PE and Sport at Pittington
PE and Sport at Pittington
We have engaged fully in activity and sport in school and have fully participated once more in the PE curriculum and the areas of physical development in Early Years.
Physical Development
Nursery
In Nursery, we have very much looked at movement development and engaged fully in both indoor and outdoor opportunities. This has included both large movements and developing movement patterns. The children have really enjoyed engaging in weekly ‘Sticky Kids’ opportunities which have been linked to music and areas of the curriculum such as the children blasting off as rockets. The outdoor areas have also been fully implemented to develop movement skills such as skipping, galloping, hopping and balancing. The children have loved working on the climbing frame and using the wooden blocks to construct balance trails. We even used the foam javelins as rockets when developing throwing linked to our space focus.
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Reception
In Reception, the PE focus has been dance in the autumn. We have been looking to develop fundamental movement skills such as rolling, crawling, walking, jumping and running. To link to the movement patterns, we have focused on the movements of different animals each week and this has included us moving like a penguin. We also worked on ball skills in the autumn which has included passing, rolling and kicking which we have further developed in the summer by aiming at targets and exploring accuracy.
Additionally, we have explored gymnastic movements in preparation for Year 1 and have explored a range of rolls, balances and sequences and we very much enjoyed our first experiences when using the apparatus in school.
To further develop our activity, we thoroughly enjoy our ‘Movement Time’ every Wednesday where we take over the yard with our balance bikes, pedal bikes or bats and balls. We have even explored obstacle courses to develop our gross movement skills. In our Reception class you can also witness our love of activity every day as just before lunch we happily engage in movement opportunities linked to music.
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National Curriculum
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, we cover the main aspects of P.E. which includes elements of dance, gymnastics and games skills.
Year 1 have really enjoyed a number of different dance focus areas such as moving as vehicles and have begun to explored linked movements and phrases. They have enjoyed working in gymnastics and have looked at perfecting a number of different rolls. We have added to our gymnastic experiences in Year 1 with a visit to Durham City Gymnastic Club to take part in a gymnastic carousel. Year 1 have also visited Belmont Community School to take part in a morning of Outdoor and Adventurous Activities.
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Year 2 have engaged fully in the PE and sporting calendar and this has included being introduced to tennis skills, having great fun with kick rounders and even preparing a super performance as lions which they performed at the Durham Gala Theatre. Year 2 also had the opportunity to apply their games skills at the Multskills Festival which was held at Maiden Castle Sport Centre.
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Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, we have fully engaged in the PE and sporting curriculum which also includes O.A.A. activities. We even had a full day of O.A.A. experiences in school.
Year 3 have engaged in O.A.A. , dance, gymnastics and arc rounders. They have also made a great start to their curriculum swimming lessons. As well as this, the class have taken part in a Tri-Golf Festival and have demonstrated their super games skills at a Multiskills Festival at Maiden Castle Sport Centre.
Year 5 have been very busy and active. They have visited Freeman’s Quay to take part in curriculum swimming lessons. Also, they have engaged in O.A.A. – showing some super teamwork, netball, tennis, gymnastics and have represented the school at the Durham Dance Festival at the Durham Gala Theatre. They have also visited Durham City Gymnastic Club to take part in a Gymnastics Carousel.
Year 6 have engaged in orienteering as part of their O.A.A. work and have explored basketball, athletics, dance and gymnastics. They represented the school at the Indoor Athletics Competition at Belmont Community School. A number of children from Year 6 have represented the school in a range of competitions.
Our Year 5/6 football teams have both competed in a range of leagues and cups over the season. The Year 5/6 mixed football team finished in second place overall in the Durham Pearl League and were losing finalists in the Durham City Football Cup. Our football teams really have represented the school well.
We have also taken part in the Basketball Cup, Cross Country Event, KS2 Swimming Gala and are looking forward to engaging fully in a range of further sporting opportunities.
Additionally, in school we have been able to introduce the different year groups to a range of sporting experiences. These have included: Quidditch, archery, dance and dodgeball. We have also held an interhouse competition in school with all house teams competing in a range of competitive events over the year.
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Summer Term
We have certainly enjoyed the finer weather and have fully engaged in sport and activity throughout the summer term.
Nursery
In Nursery we have been enjoying lots of time outside in the sunshine and making the most of our new climbing equipment. We have become excellent climbers, taking care to place our hands and feet and becoming increasingly agile over the equipment. We have also used it to improve our core strength too. We have enjoyed navigating the climbing poles and finding the best hand and foot holes to climb from one end to the other. The children have enjoyed creating a balancing course and challenging themselves to try to get from one end to the other without falling off. We have talked about looking ahead and using our arms to help us to balance. We have also practised our skills when running and weaving in and out of cones. We had some races in the garden to see who could weave in and out of each cone the fastest without knocking them over or missing any out.
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Reception
In Reception, our PE focus has been dance. We have explored how to make our body move through actions- walking, jumping, landing, hopping, skipping, stretching, twisting and turning. We have ensured we are looking for appropriate spaces when moving forwards, backwards, sideways, high and low, showing we can do this safely with an awareness of others. Our dance has consisted of copying and composing by ourselves and in a group. We have worked on routines and repeated dance actions such as moving slowly, quickly, smoothly, jerkily etc. We decided that Mirror Dancing was our favourite!
We have also been developing our skipping skills in PE. We looked at how to hold a rope in the correct position to rotate it with safety in mind. We practised the movement as well as jumping at the correct time to step over the rope. We finished off with a big jump over a swinging rope! The children found skipping very tricky but thoroughly enjoyed the challenge!
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Key Stage 1
This term, Year 2 have developed their throwing and catching skills through tennis and cricket focussed activities. The children used their fantastic forehand and backhand swing to pop bubbles using their rackets! We have really enjoyed working with a coach to apply our skills to cricket games and activities. Look at our amazing overarm throwing!
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Key Stage 2
Year 3
Twice a week in Year 3, we have continued our afternoon Active Minutes sessions, with a focus on skipping with ropes. During our PE lessons, we have developed our jumping, running and throwing. After improving how we jump, we practised our throwing techniques to throw a frisbee and a ball, focusing on accuracy and distance. In May and June, we improved our technique when jogging and then our pace for running and sprinting. This was linked with how we could use our bodies to collect something from the ground.
In the last half term of our school year, we applied the throwing and running techniques, which we had previously practised with our teacher, when learning cricket from a visiting sports coach.
Y3 1 Y3 2
Year 4
In Year 4, it has been wonderful to take advantage of coaches visiting the school to share specialist skills with the children. All of the class loved their archery taster day linked to the Paralympics and have been thoroughly enjoying working with a cricket coach each week from Littletown Cricket Club.
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Year 5
In Year 5 we have continued our commitment to sport and activity. During break times, we have developed our range of active opportunities and have engaged in skipping marathons, running and aerobic exercise challenges and took part in active games which were taught to us by our young sport leaders.
In our key sport focus, we have worked with a coach from the school sport partnership to help us to further develop our sprinting technique, running for distance, throwing and jumping. It was certainly a challenge and lots of fun. Also, we have worked upon our tennis skills and some fantastic tennis shots have been seen.
Through our work with the school sports partnership we have also engaged in a Paralympic sport taster session and had the opportunity to have a try at archery. This was a lot of fun and a great time was enjoyed by all of the participants. Additionally, we were able to take part in a ‘Street Sports’ activity session and the children had the chance to take part and learn new games which they could play at break times and outside of school. The children enjoyed the activities so much and have been playing some of them in active break times.
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Year 6
In PE this term, Year 6 have been developing their athletic skills and we benefitted from a coach from the Schools Sports Partnership coming in to enhance our techniques. Look how hard we have been working…
Spring Term
We have continued our work in P.E. and fitness activities through the spring term (both with home learning and with learners in school).
Early Years
In nursery the children have enjoyed following the Sticky Kids exercise program and have been practising bending and stretching. They have been continuing to enjoy movement to music activities, especially the Freeze song! This song allows the children to practise different ways of moving such as skipping, twirling and hopping. Outside in the Nursery garden, the new wooden climbing equipment is still very popular and many children have now mastered the climbing poles. The children have been set various challenges on the equipment including an obstacle course. All children have been practising walking up and down the stepping logs one foot at a time carrying an object. This was tricky for some of us as we usually use our hands to help us balance and climb. We will keep practising.
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In reception we have been jumping! We have been working on our jumping technique. We looked at posture and the movement of our body when we jump safely in lots of different ways, paying attention to what our knees are feet are doing when we jump-off and land. We have looked at landing in different sequences, jumping whilst moving and jumping off things. We even had a jump perfecting zone! We have also been exploring which parts of our bodies can help us to balance. We have focussed on balancing on our own in different ways and at different heights. We have even explored balancing with a partner!
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Key Stage 1
Year 1
In year 1 we have been working on increasing our fitness levels. We have been doing lots of activities to get our hearts pumping and to keep us healthy. We have taken inspiration from Joe Wicks and enjoyed making up our own stories to make our sessions interesting.
This term we have also been looking at mastering athletic skills. We have worked on our throwing skills and using the correct throw depending on the distance of target and the object we were throwing. We have used over arm, under arm and rolling to help us get our quoit, ball and beanbag into hoops. We even did PE in the snow using snowballs to perfect our aiming skills on a target drawn on the wall. As part of our athletics unit, we have also looked at running long distance and jumping and linked this with our fitness sessions. We have also worked on our jumping skills and talked about how we use our arms and body momentum to jump a greater distance. Year 1 have really enjoyed this unit.
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Year 2
The spring term has been another active one for the year 2 key worker children in school and the learners at home. We’ve adapted our curriculum to utilise our fabulous outside spaces and combined fitness activities with some well-being walks and geography learning, exploring our beautiful village. The children in school designed their own circuits each week, kept scores and set targets for themselves in timed activities such as step-ups, speed bounce, shuttle runs, star jumps etc.
The children at home joined Joe Wicks, tried Cosmic Yoga and combined English and Maths learning with the Supermovers from BBC Teach. Some children set physical tasks from home via Tapestry for their classmates and we all had fun trying to meet their challenges in class.
In athletics this term year 2 have been developing our throwing skills. We have been working on our underarm and overarm throws and also learning about push throws, pull throws and sling throws.
A different term but still a very productive one for year 2, helping the children to understand that physical well-being is so very important, especially at times like this.
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Key Stage 2
Year 3
Every week during the first two months of this half term, the year 3 children who were home learning received activities that helped them to continue accessing the PE curriculum. The children both at home and in the classroom continued their focus on Active Minutes and Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA). In addition to activities and resources from school, children both in class and at home were able to access fitness activities from recommended websites such as Durham & Chester-le-Street School Sport Partnership and from Leanne, Caitlin and Sameer at LK Health and Wellbeing. These additional resources were provided to the children in an attempt to encourage and support them with achieving sustained or repeated physical activity each day.
The OAA activities were sequenced so that children at home could familiarise themselves with orienteering and make meaningful cross curricular links with direction and map reading from geography. Some weeks, in addition to videos for maths and English there was a video for the foundation subjects and in the sixth week an OAA video was recorded that explained that process, included cloze procedure activities and a challenge for the children about following instructions. In the final week of this term the children were challenging themselves with a course that required them to travel a greater distance, with more speed and to complete a task when at each cone.
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Year 4
This term year 4 have been enjoying our unit ‘Mini Tennis’, developing a wide range of skills. We have practised the different strokes used in the game, movement used on the court and also our ball control skills. We have developed our balance and coordination as well as playing as part of a team.
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Year 5
In year 5 we have continued our active focus with both home learning tasks and with activities and challenges within school. Children who were engaging in home learning tasks were giving active challenges and tasks which linked to our in school PE focus – such as throwing skills for athletics and speed bounces. Links were made to the Durham and Chester-le-Street School Sports Partnership website for tasks and challenges and we also engaged with ‘This is PE’.
Our areas of focus for the term were athletics and dance. Within athletics we explored our running technique and the contrasts and similarities when running for speed and when running for distance. We also began to develop our throwing technique for both distance and accuracy and built upon previous learning with our three jump challenges. We even introduced a short run up to this task to investigate its impact upon our overall distance. In dance we have explored a ‘dance battle’ and have been witness to some very dynamic and explosive movements which are used in contrast with moments of relative calm.
We have also continued out fitness focus and we are getting fitter and fitter every week.
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Year 6
Year 6 have developed their skills in tennis this term and together we designed activities to work on our skill set while maintaining social distancing guidance. The children worked on serving the ball and using overhead shots. We also developed our use of forehand, backhand and volleys while changing the direction of our bodies and the ball.
Autumn Term
In Pittington Primary School, we have continued to engage with P.E. and being active.
EYFS
In September our new outdoor climbing equipment was installed. The children have enjoyed exploring the new equipment and developing their strength, co-ordination and balance skills. We have started our weekly sessions of Sticky Kids which involves exercise and movement to music skills. We are unable to do these sessions in the hall so have taken the sessions outside with the help of a new outdoor socket for the music. The children have also enjoyed ‘Cosmic Kids’ yoga sessions and ‘Go Noodle’ movement activities and songs. We have talked about the importance of being active to keep us healthy and felt our heart rate before and after exercise.
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In Reception, we have started their weekly outdoor PE sessions and are thoroughly enjoying it!
We have worked on safety rules, body awareness and spatial awareness. We spoke about the importance of exercise and the signs of this on our body. We have even started to play games and worked on movement in order to change direction!
What a great work out we are having!!
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Key Stage 1
In year 1 for our dance topic our first unit was called Moving Along. The children were given the challenge to move around their own space like different vehicles, drawing inspiration from toys, pictures and video. They needed to create a dance that involved them travelling in different vehicles so we chose the music from Rory the Racing Car.
The majority of the children were able to follow and sequence a dance about a racing car. They could move with expression and confidence. We worked on having a clear start, middle and end, and linked phrases together.
The second half of term Year 1 focussed on the dance unit called Themes and Dreams. We talked about different themes that create different emotions. We chose to look at the music ‘Singing in the Rain’ and explored how dancing in the rain and jumping in puddles makes us feel. We decided that we wanted to add a prop to our dance and what better object to use than an umbrella.
In year 2 the children have worked hard to compose a dance based on their interests in sea creatures. They researched different animals, plants and seascapes and watched videos to help them to see how different sea creatures move, hunt and rest.
They were challenged to add different ways to travel, stretch, twist, turn and jump. They moved in different directions at various speeds and added facial expressions. The children added a clear beginning and end to their performances and worked in teams of 3 to practise and remember their routine for a performance to their peers.
Key Stage 2
Year 3 have enjoyed developing their dance skills with a time and clock theme. We revisited vocabulary from KS1 and focused on the components within a dance sequence, such as canon, unison, mirroring, tempo and level. In almost all instances we succeeded, although after self-evaluation, decided we needed to practise using our chosen motif.
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As part of our PE dance unit ‘Masquerade’, year 4 have been learning about Tudor dancing. Before today we have learned a class routine having watched videos and listened to Tudor music to inspire us. Today, the class worked in pairs to create their own individual routines to perform as part of the longer whole class dance.
The class then went on to discover flamenco dancing. There was such a huge difference in style which gave us lots of opportunity for discussion and comparison and the children developed their understanding of ‘canon’ in dance too.
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As part of our dance focus in Year 5 we have been developing a routine all about sitting an exam. We have developed our use of a repeating ‘motif’ and have developed both mirrored and contrasting movements. This has included contrasting dynamics as well as levels. The children worked in pairs and small groups to compose some impressive movement phases which have increased in length and complexity. The final routine was very impressive.
We have also enjoyed our fun fitness sessions and several of the class have had the opportunity to lead the group in a range of fitness-based activities. The fitness levels seen in the group have certainly developed.
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In dance (in year 6), we have developed our own Charleston around our WWII focus. We started with the Charleston footwork and matching our movements to music from the 1940s. We then developed our own styles, dancing together in unison while using different facings.
After half term our dance focus was developing our own Pittington Haka. We worked on recalling and repeating longer sequences of movements with accuracy. We considered the intended audience for our Haka and used our scariest faces to frighten our opposition!
Spring Term
All of our classes in school have been active and engaged in lessons and at break times. The young leaders in Year 6 have been fantastic at encouraging activities such as skipping, hoop skills and dance activities. We have established our School Sports Organising Crewe and the children completed a lunchtime basketball league for Year 6. Lots of classes have also been on sporting trips and had the chance to compete against other local schools. Children have also had the opportunity to work alongside staff and students from Durham Sixth Form Centre and coaches from the Durham and Chester-le-Street School Sports Partnership.
Within the curriculum, all of our classes have been hard at work and engaging fully with P.E. and sport.
Early Years
In Nursery we now have a weekly movement session. We take off our shoes and socks and use the hall to complete movement and PE activities. We sometimes follow the ‘Sticky Kids’ sessions if they link to our topics and interests and have really enjoyed the ‘Volcano’ and ‘Jungle’ sessions.
In Reception we have looked at Keeping healthy through exercise- yoga and dance! We had a visitor to school who taught us all about yoga. We had a professional instructor and she taught us some stretches and movements. She also showed us some animal movements that got us stretching high, moving side to side, balancing and relaxing.
At the end of the session we were taught an important phrase “Namaste” (meaning hello and goodbye in Hindi). She uses this at the beginning and end of her yoga sessions.
We also had a visitor come into school to teach us some Bhangra dancing (a type of dance from India). Bhangra dancing is harder than it looks! We enjoyed listening to Punjabi music and followed lots of rhythms. The children did amazingly well trying to move both arms and legs, in sequence and in time to the music.
While working indoors we have been playing lots of team games where the children need to cooperate and work together in order to succeed. The children are developing very good team based skills and are great at working together. Whilst outdoors, we have also used the big school field to practise our catching and running. The children are developing good throwing techniques...being ready to catch, and catching the ball with two hands proved to be a challenge. We encourage the children to have good eye contact with the person who was throwing the ball and to have their hands in a position ready to receive the ball. To finish off we ended with a big class race, running against the wind!
Key Stage 1
Classes in Key Stage 1 follow the national curriculum for P.E. and have been very engaged with their sporting focus areas.
In Year 1 throughout the Spring term we have explored a variety of new units; such as dance (themes and dreams) and rolla ball. The children have loved learning lots of new skills and enjoyed taking them home to show family and friends. Year 1 have also had lots of opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities. We have taken part in a Gymnastics Festival where they impressed coaches and volunteers with their skills, taken part in a yoga session delivered by a professional, and been given the chance to take part in a multi-sports. We have had a fun term exploring and developing our PE skills.
Year 2 have been very busy with regard to sports. They have enjoyed mini-tennis coaching and have really impressed with their ability as a class and individually. The children’s teamwork has been developed in our ‘Piggy in the Middle’ PE unit. We prepared a dance for the Gala Theatre and although this didn’t take place, the class were wonderful and really did well. They have also attended a multi sports festival at Maiden Castle where they tried Zumba and invasion games.
Key Stage 2
Classes in Key Stage 2 follow the national curriculum for PE and have been focusing upon a range of different sporting areas. The children have also engaged in a range of competitions and festivals.
Year 3 have been helped by a teacher and sport students from Durham Sixth Form Centre to develop our striking and fielding skills and improve our balancing skills in gymnastics. We also learnt to develop our dancing skills by choreographing a sequence of routines to create a single dance performance. During Active Minutes sessions, we thought more about our breathing and heart, noticing that as the weeks passed we found that we were less out of breath.
In Year 4 we have been focusing on our Masquerade dance performance. This has included looking at a range of traditional dance styles which have included Tudor dance, flamenco and ballroom. We have explored the key steps and movements for each and used them to help us to compose step and movement sequences of our own. We have worked towards a final performance featuring all three dance styles. The class were magnificent and really portrayed the key aspect of each dance well.
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We have also explored tennis skills this term and have begun to develop our use of forehand and backhand shots. The children have really progressed with placing shots over a net and with overall accuracy. We have also looked at developing our movements on the court to intercept shots – watch out Wimbledon.
Year 4 have attended swimming lessons this term and have left their teacher very impressed with both their effort and their progress. This has been so much so that the swimming instructor has been able to work with them on some quite complex swimming techniques. It has been great to see such engagement in a key sporting skill such as swimming.
Year 5 have had the opportunity to work with coaches and instructors this term sampling Bhangra dancing and Yoga. They learned basic moves and principles of Bhangra and exercises to improve core strength, balance and relaxation in Yoga. We feel very lucky to work with such skilled coaches and show our thanks through good behaviour and exceptional manners.
We have thoroughly enjoyed improving in gymnastics this term with a focus on partner work and balance. We learned to trust each other and support each other This work culminated in the creation of a floor routine to music incorporating new skills with key movements and skills from previous years in school. Some children perfected cartwheels whilst other managed to perform a forward roll precisely for the first time this term. Progress all round!
We started our work in tennis this term, completed the core task and talked about our strengths and areas for development. Mrs Emmerson has set us some home learning linked to this and we are thinking up ways to improve with the equipment we have at home.
Year 6 have been enjoying a term of dance. We started with one of our regular dance coaches and developed motifs and cannons. We then progressed to reverse motifs – a quite complex dance skill.
We have also been developing our football skills. This has included the opportunity to work alongside a coach from the Durham and Chester-le-Street School Sports Partnership. On top of all these skills developed, we also benefitted from a yoga coach coming into school to work with us.
School Games, Sporting Festivals and Competitions
Within school in the Spring Term we have competed and taken part in a number of sporting opportunities. These have included a wide range of sports and we are very proud of all of the children who have represented our school so well, given up their time to attend trials and training sessions, and given their best continually.
School Games - Key Stage 2 Swimming Gala
A number of children from Years 4, 5 and 6 represented our school magnificently at the local swimming gala at Freeman’s Quay. I was very impressed by their approach and overall attitude to representing the school. It was certainly evidence that we have some super swimmers within Pittington Primary School and we managed to finish seventh overall within the competition.
School Games - Year 5 and 6 Triathlon
This has been the second year for this new event in the primary competition calendar and our second year at competing. The children were fantastic and I know that Mrs. Emerson was very impressed with the effort and sporting ability on display. The children competed at Freeman’s Quay Leisure Centre and took part in swimming, running and cycling challenges. The Pittington team finished first overall for the morning competition and we are extremely proud of their achievement within this challenging sporting event.
School Games – 5-a-side-competition
A team from Year 5 and Year 6 competed in the 5 –a-side competition in Durham. They played some super football and competed against a number of different schools. The children really did represent the school well.
School Games – Basketball Competition
We competed in the Durham City Basketball Competition held at Maiden Castle Leisure Complex. A team of children from Year 5 and Year 6 represented the school in a very close competition. All of the games were very engaging and the team managed to win their group and compete in the final against Bow School. The children won a very close game – going into overtime, and Pittington are the Durham City Basketball winners for the third time in a row. The team will represent Durham City in the Level 3 School Games and we are all very proud of this accomplishment.
Year 2 Multisports
Year 2 and Mr Wright competed in a multisport event at Maiden Castle. The children took part in a number of different activities and we are very proud to have children with such super sporting attitudes representing our school.
Year 1 Gymnastics Carousel
Our children in Year 1 had the opportunity to demonstrate their gymnastic talent and experience a gymnastic carousel of activities at Sherburn Leisure Centre.
School Games - Year 4 Football Trophy
A team of Year 4 children competed in a football competition at Meadowfield Leisure Centre. The team played some superb football and had a great approach to the games. They managed to progress from the group stage and competed in a semi-final match which we lost on a penalty shoot-out. We then competed in the 3rd/4th place play-off match which we also lost on penalties. The fact that the team progressed so far in the competition to be beaten only on penalties shows the superb attitude and sporting ability on show. I am sure we can keep an eye out for these young football players in the future.
Year 3/4 Dodgeball
Children in Years 3 and 4 had the opportunity to work with members of the School Sport Partnership to develop and compete in the sport of dodgeball. Lots of fun was had by all and we hope to use the competition to help us to select a Year 3/4 Dodgeball Team to compete against other local schools.
School Games – Pearl Football League
Our Year 5/6 Football Team qualified to compete in the Pearl League from their final position in the Autumn League. They have played some very entertaining football while competing and always give their best.
The results so far have been:
Pittington 2 -2 Shincliffe
Pittington 1 – 0 Neville’s Cross A
Pittington 1 – 1 St Godric’s
Pittington 0 – 0 Neville’s Cross B
Pittington 4 - 0 Sacriston
Pittington 1 – 3 St Patricks
The team currently stand in fourth place overall in the league.
Autumn Term
Curriculum at Pittington
Early Years
During their first term in Nursery children have been exploring the different ways in which their bodies can move. They are still developing the ability to watch an action modelled by an adult and to know how to control their bodies to match it. This can be really hard! Sometimes children listen to music or a song to help them follow instructions to copy movements and sometimes they watch the movements from another person and try to copy.
Children have opportunities during sessions to develop balance and core stability through activities like building and completing obstacle courses, and navigating the slack line. To develop muscle co-ordination they are given ample time to run, climb, dig, lift and carry to develop strength and fluid body movements. We can see this strength developing through the term and work on these gross motor skills has enabled the children’s fine motor skills to develop. Now they can use small tools like sewing needles, hammers and mark making equipment more accurately.
Climbing opportunities have helped the children to develop balance, upper body strength and co-ordination.
Fine motor skills have developed with lots of opportunities to develop the pre-requisite gross motor skills.
In Reception we have had lots of fun learning gross motor and fine motor physical skills. The children have learnt about staying safe with outdoor equipment as well as being encouraged to take risks and climb!
Indoors the children have enjoyed using their smaller movement skills to pour rice with developing precision, manipulate writing tools and thread a variety of materials.
The children have begun to visit the school hall and are developing their skills at getting ready.
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Key Stage 1
In Year 1 they have started looking at warm ups and cool downs and why they are important. The children have explored different ways to warm up and cool down and could now lead their own mini warm up/cool down.
We have had the pleasure of the Durham Sixth Form Sports students coming in to teach gymnastics. They have supported the children well in knowing how to be fluent when completing different movements. They guided the children effectively through the safe use of the gymnastics apparatus and how to include movements when on apparatus. To pull all of their gymnastics lessons together, in small groups the children performed the movements they had learnt and made up their own routine to present to the rest of the class.
Year 2 have had a busy start to the year and went to a multisport festival in October and were so active the cold winds didn’t matter! They enjoyed a range of different activities such as team tag, golf putting, hockey and penalty shootouts.
Year 2 have also been working alongside the Durham Sixth form students to develop their gymnastic skills. The children have really enjoyed learning from their coaches and even competed in a gymnastics competition with judges, scorecards and a lot of excitement.
Key Stage 2
Year 3 have been learning about orienteering with assistance from a coach from the Durham and Chester le Street School Sport Partnership. They have also choreographed a dance themed on clocks and time, which they linked with a poem used in maths to help remember key time-related fatcs. After a golf festival in the first weeks of the term, the children have further developed skills learnt during that educational visit and more recently they have practised aspects of throwing, catching and tactics used in basketball and netball.
Year 4 have had a very busy start to the year which has included taking part in a Quicksticks Hockey Festival and a Gymnastics Carousel. The children have worked hard to develop their hockey skills and the stick control has been impressive. We had lots of fun taking part in mini games and refining our skills. In addition, we have focused upon football as an invasion game and have started to work in pairs upon gymnastic compositions which include travelling, balancing, rolling and jumping. The children have really enjoyed adapting their routines to include the apparatus and we have been thoroughly impressed by them.
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Year 5 have been busy learning a great street dance routine with a coach from the SSP and got to use the amazing new facilities at Maiden Castle. The Dance festival is going to be a breeze with such moves! They also had fabulous fun at the multi-skills festival, learning about how to work as a team, use space, attack and defend. Mrs Emerson got to see just how competitive the children really are — what a transformation from year 1! They have also experienced an active dance session where they worked continuously for 45 minutes, learning different dance moves to different tempos. It was a fabulous taster session and great big smiles were all round. Within class, the Year 5 children have been working hard to develop their netball skills, have taken part in curriculum swimming lessons and have also been working on dance.
Year 6 have been playing basketball as part of the invasion games unit to develop their range of passing movements as a team. They have been attempting to outwit their opponents whilst applying principles of team play to keep possession. For a period of 7 weeks, Year 6 had a fantastic time working with a coach learning how to read maps, use a compass and work solidly as a team, supporting each other as part of our focus on OAA.
School Games – Year 5/6 Girls’ Football League
The Year5/6 Girls’ Football team have been competing in the league and managed to finish in 6th place overall. The improvement in the football from the team was fantastic to see and we are very proud of their efforts and performances. I have to say that the team were out training in the cold and the wind, and I am so impressed with their attitude and determination.
Pittington 2 – 1 St Michael’s
Pittington 0 – 1 Bluecoat
Pittington 0 – 3 Framwellgate
Pittington 0 - 5 Esh CofE
Pittington 1 – 1 Neville’s Cross
Pittington 1 – 1 Bowburn
Pittington 0 – 1 Finchale
Pittington 0 – 0 St Patricks
School Games – Year 5/6 Mixed Football League
Our Y5/6 Mixed Football Team have competed in a league competition against other local schools. The team performed extremely well to finish in second place overall and receive silver medals. The children played some very pleasing football and had a great sporting attitude to all of their matches. We were extremely proud of their performances and the way that they approached these opportunities.
Pittington 1 – 0 Esh Winning
Pittington 3 – 2 Kelloe
Pittington 7 – 0 West Rainton
Pittington 4 – 0 Silver Tree
Pittington 1 – 0 St Michael’s B
Pittington 0 – 3 Sacriston
Pittington 3 – 0 St Michael’s A
Pittington 0 – 0 St Patricks
School Games – Cross Country
Our Key Stage 2 Cross Country team competed in a competition held at Meadowfield Leisure Centre. Children from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 took part after being selected from trials held in school. It was an excellent sporting event and I was very impressed with the performance levels of the children. Again, the children were a real pleasure to take to the event and displayed such a super approach.
School Games – Year 2 Multi Skills
Year 2 went to a multisport festival in October and were so active the cold winds didn’t matter! They enjoyed a range of different activities such as team tag, golf putting, hockey and penalty shootouts.
School Games – Year 5 Multi-skills
Year 5 had fabulous fun at the multi-skills festival, learning about how to work as a team, use space, attack and defend. Mrs Emerson got to see just how competitive the children really are — what a transformation from year 1! The class had the opportunity to try out street dance and invasion games.
School Games – Zumba Kids
Our Year 5 and 6 children experienced a very active morning in school when a coach from the local school sport partnership visited. They took part in a morning of Zumba Kids’ activities. They worked continuously for 45 minutes learning different dance moves to different tempos and great fun was had by all.
School Games – Year 6 Multi-sport
Year 6 children and Mrs Atkinson have visited the Year 6 Multi Sport Event as a sporting way to begin the year in school.
School Games – Tag Rugby
A team of children from Years 5 and 6 competed in the Key Stage 2 Tag Rugby Competition and I know that Mrs Atkinson was very pleased with the attitude and approach which they displayed. The children worked well to learn the rules and develop their movement skills before attending the festival.
School Games – Year 6 Sportshall Athletics
Year 6 took part in a Sportshall Athletics event at Belmont School. They competed against other local schools and we were very proud of their efforts.
School Games – Year 3 Tri Golf
Children in Year 3 have visited the Tri Golf Festival alongside Mr Moult. This has given quite a few of them the opportunity to try out the new skills which they began to develop in the previous year group. The children had the opportunity to develop a range of golfing skills alongside other schools.
School Games – Year 3 Multisport
Our Year 3 children have also taken part in a Multi Sports Festival. They experienced opportunities in dodgeball and athletics.
School Games – Year 4 Quicksticks Hockey Festival
Our Year 4 children visited Maiden Castle to take part in a Quicksticks Hockey Festival. They played some super hockey and the stick control which they have worked on in class was certainly evident. They had the opportunity to compete against a number of other schools.
School Games – Year 4 Gymnastics Carousel
Our children in Year 4 took part in a Gymnastic Carousel and I must say that it was an exciting and enjoyable morning. The Year 4 children have shown such a super approach towards this sport and this was certainly evident at this event. The children really impressed with their agility.
Summer Term
Sport in School
All across school our classes have been taking part in a wide range of sporting and active opportunities this term.
One of the focus areas for Year 6 has been cricket. Here they have been learning about how to set a field to reduce the number of runs scored and how to work in a batting pair. The class have worked really hard to develop their overarm bowling.
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Other classes in school have also been looking to develop their striking and fielding skills such as Year 5 and Year 4.
Dance has also been a focus area for the Year 4 children.
Children in Year 3 have had the opportunity to work with a golf coach in school – they will soon be ready for the championship courses.
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Meanwhile, Year 1 have been very much developing their footballing skills within invasion games.
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Reception have been exploring movement. They had a whole class football game on the big field. We talked about teams and sportsmanship.
They have been using lots of equipment in PE. The children have been creating their own activities and taking the lead to organise them and demonstrate them to their peers.
They have had obstacle courses, new games such as ‘find the treasure’ and a penalty shoot-out!
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Destination Judo
We had the opportunity of taster sessions in school from Destination Judo. The children had the experience of a new sport and there were lots of smiles and activity. Lots of judo fun was had from Reception to Year 6.
Katy Daly - Mclean
We had the huge honour of a visit from England Rugby Captain and World Cup winner Katy Daly – McLean. Katy spent the day in school with us and worked with classes to develop rugby skills. Her tales of overcoming difficulties and showing determination were a real inspiration to us all. It was not a day that we would forget and we all have some very special memories from it.
Level 3 Games
We had three different groups of children representing the school at the Level 3 Games event at Maiden Castle. The Change4Life group were there to experience a range of different sports, the girls’ football had qualified to represent Durham City, as had the basketball team. The girls’ football team had a super day and played some impressive football. The basketball team also competed well and finished in an eventual third place to win bronze medals. We are very proud of the efforts of all of the children.
School Games – Durham City Athletics Competition
We sent a team to the KS2 Athletics Competition at the Riverside. The children competed brilliantly and we were very impressed with their efforts. We certainly have some fantastic athletes in school and finished in 2nd place overall. Two children set new Durham City records and five of our children qualified for the Durham City team for the county finals.
School Games – Y5/6 Cricket
A team of children from Year 5 and 6 competed in the Cricket Competition at Brandon. We certainly have some able cricketers in school and they competed impressively.
School Games – Quadkids
Two teams from Year 3 and Year 4 competed in the Quadkids Competition. They took part in four different athletics events and we were extremely proud of their efforts.
School Games – Netball League
A team of children from Year 5 and 6 competed in the High 5 Netball Competition. They played against other local schools and really competed well finishing in sixth place overall.
School Games – Change4Life Festival
A team of children from Year 3 to Year 5 took part in the Change4Life Festival at Freeman’s Quay. They had such a superb attitude and certainly impressed the staff member who accompanied them.
School Games - OAA and Key Stage 1 Mini Olympics
Year 1 visited an O.A.A. festival and both Year 1 and Year 2 visited the Key Stage 1 Mini Olympics.
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School Games Day
We held our annual School Games Day in school. Great fun was had by all as different classes competed in the sports which they have focused upon over the year. This included hockey, dodgeball, netball, football and athletics. Each house team competed against each other and the children had the opportunity to win bands to celebrate the School Games Values. The day also began with a motivational poem read by some of our children. In a close run competition Mars and Saturn finished as joint winners.
Skipping Day
We had the opportunity of a Skipping Day in school. Everyone from Reception to Year 6 came and joined in. The children also have the opportunity to further develop their skills in the active skipping zone on the school yard.
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School Games Y2 Multisport
Year 2 visited a multisport festival and had a very active afternoon in May.
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