Physical Education
At Saint Joseph's, the Borough, we aim for our children to develop their physical skills through practise and building of sporting values to develop a lifelong love for physical activity and healthy lifestyle to equip them for their futures.
We want pupils to lead healthy and active lives. Southwark has higher levels of obesity and excess weight than both London and England across Reception and Year 6. Approximately 1 in 4 children in Reception are overweight or obese. By Year 6 this increases to more than 1 in 3 children (Jan 2020). Levels of obesity among children in Southwark have been significantly above national levels since measuring began. We firmly believe that a high-quality Physical Education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities that can reverse these alarming findings. We aim to regularly offer a wide array of opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health, fitness and well-being. Competing in sport and other fitness-orientated activities builds character and helps to embed values such as fairness, collaboration and respect. We believe that physical education, experienced in a safe and supportive environment, is vital in contributing to our pupils’ overall development, physically, socially and mentally. We routinely offer an inclusive, engaging PE curriculum that is intended to develop pupils’ self-confidence in tandem with the progressive skills required in games, athletics, gymnastics, dance and swimming. This is intended to develop; competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, ensure pupils are physically active for sustained periods of time and encourage them to engage in competitive sports and activities. We promote the sporting values such as determination, self-belief, passion, honesty, respect and teamwork, always focussing on developing great sportsmanship among all pupils.
Curriculum
During their time at Saint Joseph’s, the Borough, pupils recognise that PE is a core part of the curriculum, ensuring that our school has a strong PE culture. As well as classroom-based staff, we work with 'Moving Matters' who provide a specialist teacher for two days each week.
Each pupil takes part in two PE sessions each week. Depending on the timetable, both of these sessions may be delivered by the PE teacher or a combination of PE and class teacher. The lessons involve: basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching in athletics, development of balance, agility, co-ordination and strength in gymnastics and dance and participation in competitive games such as basketball, football, hockey and netball, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending.
Swimming
In Key Stage 2 the pupils engage in regular swimming and water safety sessions in which they are taught to swim confidently and proficiently to at least 25m. At each stage they are encouraged to evaluate performance and suggest improvements.
Extra-Curricular Activities and Competitions
Alongside curriculum PE lessons, the school participates in inter-school games competitions. These events develop essential sporting, personal and social skills such as the ability to meet the experience of winning and losing in a balanced manner. We also provide a range of sporting after-school clubs, such as gymnastics, dance, football and multi-sports, normally delivered by subject specialists.
SOCIAL MEDIA