PE at Ravenswood
PE plays a huge part in the life of the school and we have amazing facilities to support the teaching of PE at Ravenswood. We are very proud that Ravenswood Primary was the first school in the city to be awarded the ‘School Games’ Gold and Platinum awards.
At Ravenswood, children develop physically and technically through a broad range of sporting activities and challenges. Through the teaching of PE, children not only develop a lifelong love of sport, physical activity and healthy active lifestyles but also improve their resilience, communication and co-operation skills.
Pupils engage in two hours of high quality physical education each week, divided into games, gymnastics and dance. Swimming lessons are taken in Year 3. A wide range of schemes and resources are used to support our curriculum, which follow the EYFS framework and National Curriculum programmes of study for KS1 and 2. The curriculum is inclusive and progressive from Reception to Year 6 with opportunities to revisit and practise previous skills learnt.
Gymnastics lessons are taught using the Val Sabin scheme with the British Gymnastics Core Proficiency resource used to improve strength and flexibility. In dance, the Dance Notes scheme engages cross-curricular links wherever possible. Games lessons in EYFS and KS1 develop children’s gross motor and fundamental movement skills, which builds in KS2 to focusing on a specific sport each half term. Outstanding resources support the best learning outcomes for each sport taught in Games in KS2. Outside agencies are occasionally used to provide specialist sessions to the children and teacher CPD (e.g. Chance to Shine cricket, gymnastics).
In addition, each class takes part in a ‘Daily Run’ (or similar). This provides an extra opportunity for physical activity, where children are encouraged to reach personal goals, as well as stimulating the mind for effective learning.
Highly committed staff provide a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, offering children the chance to participate and be successful in intra and inter-school competitions and festivals at city and county level. Ravenswood teams are known for their sporting behaviour, which is encouraged and expected in their lessons. Children who excel in their chosen sports are allowed time out of the curriculum to attend club competitions.
Beyond the teaching of PE, Ravenswood offers a multitude of enrichment opportunities:
- Annual House Athletics Challenge, organised and run by Year 6 children
- Young Leaders develop their communication skills and are
- - trained to deliver active playtimes with younger children
- - used by Newcastle Sport to support Quadkids competition
- Annual Sports Day where families are invited to watch and support their children.
- Children’s Great North Run as well as our own ‘Ravenswood Run’; money is raised for the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.
- Commitment to participate in intra and inter level competitions
- Extra-curricular clubs provided by teachers include: athletics including Quadkids, basketball, football (girls’ and boys’ teams), handball, gymnastics, hockey, multi skills, netball, running, yoga, boccia, cricket, badminton, table tennis and tag rugby.
Extra-curricular clubs provided by external providers: football and tennis.