PE at Cotsford
Summer 2
The whole school have enjoyed a range of health related activities in the final half term. We began with a competitive sports day, where everyone took part and competed for gold, silver and bronze. Street Dance and Street Games proved to be a great hit as well as dance with Deacon! All classes participated in a range of class competitions including football, target games, basketball and rounders. Cotsford were thrilled to have a visit from a Paralympian! Stephen Miller inspired all and spoke about his determination and goals in life. His medals were fantastic and his sponsored event raised over £1600 pounds. The children showed their flexibility, competitiveness, desire, determination and most importantly their positive attitude to all activities! Everyone completed mindfulness activities, healthy facts and had the chance to win prizes for completing a food diary. To finish the week off we enjoyed a fun day which included a range of inflatables. Keep it up everyone!
Wow, what a fun term it’s been in EYFS! The children did lots of sports day practise ready for the big day. They completed lots of races and thoroughly enjoyed their Sports Day with their families cheering them on.
Year 1 have 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. In athletics, the children worked at mastering basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination.
They loved Health Week! They loved spending time with Stephen Miller, a Paralympian, where they took part in sponsored activities. The children really enjoyed learning about how to be sun safe with the 5 S’: Slip, Slap, Slop, Sunglasses and Shade. They also looked at what they need to do to have a healthy mind…
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!
In Athletics, children mastered basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities.
Year 3 have loved athletics with ‘The Foundation of Light’ this half term. Coach Joey has helped the children to improve their skills in running, throwing for distance and jumping for height and distance. They have loved the exciting games he has taught then and can transfer some of these skills in other areas of PE.
The children have also enjoyed learning to play ‘Boundary Line’, where they have learned to strike a ball using different batting techniques, throw a ball at a target and for distance, and they are improving their skills in working as a team.
Year 4 have also been working with Coach Joey to practise throwing at a distance with a beanbag. They have also worked on their javelin throwing skills too. They have enjoyed developing their jumping skills for distance and height. The children have also been running and discussing how they could improve their games.
The children have also been taking part in weekly swimming lessons, where they have developed their confidence in the water. They have been working on swimming with their faces in the water, practising using different strokes.
It’s been a busy half-term for Year 5. They have been perfecting their athletics skills in the Distance Challenge core task. They practised running over different distances, jumping including the long jump and triple jumps and finally throwing. As you can see in the pictures below, the children measured each attempt and tried to improve their personal best each week. They talked about the importance of different speeds over varying distances and the most effective technique to use for each event.
Year 5 were also lucky enough to take part in Street Games and Street Dance. They now have some new games to play at break times and they created a fabulous dance after only one session.
The children have been learning the skills needed to play runners. This has included bowling, both underarm and overarm throwing and catching. They have developed their understanding of fielding positions, as well as learning batting techniques. The children have loved getting involved with this game and competition and been high.
Year 5 had a fantastic Health Week. It kicked off with Sports Day where the very competitive Year 5 competed against each other in a range of events. Their favourite was the shot put and the Blue Team eventually won. Then, Debs from Place 2 Be helped us think about the importance of healthy minds as well as healthy bodies. The children completed an activity about things they can control and those things that they can’t. They also made resilience wheels. Deacon came into school to do a dance showcase, which was amazing, and he supported the children in making their own dance. There are some excellent movers in Year 5! Key Stage 2 received a visit from Chartwells. They talked about the importance of healthy eating and the children tasted both savoury and sweet hummus. Savoury was their favourite! To finish off the week, Year 4, 5 and 6 competed in an intra school competition. Year 4 and Year 6 against Year 5 in rounders and basketball. Everyone had a great time, but Year 5 won the basketball competition and Year 4 and 6 won rounders.
Year 6 focused on athletics. They spent time developing throwing, jumping and running skills, focusing on stamina and pacing themselves when running longer distances. The children also improved their sprinting techniques, taking time off their sprints. It was impressive to see some of them challenging themselves and showing determination to succeed.
Summer 1
Year 5 had the amazing experience of Bikability. They worked extremely hard and learnt how to ride a bike correctly and safely on the roads. Well done for achieving Level 1 and Level 2!
Year 1 played ‘Beanbag Throw’ where the children developed their rolling, overarm and underarm throwing skills. They worked on their defending and intercepting skills as well as their decision-making skills. The children really enjoyed building on these skills and are beginning to keep score accurately during games. They had lots of fun playing noughts and crosses too.
In OAA the children looked at ‘Where are we going?’. They 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, cone orienteering where they used a map to follow a route though the cones, and they also created a map and gave directions to their classmates to see if they could find the “hidden treasure!”
Year 2 have loved having Coach Joey from the Foundation of Light teach them tennis! In the 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 skill. 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!
Team building 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 In Learning) 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 accidents! The trickiest part was knowing left and right!
Year 3 children have enjoyed learning how to play arc rounders. They have worked on throwing with precision and catching skills as well as striking balls from a tee. While playing rounders, the children have played in batting and fielding positions and developed their communication skills.
Year 3 have had the opportunity to go swimming this half term and they loved it!
Year 4 have enjoyed learning how to play zone cricket. They have developed skills in bowling the ball, using the cricket bat and also fielding. The children have also enjoyed OAA this half term. This has enabled the children to work as a team to complete various tasks, often involving maps.
Year 5 have once again had a fantastic time during their extra swimming lessons. They have become more confident using different strokes including; front crawl and back stroke. Their swimming teacher has also helped them to perfect the correct breathing technique.
Year 5 have also enjoyed learning how to play Grid Rugby. They have learned how to pass and receive a rugby ball and where the team need to be in relation to the ball. They have improved their ability to tag their opponents and how to contribute when attacking and defending. Also, they are beginning to use tactics and can identify when to use them in different situations.
Year 6 focussed on basketball with Coach Joey. They developed their skills around footwork, dribbling, passing and shooting, before applying all of these skills to small games. These sessions have been really fun and helped develop the children’s communication and teamwork skills too.
In April, several children were chosen to represent Cotsford at the Stadium of Light for the match against Hull. They rehearsed their flag bearing skills, completed sport activities as well as enjoying the match. They were amazing! They waved their flags as the players came onto the pitch in front of 41500 people.
Spring 2
In Early Years the children have been very lucky to have PE with Joey from Sunderland Academy 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 a partner scoring. The children have also looked at how to successfully intercept an object to stop an opponent from scoring points.
In Fitness the children have worked on improving their fitness and basic skills. They have played a range of games, learned how to skip and practised running for longer periods of time without stopping.
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 3 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.
Kick rounders has 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. 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!
Year 3 have developed their ball skills during a range of different activities. From improving dribbling skills, to passing with greater accuracy. They have really enjoyed taking it in turns to be defenders and attackers when playing their games and have developed accuracy when shooting at the target.
Year 4 have been enjoying tennis lessons, with Joey from the Foundation of Light. They have been working on developing skills such as serving, controlling the ball, forehand and backhand. They have also been competing against each other in mini matches.
The children have also had more swimming lessons, where they have been learning how to swim on their back and also put their face in the water.
Year 5 loved the Indian Dance that they created this half term. Their chosen song was The Pussycat Dolls – Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny), which you can enjoy here https://youtu.be/Yc5OyXmHD0w. Why don’t you try creating your own dance? As you can see in the pictures below, the children started their dance by working in unison and then they separated into small groups to create a tableau and a short phrase of movement. Throughout the dance, the children used films and images of Indian dancers to get some inspiration for their own movements and to ensure that they were using traditional Indian hand movements.
Year 5 also enjoyed the challenge of creating counterbalance and counter tension with a partner. They were able to mirror each other and create sequences using their knowledge of travelling, balance and counterbalance.
Year 6 had fun applying their cricket skills and have some fantastic cricketers in the class. They took turns leading the group with skills masterclasses on fielding, bowling and batting. They also got a chance to learn about the signals the umpires use and different ways you can be out!
Their second unit was orienteering and outdoor adventure, which fitted in with many of the activities they participated in during their residential visit to Dukeshouse Wood They practiced giving, and listening to, accurate directions and how to communicate without using words. On the residential, everyone went on the zip wire, leap of faith, night line, practiced archery, obstacle courses and, we are proud to say, showed fantastic teamwork skills throughout.
Spring 1
Joey from the Foundation of Light has continued to develop football skills in Years 4 – 6 in preparation for the school football leagues. Josh from Durham Gold Club has worked with Reception, Years 1 and 2 introducing golf to the children. They have developed their putting skills as well as the chipping swings. Mrs Simpson has worked with Years 1 – 3 developing football after school as well as during playtimes.
In Early Years this term the have been superstar gymnasts focusing on developing their movement and balance.
Year 1 gymnastics the children have worked on their basic 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. They put these together to create a sequence using the floor and the apparatus.
In Dance, the children have created and performed short dances based on clowns, jugglers, tight-rope-walkers and acrobats. The children had to recall how to start and finish their dance and which shapes or actions went in the middle. They had to show control and coordination when travelling and staying still, use the space safely, use different parts of their body both in isolation and in combination, and describe how their body felt while dancing. They had lots of fun working with partners and as a bigger group.
Year 2 have loved continuing to build on their skills from last term in 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. Their favourite part was the apparatus, especially the higher platform!
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 the 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.
Year 3 have been devising a dance to the music ‘Clocks’ by Coldplay. They have thought about movements that they do throughout the day and incorporated these into a dance routine. They have learned to take on each other’s ideas and develop these into a group routine.
Year 3 have also had the opportunity to attend swimming lessons at Seaview School in Seaham. They have been learning how to be more confident in the water by putting their faces in as well as learning how to keep their arms and legs moving to support movement in the water.
Year 4 have enjoyed developing their skills in gymnastics. They have worked with partners to create a routine which included different shapes, levels and pathways. They have practised using balances, rolls, jumps and travelling to create a sequence of movement to a piece of music.
The children have also taken part in swimming lessons this half term. They have loved getting into the pool to learn the skills needed for swimming lengths. They have also practised floating on the water and going under the water too!
What a fantastic half term Year 5 have had with Joey, from The Foundation of Light! The children have worked hard to develop their tennis skills. They have learnt how to use the correct racket technique and how to send and receive the ball in different ways. The children have focussed on two main shots, the forehand and the backhand. By the end of the half term, they were able to apply these skills and play a short game of tennis with a partner. As you can see in the pictures below, they even got outside to enjoy the sun.
Year 6 have taken part in athletics with Joey and dance with Mrs Hunter. In athletics, they built on their skills from previous years. They started with jumps – both static and while moving. They worked on using every part of their body for balance and to maximise their movement. They also worked on throwing and they have some fantastic throwers! Accuracy, distance and both over and under arm throws were all developed. Finally, they practiced their teamwork and communication in the relay race.
In dance, they had to ‘Make the Grade!’ The children worked on showing emotion and attitude in their movements. They also used props and changed levels when dancing, on their own, in pairs and as a whole ensemble. They tried really hard to make their moves dynamic and in unison. Their final dance was really fun and everyone was proud of their effort!
Autumn 2
In Early Years this half term the children have worked on their dance skills. They have made up some simple dance routines based on some well-known nursery rhymes and also some others based on transport. They have watched their friends complete their dancing and given some words of advice and encouragement.
Year 1 have had lots of fun in dance, building their technique to perform a dance using simple movement patterns. The theme was Moving Along, which was based on different ways of travelling. The children developed their skills by working individually, with a partner and as a group / class using various travelling pictures as a stimulus for movement, and using different parts of the body to create movements.
In Gymnastics they worked on different shapes, rolls and on the apparatus. They created simple sequences which were performed.
Wow! Year 2 have enjoyed exploring gymnastics. They have learnt several new gymnastic positions and loved walking around with their pointy feet and arms. The children found working in groups challenging to plan a gymnastic routine. Perseverance and determination was the key. Each group performed their routine which included a starting position, 3 gymnastic positions, an individual roll and a finishing position.
Year 2 have also been lucky enough to work with dance coaches Taylor and Aaron. The children were enthusiastic and loved learning new dance moves. Good listening skills and following others was needed for this. The children had to listen for music cues to know when to move as a class. After beginning the dance in 2 lines the children moved into smaller groups to perform a range of dance moves. Some children were brave enough to perform solo parts. Finally, the children performed their dance to an audience and they loved it!
Year 3 are Hip-Hop stars! What great fun they have had this half term learning their Christmas dance. They learned some new travelling steps and added a little attitude to them, they included bounce steps and even added in a little grapevine to their routine. Their dance was packed with group movements, small group focus and even a solo!
Wimbledon here Year 3 come! Tennis coaching has been amazing with the Foundation of Light. The children have learned new skills such as the correct way to hold a racket and to strike the ball with some accuracy. They spent some time learning to keep the ball bouncing on the racket and are becoming more familiar with the rules of tennis.
Year 4 have enjoyed gymnastics and dance. In gymnastics, the children have worked in partners to create a sequence on the mats. Their routines have included balancing, mirroring, jumping, travelling and rolling. The children have also enjoyed incorporating apparatus into their routines!
In dance, the children have been moving like volcanoes. They have invented dance moves for key words, such as rumble, erupt and firework, then put these together to form a routine. The children did this in small groups and then came together to dance in unison, with a prop. Their performances were great!
What a fantastic half term Year 5 have had with Joey, the Coach from The Foundation of Light! As you can see in the pictures below, the children have practised different athletic skills and techniques including, throwing, running and they finished by having some fun with different obstacle courses.
Some children in Year 5 and 6 also took part in the School Games Athletics festival, where they competed against other schools in the East Durham area. The children showed excellent commitment and enthusiasm for all of the events that they took part in.
Year 5 have also started their swimming lessons. They have worked hard to swim confidently using a range of strokes, including front crawl and backstroke. Some children are beginning to increase the distance they can swim to 25 metres. They are very much looking forward to more swimming lessons in the spring.
In Year 6, the children continued with their swimming sessions. They worked on both front and back crawl as well as gliding and sculling. It has been great to see everyone’s confidence continuing to grow in the water.
They also continued with gymnastics taking the skills learned in previous years and building on them, finally bringing all of their skills together in a sequence of moves and balances. Each lesson, different children from the class led the warmup, making sure that every part of our body was ready. They also discussed how their heart beats faster to help get oxygen to our muscles and move carbon dioxide back to our lungs. Each week, they had a different set of moves to concentrate on. They started with rolls, including forward and backward. They moved on to balances with a partner and then inverted moves like handstands and cartwheels – Mrs Cook was very impressed with these! Finally, the children worked on vaulting and moving over objects from two feet to two feet.
Autumn 1
In Early Years this term we have worked on our own personal space when moving around. We have been pirates, witches, wizards and superheroes in PE exploring how to travel in different ways. We’ve also loved some of Mrs Laverick’s parachute games. Within class, we are practising putting our coats on and off independently too!
Year 1 worked with Sunderland learning basic ball skills like throwing, rolling and catching and thoroughly enjoyed our sessions.
Year 1 have also being learning how to play Rolla Ball, developing their ball handling technique and working on rolling the ball fast, slow and with accuracy, stopping and retrieving the ball.
Year 2 have enjoyed having Joey the sports coach in to develop a range of multi skills. They have demonstrated excellent team building skills in a range of scenarios. Their favourite was sharks, they love catching each other but also recuing their friends. All children have improved their ball skills and negotiation of space.
Year 2 have also enjoyed playing Piggy in the Middle, and developing the skills in working together as a team, ball handling, attacking and defending.
Year 3 have been working on improving their skills in athletics by running, jumping, throwing and catching. They have developed their techniques, control and balance. They have also improved their knowledge of team games where they have developed the ability to work as part of a team and understand the different roles of attacking and defending and how intercepting can change the game. They can use a range of passes to get past the opposition and attack a target and are developing tactical play.
Year 4 have loved taking part in dance sessions. They have learned the key moves of Hip-Hop and have put lots of these moves together to create a routine. Their dance moves were amazing!
Year 4 have also been learning how to play hockey, developing their dribbling and passing skills, including passing on the move, and the techniques to control and stop the hockey ball.
Year 5 have had a fantastic half term with a Hip Hop dance coach. As you can see in the pictures below, the children have started to perfect some basic Hip Hop moves, such as, The Bart Simpson, Muscles, The Wop, The Bounce and The Running Man. They worked individually and in small groups to perform each action to music. Finally, the children showed off all their hard work when they performed the class routine to Year 4.
Year 6 have been so lucky to have expert coaches in from Horden Rugby Club to help us develop our skills in tag rugby. We worked on every aspect of the game, from teamwork, tactics and evading an opponent to throwing, catching and kicking the rugby ball. We were able to watch some rugby being played and were very impressed with the respect the players all show the referee. As the half term went on, we gained so much confidence in our skills and really loved putting our side pass and dodging skills into games.