a residential trip for outdoor activities.

Physical Education is fundamental in developing healthy lifestyles in young people and at Brushwood we provide a wide array of opportunities to develop this and sporting skills outside of the normal curriculum time.

• Regular extra-curricular clubs are very popular and offer a wide variety of sports, including: Gymnastics, Football, Basketball, Dance, Tennis, Martial Arts, Volleyball and Athletics. 
• Playtimes are an important part of our pupils being happy, healthy and ready to learn. We have well-staffed and equipped playground, a sports field, outdoor gym and we have a new trim trail which was designed to provide opportunities for children to develop and improve fundamental skills using various body parts.
• To develop leadership and communication skills, children in Year 6 children can apply to become a Young Sports Leader which is a responsible role in encouraging younger children to learn how to play collaborative games, respecting rules and to be as active as possible during playtimes. Children selected are positive role-models for younger members of the school, organising lunchtime games and assisting with annual sports days.

We recognise the importance of being physically active throughout the school day so to reduce sedentary learning, the whole school embraced the active classroom program which is thoroughly enjoyed by both pupils and staff and helps meet the government target of all children being physically active for 60 minutes per day.

Impact

Brushwood pupils are motivated to participate in a variety of sports through quality teaching that is engaging and fun. They learn to take responsibility for their own health and fitness, many of whom also enjoy the success of competitive sports. We equip our children with the necessary skills and a love for sport. They will hopefully grow up to live happy and healthy lives utilising the skills and knowledge acquired through PE.