Physical Education

Mrs Gardner

PE Subject Leader

Mrs Gardner is our PE subject leader. She is extremely passionate and dedicated to sports at St Barnabas. We also have three other sports specialist teachers in school, Mr Prescott, Mr Bloomfield and Mrs Ham. Mr Dunn is our link governor for PE and he has a keen interest in a variety of sports.

Each year we have a group of Year 6 children that are voted as Sports Leaders. They help support Mrs Gardner with sports events including planning and running inter-house competitions each half term, promoting sport in school, assisting our welfare staff at lunchtimes on the MUGA and attending sports competitions with the younger children to act as their role models.

For all the latest PE curriculum news, please click here.

PLATINUM SCHOOL GAMES MARK!

We are delighted to announce that we have achieved the School Games PLATINUM Mark Award for the 2023/24- 2024-25 academic years.

The School Games Mark is a Government-led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community, and we are delighted to have been recognised for our success.

We are extremely proud of our pupils and staff for their dedication to all aspects of school sport, including our Sports Leaders and staff volunteers who made our competitions possible.

As part of our application, we were asked to fulfil criteria in the areas of participation, competition, workforce and clubs, and we are pleased that the hard work of everyone at our school has been rewarded this year.

Sporting highlights so far of 2024-25

*Finalists of the EFL Kids Football Cup heat and through to the final at Blackburn Rovers

* Our girls football team won their first three matches of the new league

Sporting highlights of 2023-24

Winners of the Darwen Football League
DPSSA Year 5/6 Cricket- Overall Winners
Darwen Swimming Gala- Third place overall and lots of individual and relay medals
Bee Stinger High Fives Netball- Overall borough winners and through to the Lancashire school games to represent BWD
DPSSA Netball League- Silver medal winners
Bronze medal at Witton Athletics Competition
Year 3/4 Tennis- Silver medal winners
Year 3/4 Key Steps Gymnastics- Bronze medals
Two teams through to the semi- finals of the BRFC Gifted and Talented football tournament and one through to the final
KS1 attended the Multi-Skills Competition
Sports Leaders attended the launch of the Spar Lancashire School Games
Sports Leaders planned and led their first Inter-house competitions throughout the year- bench ball, dodge ball and sportshall athletics
Heat winners of Year 5/6 Sportshall Athletics
Joint third at the Year 5/6 Sportshall Athletics final
Fourth place in the Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics final
Represented Darwen at the Lancashire Football Finals and came 4th.
KS1 Kurling- 5th place
3rd place overall at Witton Athletics
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Sporting highlights of 2022-23

We have achieved the School Games Gold award for the fourth year in a row.

Winners of the Westholme High Fives Netball Competition
Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics Gold medalists
Year 5 /6 Sportshall Athletics Heat 2nd place
EFL Heat Winners and through to the final
EFL runners up in the final
2nd in the Darwen boys football league
6th in the girls football league
2nd place boys and 3rd place girls B in the Year 3/4 BWD gymnastics competition
Medals in every event in the Darwen Swimming Gala
1st place in the school's skiing competition for junior boys
2nd place in the Year 5&6 Police Football Tournament
1st place in the BWD Tennis Competition
3rd place in the DPSSA cricket competition
1st place boys and 3rd place girls team in Year 5/6 gymnastics
High fives Bee Stinger netball winners- through to represent BWD in the Lancashire School Games
2nd in the Darwen Netball League
Year 3 went to Rock and River in Ormskirk to take part in outdoor and adventurous activities
Year 5 class had bikeability sessions
Year 4 went to the Anderton Centre for a one night residential to take part in outdoor and adventurous activities
KS1 and KS2 sports days with a fantastic turn out of parents and carers
Year 5 went to Hothersall Lodge on a two night residential, taking part in outdoor and adventurous activities
Sporting Achievements 2022-23

Sporting highlights from 2021-22:

Winners of the Darwen Swimming Gala
Winners of the Darwen Athletics at Witton
Winners of High Fives Netball and represented BWD at the Lancashire school games
Second in the Darwen Netball League
Second in Darwen Football League
Third in Year 3/4 BWD Quad Kids
Gold, silver and bronze medalists in cross country
Two wonderful Sports Days with large numbers of parents spectating and taking part in the parents races
Three day and two night PGL's full of outdoor and adventurous activities for Years 4, 5 and 6 plus a day at Rock and River for Year 3
Year 5 /6 Sportshall Athletics Finalists
Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics Silver medalists
Receiving and handing over the Commonwealth Baton

Sporting Achievements 2021-22

Intent

Our overarching aim at St Barnabas is for our pupils to achieve great things and live life in all its fullness. Offering a well-rounded and balanced curriculum is one way we work towards achieving this and Physical Education provides the perfect platform for children to achieve great things and explore what living a full life might look like for them and the people around them. At St Barnabas, Physical Education is an integral part of our curriculum and we strive to create a culture which aims to inspire an active generation to enjoy PE, encourage each other and achieve great things. We provide a safe and supportive environment for children to flourish in an ever widening range of different physical activities which is essential in supporting their physical, emotional, spiritual, social and moral development. We aspire for children to adopt a positive Growth Mindset and believe that anything can be achieved with determination and resilience. We are extremely lucky at St Barnabas having four specialist PE teachers as part of our school family and we are able to offer a varied and dynamic program of activity to ensure that all children progress physically through a unique and fully inclusive PE curriculum. Our curriculum aims to challenge and support, improving the well-being and fitness of all children. This is not only achieved through the sporting skills taught, but through the underpinning values and disciplines PE promotes. We aim to deliver high quality teaching and learning opportunities that enable all children to achieve their best and succeed. All children participate in a vast range of competitive sports at St Barnabas, at a range of levels which can be against self and/ or others, inter and intra school. We also place an essential part of our curriculum on swimming. Swimming is an important life skill and we aspire for all children to leave primary school having met at least the minimum requirements of the National Curriculum. We endeavour to encourage children to transfer the school values and that our whole school family can be physically active for sustained periods of time and able to make informed decisions to lead full, healthy and active lives.

Implementation

PE at St Banbas provides challenging and enjoyable learning through a range of sporting activities including invasion games, net & wall games, striking and fielding games, gymnastics, dance, health and fitness, outdoor and adventure and swimming.
The whole Year 3 class has swimming in the Autumn and Summer Terms. In Summer Term, booster sessions are held for children in Years 4-6 who have not yet met the curriculum requirements.
Pupils participate in at least 2 hours of high-quality PE lessons each week, covering two different sports/ skills focuses each half term.
The Long-Term planning for each class, which are accessed electronically through IPads, set out the PE units which are to be taught throughout the year and ensures that the requirements of the National Curriculum are fully met. This is tracked by the PE Lead using the PE Passport App, where evidence, assessments and twice weekly registers can be viewed. All staff can access the Medium-Term planning and half termly assessments for each class throughout the academic year.
Teachers use and adapt planning and resources to ensure lessons across years show progression.
Children are encouraged to participate in the varied range of extra-curricular activities. We provide inclusive and enjoyable clubs which increase children’s physical activity. Clubs are offered to both KS1 and KS2 children, occasionally Foundation Stage too.
Children are encouraged to stay active at break times, completing their 1K a Day, using the Trim Trails, accessing the MUGA or taking part in a club. A sports and fitness coach is also employed by school each lunchtime. Classes follow a weekly timetable and take part in a range of sports and physical activity.
All Year 6 children can become Play Leaders for the school. Training for this is provided by our School Games Organiser. The children assist with and organise games at break times.
We believe that having Sports Leaders at St Barnabas, helps to develop sporting role models for the younger children. Six Sports Leaders are elected each year. These children meet weekly with the PE Lead and discuss ways to develop the PE and Sports in our school. They also organise both Inter and Intra School competitions, support club development, lead pupil voice and actively encourage sport for all.
Children are invited to attend a host of competitive sporting events and festivals within the local area and beyond. We take part in all competitions on offer and strive for an inclusive approach which endeavours to encourage not only physical development but also mental well-being. These events also develop teamwork and leadership skills. We have regularly represented the Borough at The Lancashire School Games in events such as High 5’s Netball and Orienteering and these are very much enjoyed by children.

Impact

At St Barnabas, we aspire for children to enjoy PE and develop a love of sport and physical activity which becomes part of their future life outside of primary school. We ensure that our PE curriculum is progressive and allows children to develop fundamental skills and apply them to a variety of sports and activities. Our pupils are physically active, and this has a positive impact on their learning in the classroom. We have created a safe and supportive environment that encourages each child to lead a healthy lifestyle and understand the importance of regular exercise. Children can represent the school at sporting events from local to county level. All children are provided with the necessary skills and given opportunities to demonstrate improvement to achieve great things and live life in all its fullness.