Our PE lead is Mrs Dhinsa.

St Margaret’s PE curriculum is imbued with our school vision: Flourish as a family, love to learn, make memories, shine! We know that children love to move and we aim to channel their natural energy into exciting PE lessons and opportunities to be active. We want to inspire an on-going love of sport and physical activity that will guide the children to leading healthy and active lives. Development of teamwork and sportsmanship is important, reflecting our Christian vision of living together in unity.

PE Concepts  

The key PE concepts are listed in the PE subject video HERE. As the children move through KS2 at St Margaret’s, the teaching of PE concepts and related key vocabulary, builds upon and adds to prior learning, enabling them to make links between concepts and deepen their understanding. They revisit concepts, such as transition and movement, in different year groups and meet some again in other subjects. For example, the concept of healthy lifestyles is also taught in Science and in PSHE. The curriculum is sequenced and revisited so that the children can know more, remember more and apply their knowledge. 

Foundation for a Lifetime of Sport 

St Margaret’s sports coaches are dedicated to inspiring our children to live active and healthy lives. Their obvious love of sport and fitness is an excellent example. The fun, engaging lessons they plan allow the children to practise techniques and play games while continuing to develop their fundamental movement skills. Fundamental movement skills are the movement patterns that enable agility, balance and coordination. They are the building blocks for all sport and give an excellent foundation for a lifetime of sport. 

Progression through PE Lessons  

The foundation of physical activity at St Margaret’s is the two PE lessons the children have each week. These are taught in half termly units and cover sports from gymnastics and tennis to netball and athletics. The lessons are planned using the Get Set 4 PE platform which aligns with our vision, our concept building approach to PE and the objectives laid out in the National Curriculum. Lessons are designed to give the children the support and challenge they need so that they all have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Progression is built into the scheme which ensures children are increasingly challenged and their understanding deepened as they move up through the school. 

Head Start Running Club and After School Sports Clubs 

St Margaret’s run Head Start running club, in term time, from March to October. Weather permitting, children can come into school before the morning bell and jog laps of the field. It is a fun way to energise them ready for the day’s learning. Physical activity is also facilitated after school through a variety of after school sports clubs, from football to gymnastics and archery to netball. The sport offered changes every half term. Opportunities for the children to stay active are not only important for physical health but they have positive benefits for mental health too, reducing anxiety and building resilience. 

Active School Days  

In addition to PE lessons and Sports Clubs, children have other opportunities to be active throughout the school day. Classes have regular Fit for Learning sessions, where they take ten minutes to jog or brisk-walk around the field or playground. Games equipment and activity areas are provided at morning and lunch breaks to encourage active playtimes and active tasks, such as fact relays or outdoor research activities, are also built into a number of the school’s lessons.

Competitions 

St Margaret’s children can use the skills learnt in PE lessons, in inter-school competitions. The school takes part in a variety, from cross country and dodgeball to football and athletics. We are helped in this through our association with the Central Warwickshire School Sports Partnership. There’s also in-school competition at our school sports day; sportsmanship shines here as children enjoy cheering on their classmates as much as they enjoy taking part in the races. 

Swimming Lessons 

All children take swimming lessons during their time at St Margaret’s. In line with the national curriculum, the lessons are designed to promote competency, confidence and proficiency in the water, equipping the children to be as safe as possible in water-based situations. 

Active Trips and Residential Visits 

Our active school trips and residential visits involve children applying their fitness and resilience skills. From tackling a kayak and zip wire in Wales to tree top rope adventures in Coventry, from wake boarding at a water park in the Midlands to foraging and fire lighting in Northamptonshire. Physical and mental strength is further developed through this experiential learning. 

Our Federation PE Kit

On the days the children have PE lessons, they are expected to wear the Federation sports kit in place of school uniform. This cuts down on changing time, ensures personal privacy and allows effective use of active learning time. Please ensure that any kit with the school logo has the correct design.

• white crew-necked T-shirt (with/without logo)
• black zip-up hoody (with/without logo)
• plain black track suit bottoms/shorts/leggings/skorts
• white socks
• black or white sports trainers
• long hair should be tied back with black, white or purple discreet hair ties

Kit with the schools’ logos can be bought from the suppliers detailed below or plain (no logo) versions can be bought from supermarkets or other children’s outfitters. Please check out sizing carefully as the age band sizing may come up a bit small on some children. Contact the suppliers for more details. A change of footwear can be brought to school in a named bag when trainers may get muddy during outdoor PE sessions.

We recommend these suppliers for our sports kit:

• St Margaret's School Shop Sales
• Stitch-Tech Ltd, 7C Jenton Road, Sydenham Ind Estate, Leamington Spa, CV31 1XS
• Chez Rama, Clemens Street, Leamington Spa, CV31 2DW

Please take a look at our PE kit launch video HERE.

Virtual Games Success for St Margaret's - November 2020

In recent PE lessons, St Margaret's children have been completing challenges for the Central Warwickshire Virtual Games Competition. Over 30 local schools entered the events. Huge congratulations to the top team in SM12 who came first in the Year 5/6 pentathlon and to the top team in SM4 who came first in the Year 3/4 football. Both teams now move on to the county finals.