PE Sport and Health

Threshold concepts are the big ideas that underpin a subject. There is one threshold concept that underpins our PE teaching that enables children to build a PE schema:

• Develop practical skills in order to participate, compete and lead a healthy lifestyle.

This concept involves learning a range of physical movements and sporting techniques.

This threshold concept is divided into 5 knowledge categories as follows to strengthen a child’s schema:

Movement: This is the cornerstone of physical education. It includes the fundamental movement knowledge of stability, locomotion and object control, progressing to specialised skills like games, gymnastics and dance.

• Stability – involves the body balancing either in one place (static) or while in motion (dynamic).
• Locomotion – involves the body moving in any direction from one point to another.
• Object control – involves manipulating and controlling objects with the hand, the foot or an implement

Tactics and Strategy: All aspects of physical education involve cognitive challenges, e.g. how to outwit opponents in games, create interesting sequences in gymnastics or work as a team to complete a challenge in outdoor and adventurous activities

• Tactics: quick adjustments performers make in the moment to solve problems encountered during a game
• Strategy: overall game plan

Personal and Social: Physical education provides many opportunities for personal development such as self-control, cooperation and individual responsibility.

Leadership: Many opportunities exist in PE to develop leadership skills. Often these opportunities occur on an ad hoc basis, but they should be planned for, and the qualities developed should be made explicit to students. Opportunities for leadership fall into two categories: leading people and leading an activity. Roles within this include: captain, coach, referee, equipment organiser, performer.

Healthy Lifestyle: Childhood obesity prevalence in 2016/17 was 10 per cent in Reception, and 20 per cent in Year 6.* The number of students suffering with mental health problems is increasing. One in eight (12.8 per cent of) 5 to 19 year olds had a mental disorder when assessed in 2017. Rates were similar in boys and girls. Data for 5 to 15 year-olds show a slight upward trend over time in the prevalence of emotional disorders.** Students need to know that many factors interact to keep us healthy and they are all important.