Each class in our school is timetabled for 60 minutes of PE a week. During the year, this is often increased due to activities such as Sean-Nós, swimming, tag rugby cycling and GAA.
All of our classes work through the PSSI lesson plans for PE. Each teacher has a folder of plans that they use to guide their lessons. We also have access to the 'Move Well, Move Often' programme, which focuses on developing the fundamental movement skills. The 'Move Well. Move Often' resources are extremely helpful in laying out the steps involved in teaching each fundamental movement skill. The skills are divided into three categories: Locomotor Skills, Stability Skills and Manipulative Skills.
Our classes aim to complete at least 5/6 of the strands of the PE curriculum each year. The strands of the curriculum are:
We are very lucky to have access to specialised coaches throughout the year, who come into the school for a block of lessons.
GAA: Senior Infants -4th class receive GAA coaching in 6 week blocks, focusing on the skills of kicking, passing and striking.
Tag rugby: 4th class-6th class participate in tag rugby lessons for an hour a week for 6 weeks.
Cycling: 6th class have cycling lessons for one hour a week for 6 weeks in the second term. As well as working on cycling techniques, they also complete work on cycling safety and the rules of the road.
Swimming: 1st to 6th classes participate in swimming lessons in 6 week blocks throughout the year. Our swimming lessons take place in DLR Loughlinstown.
Cricket: 4th and 5th class have taken part in Cricket lessons this year also.
PRIORITY STRAND
In 2022-2023, our staff decided to focus on Outdoor and Adventure as our priority strand as we installed the newest version of the Walkway signage and prepared brain break packs for all class levels to help them use the walkway. The school, as a whole, have been working on this strand for the second half of the second term.
The strand units covered in the Outdoor and Adventure are:
1. Walking, cycling and camping activities
2. Orienteering
3. Outdoor challenges
4. Water-based activities
5. Understanding and appreciation of outdoor and adventure activities
Many of our senior classes will also be covering the outdoor challenges and water-based activities strands in their school tours planned for May and June.
For our PE lessons, we have been using the PSSI lessons as well as the website Tri-O orienteering, which has given us brilliant orienteering lessons.
Our outdoor challenges have involved a lot of teamwork. We have tried to pass a quoit around the group using only our feet, ordering ourselves on benches according to birthdays, turn a blanket over without any team members stepping off and many other team work challenges. We will also be doing more of this during Active Week and in the run up to Sports Day.
In 2023-2024, our staff decided to focus on Gymnastics as our priority strand as we identified it as an area that we weren't overly confident in. We also had chosen jumping and balancing as our priority FMS so these can be developed under the gymnastics strand. All classes will be taking part in gymnastics lessons in January and February 2024.
PE EQUIPMENT
We have invested in new PE equipment this year, including skipping ropes, volleyball balls, basketballs, beanbags and hurdles. Our next priority is to organise all PE equipment into sections that are easy for our Active Committee to negotiate and keep tidy. When we get our new school building, we look forward to getting storage sorted that will be even easier to use.
PROGRESS
Our progress with PE is regularly updated on our school twitter account as well as this website. We have sent an email to parents explaining that all classes would be prioritising the Outdoor and Adventure strand during the second half of the second term. They were also encouraged to send in some pictures of the children completing any outdoor or walking challenges at home.
All of our classes work through the PSSI lesson plans for PE. Each teacher has a folder of plans that they use to guide their lessons. We also have access to the 'Move Well, Move Often' programme, which focuses on developing the fundamental movement skills. The 'Move Well. Move Often' resources are extremely helpful in laying out the steps involved in teaching each fundamental movement skill. The skills are divided into three categories: Locomotor Skills, Stability Skills and Manipulative Skills.
Our classes aim to complete at least 5/6 of the strands of the PE curriculum each year. The strands of the curriculum are:
- Athletics
- Aquatics
- Dance
- Games
- Gymnastics
- Outdoor and Adventure
We are very lucky to have access to specialised coaches throughout the year, who come into the school for a block of lessons.
GAA: Senior Infants -4th class receive GAA coaching in 6 week blocks, focusing on the skills of kicking, passing and striking.
Tag rugby: 4th class-6th class participate in tag rugby lessons for an hour a week for 6 weeks.
Cycling: 6th class have cycling lessons for one hour a week for 6 weeks in the second term. As well as working on cycling techniques, they also complete work on cycling safety and the rules of the road.
Swimming: 1st to 6th classes participate in swimming lessons in 6 week blocks throughout the year. Our swimming lessons take place in DLR Loughlinstown.
Cricket: 4th and 5th class have taken part in Cricket lessons this year also.
PRIORITY STRAND
In 2022-2023, our staff decided to focus on Outdoor and Adventure as our priority strand as we installed the newest version of the Walkway signage and prepared brain break packs for all class levels to help them use the walkway. The school, as a whole, have been working on this strand for the second half of the second term.
The strand units covered in the Outdoor and Adventure are:
1. Walking, cycling and camping activities
2. Orienteering
3. Outdoor challenges
4. Water-based activities
5. Understanding and appreciation of outdoor and adventure activities
Many of our senior classes will also be covering the outdoor challenges and water-based activities strands in their school tours planned for May and June.
For our PE lessons, we have been using the PSSI lessons as well as the website Tri-O orienteering, which has given us brilliant orienteering lessons.
Our outdoor challenges have involved a lot of teamwork. We have tried to pass a quoit around the group using only our feet, ordering ourselves on benches according to birthdays, turn a blanket over without any team members stepping off and many other team work challenges. We will also be doing more of this during Active Week and in the run up to Sports Day.
In 2023-2024, our staff decided to focus on Gymnastics as our priority strand as we identified it as an area that we weren't overly confident in. We also had chosen jumping and balancing as our priority FMS so these can be developed under the gymnastics strand. All classes will be taking part in gymnastics lessons in January and February 2024.
PE EQUIPMENT
We have invested in new PE equipment this year, including skipping ropes, volleyball balls, basketballs, beanbags and hurdles. Our next priority is to organise all PE equipment into sections that are easy for our Active Committee to negotiate and keep tidy. When we get our new school building, we look forward to getting storage sorted that will be even easier to use.
PROGRESS
Our progress with PE is regularly updated on our school twitter account as well as this website. We have sent an email to parents explaining that all classes would be prioritising the Outdoor and Adventure strand during the second half of the second term. They were also encouraged to send in some pictures of the children completing any outdoor or walking challenges at home.
PE Equipment
We are lucky to have a range of PE equipment in the school, covering many games and activities. Every year, our active committee help to tidy up our equipment and complete an itinerary of what we have and any new equipment we may need.
Some of the equipment we are lucky to have include:
Some of the equipment we are lucky to have include:
- crash mat
- tennis and badminton rackets
- hurls and sliotars
- rugby balls and tags
- shot puts
- agility ladders
- unihoc sticks
- giant Jenga
- parachute
- soccer and Gaelic footballs
- table tennis table
- hula hoops and beanbags
- relay batons
- elastics
- skipping ropes
- scooter boards
- rubber quoits and targets