In NCW core PE lessons aim to provide all students with a safe, fun environment where they can develop their full physical potential. We hope to achieve this by the three focus areas.
Firstly to give the students as many experiences as possible across a wide a range of physical movement and activities/sports or recreations. These can range from running by themselves. Which is something, many students, are prevented from doing in the mainstream setting on the ground of Health and Safety. Experiences of trampolining, rock climbing, swimming.
The second focus is to ensure the students develop confidence in the fundamental skills and activities they experience. Confidence comes from the use of appropriate progressions so the student achieves early success. And then, using this confidence and progressions from this they develop, to reach their full potential.
The third focus is to gain knowledge of sports and activities; the rules, the teams, the league structure, the players, the popular culture surrounding this sport. Also of knowledge of the events that are happening in their local community to the world stages. For example, 5 km parkruns, to the Football world cup.
And hopefully from these three areas of focus they find a passion that they can participate in or follow once they leave NCW. Or to develop the healthy habit of regular physical activity.
Our curriculum presents opportunities for our students to make progress not only physically, but also academically and within the areas in the Curriculum Framework for people and young children with vision impairment (CFVI).
NCW students have two core PE lessons a week. One follows the national PE curriculum and the other is a swimming lesson.
In the PE lesson we cover a wide range of activities that will give them experience of moving different ways, some fundamental movements patterns such as walking, running, jumping, throwing, receiving, and batting. And others that are adapted to fit a certain activity or sport. Such as trampolining, gymnastics, dance,
Progress occurs in more than just the specific sporting movement or skill. Building core strength, the concept of muscle tension, body awareness and muscle proprioception and cardiovascular fitness occur alongside the three focus areas.
In the swimming lessons they develop the life skill of swimming. Also the regular swimming improves their CV fitness level. Some of our students have never swum before they come to NCW and within a year are swimming lengths of our 23 metre pool.
Alongside core PE lessons, the students have the opportunity to extend themselves by the involvement in school or community teams. In the traditional VI sports such as athletics, swimming, cricket, football and goalball. Recent years have seen many national governing bodies embrace the challenge of adapting their sports to suit participants with a VI. These have included Boccia, VI Tennis, and Hugby which is VI rugby and Cibleball.
If a student wishes to extend their PE students further into the academic field the department offers BTEC Sport at Level 2/1 and Level 3; GCSE Physical Education and A Level Physical Education. Unit awards are also offered from Entry Level to Level 3.
Jane Price
Head of P.E.
February 2024
