
Dr T Cook – PE Lead
Here at Hillfort, we believe that children should lead active, healthy lives – with some competition thrown in there for excitement too. We wish to inspire all children to succeed and excel in competitive sport, to become physically confident and to live healthy lives!
We go about achieving this in a variety of ways. All classes across the school benefit from use of Real PE. The Real PE package focuses on the development of agility, balance and coordination, healthy competition and cooperative learning. Children learn the skills necessary in order to apply themselves successfully, and with stamina, to the sporting environment.
Across the school, children also benefit from a ‘Summer Specialism’. This allows children to learn a wide range of sports. The sequence of sports is constructed to get more challenging as the children work their way through the school.
Year Group | Specialism |
EY | Multi-sports |
1 | Multi-sports |
2 | Hockey |
3 | Rounders |
4 | Cricket (including ‘Chance to Shine’) |
5 | Tennis |
6 | Pop Lacrosse |
In Key Stage 2, children are taught to swim at the local leisure centre, Lux Park. This occurs in two year groups (4 and 6) in order to develop the number of children who can swim 25metres confidently and to perform lifesaving skills. Cornwall is a coastal county, and being able to swim is a life skill! We greatly value the ability to swim, so in the light of so many children missing out on their swimming lessons over the last couple of years, we put extra resources into our swimming in Key Stage 2. The programme is as follows:
Year Group | Allocation | Purpose/Activity |
3 | Summer 2 | Introductory activity – additional activity in light of pandemic |
4 | Both classes – Summer term | General swimming – additional activity in light of pandemic |
5 | Both classes – Spring term | General swimming – typical Hillfort lesson, as it would have been pre-pandemic |
6 | 3 week block – Summer term | 3 weeks of final activity |
Also in KS2, children are taught Dance in two year groups (3 and 5). This process is led by the teacher and supported by our Dancer-in-Reisdence, Rob Menaar.
It should be noted that in KS2 children can sign up for the “Sports Academy”. This involves a structured programme provided by Hillfort colleagues, Exeter Chiefs RFC, Plymouth Albion RFC and Plymouth Argyle FC. After Easter, we welcomed international judo coach Sensei Eva Minarikova of Kazoku Judo Club – up to 60 children staying after school to learn this wonderful martial art! This exciting opportunity comes after a taster assembly where Black Belt Sensei Eva had good fun throwing our Headteacher, Dr Cook, around the hall. Our children seem very keen to sign up now!
At Hillfort, we have been lucky enough to receive some significant funding from British Cycling, Sport England and Cornwall Council – matched by ourselves because we love sport! As a result of this funding, we have a brand new ‘pump track’ and lots of new bikes that we are using in our Tuesday Bike Club. Alongside our Ride-ability provision, our Bike-ability provision and our Early Years children being taught cycling specifically, we are loving being on two wheels!
Hillfort Specific
Embody the school’s values Kindness, resilience, challenge, courage, aspiration | Health Post pandemic, and given how Liskeard sits in the highest obesity rates in Cornwall, we wish to emphasise positive health | Going beyond the curriculum Our newly formed Sports Academy allows KS2 children to access a wide range of external providers, e.g. Exeter Chiefs, Plymouth Albion and Plymouth Argyle. | Community & Cornish Roots We wish to make use of our exemplary landscape, and in particular our new bike track. |
PE Concepts
Physical literacy Developing the joy of movement as the foundation of physical education | Health and Fitness The awareness of how the body changes through exercise, alongside nutrition. | Engagement in competition This will be both against one’s self and against others. | Collaboration and communication Children will enjoy working with one another. | Evaluation of performance Children will become able to recgonise, and improve on, their own performance. |
PE Skills
Agility | The ability of the body to change and move direction/position quickly/with pace and effectively whilst under control. This can be over a period of time i.e., with stamina and strength. |
Balance | The ability of the body to stay upright and in control of body movement – both dynamic and static. This can be over a period of time i.e., with stamina and strength. |
Co-ordination | The ability of the body to move two or more body parts under control, smoothly and efficiently. This can be over a period of time i.e., with stamina and strength. |
Teamwork | The ability to both lead a team and to be part of a team. |
Swimming | The specific ability to swim confidently and safely (pref. at least 25 metres by end of KS2), using a range of strokes, plus the ability to perform self-rescue. |
Specialism | The ability to learn a range of sports – and the specific skills needed to excel in those sports. |
Curriculum Map
ReceptionStay/Play | Personal | Social | Cognitive | Creative | Physical | Health and Fitness | Summer Specialism: Cycling |
Personal | Social | Cognitive | Creative | Physical | Health and Fitness | Summer Specialism: Athletics |
Personal | Social | Cognitive | Creative | Physical | Health and Fitness | Summer Specialism: Hockey |
Social | Cognitive | Creative | Physical | Health and Fitness | Dance | Summer Specialism: Rounders |
Specialism: Cricket (Chance to Shine) | Personal | Cognitive | Creative | Physical | Swimming | Health and Fitness |
Personal | Social | Creative | Real Gymnastics | Swimming | Summer Specialism: Tennis |
Cognitive | Physical | Health and Fitness | Real Gymnastics | Dance | Summer Specialism: Pop Lacrosse | Top up swimming |