Physical Education (PE) at Cotsford
This year in PE we have created a long term plan to ensure that all children experience a wide range of activities including; games, gymnastics, dance, athletics and Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA). Each year group has the appropriate core task to follow which is supplemented by planning ideas and resources from Get Set 4 PE. The Foundation of Light also works with each class during the year. All children have the opportunity to take part in competitions and festivals which are appropriate to their key stage.
Please click the link for Physical Education National Curriculum Information
Friendship Games
Children in Year 4 and 5 came together to form new friendships. This was an initiative promoting the Commonwealth Games. The children chose a country which is part of the commonwealth and researched all the sports for this. After a vote, Canada and basketball was chosen. From this the children designed a new game using basketballs to teach at their paired school. In July the children travelled to North Park Primary School in Spennymoor to teach the children how to play their game. They also learnt North Park’s Indian game called Kabadie. It was a fun filled afternoon!
Health Week – July
Health Week began with a sports afternoon followed by the children taking part in a range of different physical activities to raise awareness of local clubs available and to promote healthy lifestyles. The children also took part in food and nutrition sessions with Chef Sarah McCallister, and looked at the importance of rest and sleep, personal hygiene, sun safety and mental health. Everyone completed mindfulness activities, healthy facts and had the chance to win prizes for completing a food diary. A number of classes even got the the opportunity to learn 1st Aid, how to put someone into the recovery position and how to perform CPR.
All classes participated in a range of class competitions including football, target games, basketball and rounders. The children showed their flexibility, competitiveness, desire, determination and most importantly their positive attitude to all activities! To finish the week off we enjoyed a fun day which included a range of inflatables.
Sports Day
EYFS
Year 1 enjoyed dance, street dance, singing and performing, street games and Judo. They loved everything! They also created a healthy lunch box, made an acrostic poem about being healthy and made a list of all of our favourite healthy foods. They timed themselves doing different activities like star jumps to see how many they could do in a given time. They ended the week with a target tournament with reception which they loved!
Year 2 have enjoyed a competitive sports day, where everyone took part and competed for gold, silver and bronze. It was lovely to see children from every class take part in the final relay! They all enjoyed singing and performing with Danielle, as well as Joey from SAFC participating in athletics whilst Chris was coaching cricket. Street Dance and Street Games proved to be a great hit as well as dance with Deacon! The highlight of the week was the BBJA, the 5 judo experts provided taster sessions to the whole school and even provided medals and merchandise for free.
Year 3
Year 4
What a fantastic Health Week Year 4 had! They started with a singing and dancing workshop with Danielle Parker and then they made some delicious smoothies and wraps with Sarah. The children took inspiration from Sarah’s cooking, to design a healthy wrap by ensuring that the wrap included all of the different food groups. Some of the children even went home and made their own wraps! Next, Debs from Place 2 Be helped the children to think about the importance of having a healthy mind as well as a healthy body. They thought about who is in their support network so that they always have someone to talk to if their feelings get too big. The children loved creating their own games, as you can see, they had some very imaginative plans. They created a set of instructions so that their friends could play them too. They had some great dance experiences with AE Sport and Deacon. For the second year running, they played Street Games. The favourite in Year 4 was still Infinity but there were some new games too such as Hit and Run and Dice Attack. Finally, the children had a great judo experience with Steve Makin. As you can see in the pictures below, there were some surprising moves! Year 4 are very competitive so when they took part in the intra-school competition they took it very seriously. They had practice games of rounders each day in the lead-up to the main event on the final day of Health Week. In the end, Year 5 beat Year 4, 16 to 14 runs. However, it was lovely to see the positive attitude from Year 4.
Year 5
Health week was brilliant from start to finish. Year 5 took part in sing and perform, judo, street games and two dancing sessions as well as competitions with both Year 6 in basketball and Year 4 in rounders. Everyone gave each different sport their all and thoroughly enjoyed learning new games and moves. They also investigated how healthy eating is vital to a health body and the importance of both mental and physical health. Year 5 and 6 had a great session from Horden and Peterlee Rugby Club. Finally, they created their own magical healthy smoothies and wrote instructions on how to prepare them. What a great time!
Year 6
Not only did the children take part in all of the sport and food events with the rest of the school, but they also had the opportunity to complete Bikeability Levels 1 and 2.
A special mention also goes out to Harvey and Poppy who competed in the Durham County School Games final. Both were entered for the shot put event and their efforts contributed to the Easington Team coming in 2nd place.
Summer 2
Wow, what a fun term it’s been in EYFS! The children have had lots of sports day practise ready for the big day. Mrs Laverick has completed lots of races with the children and they thoroughly enjoyed Sports Day with our families.
Year 1 also practised their athletics and sports day skills. They practised jumping in different ways and over hurdles, running for a short and a long distance, balancing an egg and spoon, the three-legged race, throwing javelins and a discus, and completing obstacle courses.
Year 1 were also lucky enough to have some lessons with a cricket coach. In these sessions’ children learnt ball skills, how to bat, run and field which they thoroughly enjoyed.
Year 2 have thrived at competing in races. They have practiced a range of skills from throwing the javelin and discus to pair work in the three- legged race. Football dribbling and egg and spoon race were slower but showed tremendous skill. The obstacle race was a challenge as it included bat and ball as well as skipping. However, each and everyone give it 100% and persevered when it was tough. Well done!
Year 2 were so grateful to have Chris from Durham Cricket Association to coach us. The children began by developing balancing and striking a ball using the flat side of the bat. They had fun practising a straight overarm throw trying to hit the stumps. From this the children began to throw the ball more accurately and strike the ball harder. They enjoyed playing a game of cricket; scoring runs and fielding. Thanks Chris!
The children in Year 3 have been lucky enough to have Joey from The Foundation of Light to coach them. They have enjoyed lessons related to athletics, where they were also able to practise for their sports day events.
The children also have enjoyed playing the game boundary line. They have practised their batting skills, as well as throwing and catching – all essential skills needed for our games!
Year 4 have been fortunate enough to work alongside a coach from Sunderland Football Club. The children have worked incredibly hard in PE, to develop their athletic skills, and have proven that they can compete fairly, as part of a team. The children have successfully participated in a range of relay activities to improve their sprinting ability, as well as experiencing new sports such as javelin, long jump and discus. It was impressive to see the children challenging themselves and showing determination to succeed. A highlight for the children was playing team games, including basketball and football. Playing together allowed the children to make sporting decisions under pressure and apply the skills they had learned. Most importantly, the children demonstrated that they could show support and motivate their peers with positive encouragement.
Year 4 have also had a great time playing basketball. They started by watching the core task video so that they could see how to play the game, the resources they needed and which skills they would need to practise in order to be successful. The children were able to dribble the ball, pass to a teammate and intercept a ball to stop the opposition from scoring.
Year 5 have had a really busy term with PE. In athletics, they spent time developing their throwing, jumping and running skills, focusing on pacing themselves when running long distance. After the whole year of warming up together, different members of the class led the warm up routines, making sure everyone warmed up the right muscles for the activity. In our games sessions, the children took activities from our sessions at both Dene and Easington Academy and created their own games with rules. These were absolutely fantastic. Everyone showed great team work and were brilliant sports. They were also lucky enough to have a session of rugby, which everyone loved. On sports day, everyone gave it their all to help their team to victory – well done everyone.
Year 6 have worked on their throwing skills when throwing for distance. They have learned to throw javelin and shot put. They have also improved their running technique when running in a relay. In swimming they have started to experiment with different strokes and they can now swim longer distances.
Summer 1
In Early Years the children have been playing lots of games with Mrs Laverick. They have practised being different modes of transport including buses, aeroplanes, cars, buses and bicycles.
They have worked together as a team so much, improving their team work skills!
Year 1 played ‘Beanbag Throw’ where the children developed their rolling, overarm and underarm throwing, their defending and intercepting skills and their decision making skills. They really enjoyed building on and improving these skills but they need a little more practise to keep score accurately. They also had lots of fun playing noughts and crosses.
In OAA they looked at ‘Where are we going?’. The children really enjoyed finding ways to work as a team to cross the swamp in different ways. They also enjoyed matching numbers to shapes and working out the hidden message and completing the number trial where the numbers 1-9 gave them a picture to match to the given number. They also really enjoyed cone orienteering where they used a map to follow a route though the cones and to show where things were on their map.
Year 2 have loved having Coach Joey teach them tennis. In a short amount of time they have learned how to hold a racket correctly. Balancing the ball on the move proved to be tricky but not as hard as bouncing it. The children worked individually, in pairs as well as groups to develop their skills. Their final lesson attempted to strike the ball and bounce it in the hoop before their partner hit it back. More practice is definitely needed!
Orienteering has been a huge success in Year 2. The children have loved working in teams and small groups as well as improving their own skills. Allowing children to FAIL (first attempt at learning) with the problem solving in a safe place enables them to confidently solve the problem. Moving across the river using spots seemed to be too easy. However, adding a range of obstacles soon started to show cracks in their teamwork. Perseverance and good communication were crucial! Blindfolds added fun but more importantly trust into the lessons. The children worked together amazingly! They supported each other by directing and generally keeping their partners safe. Only a few minor accidents! The trickiest part was knowing their left from their right!
Year 3/4 children have loved learning how to play rounders. They have worked on skills such as throwing and catching, as well as batting and other skills. They have played some games of arc rounders using a bat, and also kick rounders. The children have played in batting and fielding positions.
The children have also enjoyed the team games played in OAA. They have learned how to cooperate as a team, which has included listening to each other and giving their own opinions. They have had to use good communication to complete various tasks using lots of different types of equipment and even maps!
Year 4 have had a fantastic half term with the cricket coach, Chris. As you can see in the pictures below, they have been working on holding a bat correctly and developing fielding and bowling skills so that they could play diamond cricket. At first, the children found it quite tricky to hit the ball and keep running around so that their stumps didn’t get hit.
Year 4 have also been working on improving their teamwork skills during OAA. They know what makes a good team and have worked hard to listen to each other’s ideas and work collaboratively. The children loved the different team challenges that they faced including; ordering themselves on benches, making letters with their bodies, blindfolding each other while following a route, working together to pass a tennis ball into a hoop and making maps.
Some of the children in year 4 completed level one of Bikeability. They practised cycling, safety, hand signals and learning how to stop safely.
In year 5, the children have enjoyed their weekly cricket sessions with Coach Chris. Starting with catching and throwing practice, they quickly moved on to batting and fielding too. They were able to play a variety of distinct types of cricket games, from volcanoes and craters (which was exhausting!) to 4 batters (which involved the batters having to be constantly aware of where the ball was so they could not be given out!)
Their other PE session was Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA). They learned how to communicate effectively as a group – both verbally and non-verbally. They linked their activities with the learning of the compass points with their direction giving, safely guiding their partners through a dangerous maze with crocodiles and treasure! In doing so they developed their teamwork skills and how to support everyone.
Year 6 have had swimming lessons this half term; the children have become more confident in the water and are beginning to practise different swimming strokes to develop their technique. They have also had a unit of basketball with coaches from ‘The Foundation of Light’ where they have worked on their passing, dribbling and shooting skills. They are beginning to develop their tactical play and know when to intercept and defend.
Spring 2
In Early Years the children have had PE with Coach Joey from Sunderland Foundation of Light. They have enjoyed playing lots of games, negotiating space and dodging opponents. They have also worked as a team to cross the rainforest avoiding crocodiles and snakes, complete with rainforest sound effects!
Year 1, in 10 Point Hoops have learnt and practised different skills so they can play the game. They have looked at how to throw a beanbag onto a target with accuracy to score points, practising both underarm and overarm throwing. They have looked at how to change their speed and direction in order to score points and how to defend in order to stop their partner from scoring and they have looked at how to successfully intercept an object to stop their opponent from scoring points.
The children have also worked on improving their fitness and basic skills. They have played a range of games and practised running for longer periods of time without stopping, which helped them a lot when they participated in a 30-minute run for Red Nose Day! They have also been learning how to skip, although they still need more practise at this and they have completed different circuits to help improve their stamina, agility and co-ordination.
Red Nose Day fun run
Year 2 have loved the challenge of fitness this half term. They had many discussions around improving, personal bests and persevering. From the start the children decided that they would support each other and never give up. This was put to the test when they had to run, jog or walk for 5 minutes continuously. There were lots of moans and groans but everyone completed it. Large rope skipping was a huge success, with everyone improving throughout the lesson. Circuits were tiring but achievable. Children were given the option to choose their favourite sections and repeat them as well as repeating their worst. The biggest fitness challenge came on Comic Relief Day, when the whole school took part in a 10-minute warm up, followed by a 30-minute non-stop walk, jog or run around the field. They all supported each other and even helped others in different classes. They definitely learnt the meaning of encouragement and team work that day!
Kick rounders has also been a huge success in Year 2. The children have loved working as a team as well as improving their own skills. Each week they focused on a skill and used their new / improved skill to play the game kick rounders. This included catching, throwing, intercepting and reading the game. The wanting to score more points often came with a consequence of not making it and scoring zero. However, it never stopped the determination of achieving more!
In Year 3/4, the children have been learning the skills needed to play 3 touch ball. This has included throwing and catching, as well as attacking and defending. The children have loved getting involved with this game and particularly enjoyed being the defender!
The children also took part in a few fitness tests, where they completed relay races, push up challenges and sprinting.
They then took part in some cricket delivered by a coach from Horden Cricket Club. The children have loved learning how to use the bat, wickets and balls ready for a game of cricket. They have practised bowling the ball, as well as controlling it with the bat and aiming for the wickets.
Year 4 has had a fantastic first half term with Coach Joey from The Foundation of Light, who helped them to improve their tennis skills. They have worked on how to hold a racket correctly and become more confident with using and traveling with a racket and a ball. The children can now either do a backhand or forehand shot depending on what direction they want to send the ball.
Year 4 have also been getting active! They have been creating a form of dance in relation to volcanoes. Firstly, using words associated with volcanoes such as, erupting, rumbling and exploding they have been moving their bodies in ways to described these words. Each of these words were then put together to form a dance routine in small groups. As the children successfully performed their dances to the rest of the class they then worked on dancing to a volcano poem called ‘The Life of a Volcano’. This time they used equipment such as scarves and hoops and, in their groups, performed beautifully.
Year 5 have now come to the end of their swimming sessions for the year and what a huge improvement everyone has made. The instructor was over-the-moon with their effort and enthusiasm and it transferred into an increase in confidence and progress! Everyone is so much more secure in the water. Well done everyone.
In their dance sessions, they started to learn ‘Bollywood’ dances and put it together to create a great dance. Part of the routine was choreographed by each group, so everyone got a chance to be centre stage!
Year 6 have learned the rules and skills for cricket from a club coach. They have practised bowling, both underarm and overarm and have developed their understanding of fielding positions during a game of cricket. They have learned batting techniques and can link batting performance to the scoring system.
They children have also worked on team building and resilience exercises where they have completed a range of exercises to build trust and confidence whilst working as a team.
Spring 1
Early Years have been superstar gymnasts. They have learnt lots of different moves including star, straddle and dish. They’ve worked together in pairs to create mini sequences too.
Year 1 have worked on their basic gymnastic skills. They have created shapes with tense arms and legs to improve their stability, holding balances for 5 seconds. They have attempted a range of ways to travel along the apparatus, at high and low levels and they have practised jumps and different types of roll including barrel and straight rolls. Putting these together they have created a sequence using the floor and the apparatus.
The class thoroughly enjoyed visits from our dance coach this half term. They have looked at the circus, the performers and the animals and have created a dance sequence showing clowns, strong men, tightrope walkers, the ringmaster and the animals. Children loved creating this sequence and were proud to record it for Class Dojo.
Year 2 have loved building on their skills from last term’s gymnastics. They have improved their gymnastic positions and are beginning to hold them for longer. They have sorted the positions into high, medium and low. From this they had to work in groups and build up a gymnastic routine each week. Each routine had to include a range of rolls, jumps and movements. They looked at the importance of teamwork and realised a routine could only be achieved if people listened to others and improved their skills.
Year 2 have also continued to improve their dance skills by working in small groups to choreograph sections of a dance. The class had to work in unison at the beginning of the dance to create a starting position for a sleeping cat. From this, it was decided to perform a yawn, clean and stretch of a cat as well. Followed by the group section performance. After listening to the cat music the children debated how to dance when the music changed considerably. They discussed how it made them feel, the tempo and the words. The dance concludes with a fabulous fun freestyle section.
In dance, the children in Year 3/4 created a dance routine inspired by clocks, their mechanisms and important times throughout the day. They created parts of the dance in unison, individually and in groups.
In gymnastics, they worked in groups to create a sequence with various actions. They used the floor, mats and apparatus of different sizes, to link their movements.
We have had some very competitive games of hockey in Year 4. By learning how to hold a hockey stick correctly, the children were able to dribble, pass and shoot more accurately. Even though it was a bit chilly the children enjoyed playing outside because they had more space to pass and move.
Year 4 have also been gymnasts this half term. As you can see in the pictures below, the children created some very strong balances with their partner and they have tried to perfect some different jumps and rolls including; a straight roll, barrel roll, a straddle roll and a straddle roll. They used these new skills to create routines on the floor and the apparatus.
Year 5 have started swimming!!! This has been such a highlight and our swimming coach has been so impressed with the effort and improvement that has been made. Everyone has shown a huge increase in confidence in the water and understanding of how to keep safe. The children cannot wait for another half term of swimming fun!
In their second PE session, Year 5 have been polishing up on their tennis skills. Hand eye coordination has improved and everyone has enjoyed applying their new skills and racket control into small games. There was one session which helped increase their fitness dramatically, as the wind was so strong they spent the whole lesson chasing balls around! The children really enjoyed working with Coach Joey again in their tennis lessons.
Year 6 have taken part in athletics activities where they have practised throwing for distance and accuracy. They have also improved their skills in jumping and sprinting. New Age Kurling has helped them to develop skills in balance, strength and stamina.
The children are devastated that Streetdance has come to an end – they absolutely loved choreographing dances including some fantastic ‘popping and locking.’ They were oozing with pure attitude and loved performing their dances to the rest of their class. There are definitely some talented performers in Year 6!
Autumn 2
In Early Years this term the children have worked on lots of different ways of travelling exploring the Jungle Gym unit. They have met lots of different animal including elephants, giraffes and crocodiles. They have also cut out their own passports and tickets and followed our own maps. It was a little scary meeting all the strange animals but they’ve had so much fun!
In Gymnastics Year 1’s have worked on shapes, rolls and on the apparatus. They used shapes and rolls to create a sequence which they performed on the floor and on the apparatus.
They have also looked at dance ‘Moving Along’. The children have enjoyed being different modes of transport, exploring the different actions that can be used for each vehicle and the noises that they make. The children then created a whole class dance, to music, which involved concentration and team work.
Year 2 have loved having coaches Taylor and Stacey in weekly to support dance. They have worked on hip hop, street and modern dance. The children enjoyed listening to a range of music and moving to the beat. They found the lifts tricky but persevered until they were perfect! The children performed a dance, which they built up each week. They managed to follow all the steps in time to the music and complete a whole routine.
Year 2 have also enjoyed learning a range of gymnastic moves. They particularly enjoyed the jumps of the benches and taller apparatus! They worked on building their strength and holding the position for longer. The children worked extremely hard on the barrel and forward rolls. They loved working in groups and deciding their own gymnastic positions together and making it into a routine. They all worked in unison completing 4 different gymnastic positions, an individual jump, an individual roll, starting position and a finishing position.
Children in Year 3 have developed skills in tennis, with our PE coach Joey. They have practised using the racket for balancing, bouncing and hitting the ball. The children have developed skills to control the ball and return it to their partner.
The children have also enjoyed taking part in dance this half term. They have focused on Hip-hop and have loved learning different types of moves and some big lifts! The children have rehearsed a group dance routine to Drummer Boy by Justin Bieber, and have performed it in front of another class!
Year 4 have now completed their swimming lessons for this term. The children were very happy to receive their certificates for being able to swim 5m, 10m or 25m. It has been lovely to see the children growing in confidence and some are now taking part in swimming lessons with their families outside of school.
As you can see in the pictures below we have some fabulous gymnastics in Year 4! They worked with a partner to create a routine on the apparatus which included different ways of travelling, a balance and some different rolls and jumps. The children decided how they would work together either in unison or by following the leader.
Year 5 have worked on their athletic skills with Coach Joey. They completed masterclasses on sprinting, throwing and catching, before applying all of their skills to challenge events. They practised throwing javelins, using the right amount of force in curling, and target throwing. They had so much fun with these events and can’t wait to use these new abilities with their Heart Project equipment.
They have also developed their core muscles and skills in gymnastics. The children worked on a warm up, designed to help us keep safe while working on different techniques. They started with different rolls – straight and forward rolls, even backwards and teddy bear rolls! They also worked with partners on counterbalances and lifts, focusing on being safe and how their muscles support them!
Year 6 have focused on gymnastics learning a range of moves such as tuck, pike and straddle, and understanding the difference between counter tension and counter balance. They have created sequences including these elements and have performed these to an audience. The children have also worked on rolls perfecting forward, backward and straddle roll, and have incorporated these into a final display. Alongside this they have practised some athletics skills such as long jump.
Autumn 1
In Early Years this term the children have worked on using their own personal space when moving around. They have been pirates, witches, wizards and dragons in PE exploring how to travel in different ways. They’ve also loved some of Mrs Laverick’s parachute games. Within class, they are practising independently getting their own coats on and off too!
Year 2 have taken the game piggy in the middle and adapted it to create a new team game. Each week they have improved a skill based on throwing, catching, intercepting, defending, moving and communication. They have huffed and puffed when things don’t go the way they want and have learnt to build up their resilience and to never give up.
Year 2 have also enjoyed working with Coach Joey from Sunderland Foundation of Light to develop a range of multi skills. They have demonstrated excellent team building skills in a range of scenarios. Their favourite was crossing the river whilst avoiding the obstacles, including moving hunters.
The children in Year 3 have developed ball skills in skittles. They have practised throwing the ball backwards and forwards whilst moving around. They have loved taking it in turns to be defenders and attackers when playing games and have developed accuracy when shooting at the target.
The children have also enjoyed taking part in the various events in athletics. They have developed throwing, catching, passing, jumping, running and balancing skills.
Year 4 have loved working with a Dance coach to create a Hip-Hop style dance. Each week they practised a range of moves and travelling in different directions until they slowly built up each part of their dance. I can see some excellent actions in the pictures below.
The children have also recently started weekly swimming lessons. The swimming teacher has helped the children to become more water confident. They have performed floating activities and tried to swim at least 5m unaided which is a great achievement for those who have never been swimming before.
Year 5 have been learning street dance. They have worked on their coordination, remembering and performing different steps and creating a whole routine. They also learned about how different dances have unique styles, which are important to think about when performing.
In addition, Year 5 have been learning how to take part in a game called 3s and 5s. They have developed a warm up and understand why it is vital to warm up, focused on different methods of throwing and catching balls and how to mark and get past an opponent. They have taken these skills and combined them in small games and learned about fair play and being a good sport. This was really fun and the class have even been playing it at break time.
Learning skills in Tag Rugby has helped improve team working skills in Year 6. The children have learned that in rugby the ball can only be passed backwards and are beginning to understand where the team players need to be in relation to ball. They have improved their passing skills and can run with the ball to score a try.
In basketball they have learned to dribble the ball while moving around the court. They understand which pass to use in different situations; chest, bounce or overhead and have begun to intercept passes to gain possession.
