PE and Sport

1hysical activity has numerous benefits for children and young people’s physical health, as well as their mental wellbeing (increasing self-esteem and emotional wellbeing and lowering anxiety and depression), and children who are physically active are happier, more resilient and more trusting of their peers. Ensuring that pupils have access to sufficient daily activity can also have wider benefits for pupils and schools, improving behaviour as well as enhancing academic achievement.

The school sport and activity action plan sets out the government’s commitment to ensuring that children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes of sport and physical activity per day. It recommends 30 minutes of this is delivered during the school day (in line with the Chief Medical Officers guidelines which recommend an average of at least 60 minutes per day across the week).

The PE and sport premium can help primary schools to achieve this commitment, providing primary schools with £320 million of government funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of the PE, physical activity and sport offered through their core budgets. It is allocated directly to schools, so they have the flexibility to use it in the way that works best for their pupils.

At Highfield Primary School we have always placed a high importance on our PE and Sport provision. We are lucky to have such an enthusiastic team of staff who not only deliver high quality teaching of PE during curriculum time, but also commit themselves to providing a wide range of opportunities for children to enjoy PE and Sport through after clubs. We continue to give our children opportunities to experience different sporting challenges as they move through the school, and to develop their talents in competitive sport.

In 2021/22, we received £18150 in PE and Sports Premium Funding. This money has been used to employ a PE apprentice to work alongside class teachers to deliver high quality curricular PE sessions and after school clubs. She helps to organise level 1 competitions and supports with the arrangements for attendance at inter school competitions and active lunchtimes. 

We offer many different FREE sporting clubs to pupils. These include football, netball, dance, gymnastics, dodgeball, rounders, basketball, judo, fencing, cricket and athletics. 

Our Year 3 pupils swim weekly for 1 hour and this year we have reduced the number of pupils who attend in each group to ensure they get more specialist coaching. We also will have swimming for the Year 6 pupils to ensure they meet the national curriculum expectations in the Summer term.