At Mayfield School Physical development (PD) plays a key role in developing learner’s movement mechanics, confidence, resilience, independence and self-awareness. PD is one of the key areas of infant and toddler development and relates to the growth and skill of the moving body, including the brain, muscles, and senses. Research indicates learners who are not physically active can struggle to engage effectively within school and beyond. Lack of activity can affect cognition and concentration and can have detrimental effects on learning. Mayfield School recognises that our pupils experience additional barriers and therefor have a duty to remove these to enable our pupils to develop their physical health. We believe PD is integral to every learner’s Curriculum entitlement; we want our learners to be healthy, happy and prepared for adulthood.
The PD curriculum provides a range of opportunities for traditional PE skills to be developed, while providing essential research-based movement development programs and intervention for others who cannot access this type of approach. At its core, the PD Curriculum aims to develop learner’s independence and understanding of Health and Self-Care. It embraces a methodology to allow learners to fully engage with their physical and mental health, giving learners ‘choice and voice’ to develop into active and healthy adults. For more complex learners, core physical attributes are developed to increase an intrinsic more visceral appreciation of their own body, while supporting and promoting independence across all aspects of personal and intimate care.
In principle the learning journey is simple – our learners: –
- Develop an understanding of themselves
- Develop an understanding of their bodies and learn how to use it safely in space
- Develop fine motor skills to assist with school life and life beyond school
- Learn how to work with others safely and effectively in a variety of situations
- Engage with team and group games/sports
- Learn how to take care of themselves
- Develop technique and positive relationship with being active
- Reflect and refine technique to perform your best
- Develop understanding of diet and healthy food choices
- Develop understanding of illness and disease and know methods to minimise risk.
Overview of the Physical Development Aims & Objectives
- To provide a high quality, ambitious, logical, sequenced, and progressive Curriculum designed to meet the needs of all learners, regardless of their starting point.
- To provide enjoyable, engaging real life opportunities in which learners develop physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively.
- To offer a comprehensive range of learning experiences meeting the needs of all learners.
- Structured and developmental schemes of work provide opportunities for repetition, progression, challenge and enable learners to gain sense of achievement.
- To develop confidence, tolerance and the appreciation of one’s own, and others, strengths and weaknesses.
- To promote community engagement and nurture positive attitudes and relationships with local leisure facilities conducive in an active and healthy lifestyle.
- To establish and instil a passion for PD and activity within our learners.
- To support and contribute to the aims of the wider school curriculum.
- To deliver the curriculum using visual, audio and kinaesthetic learning, adopting a total communication approach.
- To provide learners with safe and appropriate opportunities to self-regulate behaviours.
- To provide learners with the sensory diets and requirements they need.
The curriculum design for PD is a developmental, tiered approach and can be adapted so that it can be coherently sequenced to meet our learners’ individual needs, considering their starting point and aspirations for the future. It is broadly split into four pathways.
Mayfield School’s PD curriculum recognises the need to develop learners’: –
- Gross Motor skills
- Fine Motor skills
- Mobility and sensory development
- Skills for Sports/techniques
- Teamwork and gameplay
- Health and wellbeing
- Reflection and evaluation skills