Sport & PE
All children at St Joseph’s are physically active.
Our riverside meadow, indoor hall and well-equipped playground enable us to provide many opportunities for physical exercise and sport, including Forest School, after school clubs, interschool sport and a roster of dance and PE activities at lunchtimes, led by qualified sports coaches.
All children also take part in engaging PE sessions, as part of the curriculum.
Swimming
We believe that swimming is a life skill and an essential element of education that ensures that all children can enjoy and also be safe in water. For this reason swimming is part of our PE curriculum that all children within any academic year will experience.
Inter-School Sports
St Joseph’s School is an active member of the local School Sport Partnership and participates in and regularly achieves
highly in a variety of inter-school sports events. This includes netball, football, tennis, cricket, rugby, hockey, athletics and cross-country running.
Throughout the year, pupils have opportunities to represent the school at a variety of off-site events. These include competitive tournaments such as rugby and football, participation in a local netball league, swimming galas and cross country running.
Alongside competitive sport, we place a strong emphasis on inclusive events that encourage all pupils to get involved, regardless of their previous experience or confidence in sport. Children have the opportunity to take part in a range of non-competitive festivals and workshops, where the focus is on enjoyment and trying something new. Activities such as tri-golf, dodgeball, dance workshops and orienteering allow pupils to explore different ways of being active and help build confidence.
We also teach children the importance of leading an active lifestyle and how regular exercise can support both physical and mental well-being.
Above all, we want every child at St Joseph’s to leave our school with a lifelong appreciation of being active and understanding that sport can be both enjoyable and rewarding.
In addition to off-site events, we recognise the Government’s ambition for a minimum of 2 hours of curriculum PE. We have developed a whole-school physical-activity programme to offer 690 minutes (11.5 hours) of planned, school-based physical activity per week:
Curriculum PE
60 minutes with a qualified coach (all years)
Morning break
75 minutes active playground
Lunchtime pro sports
150 minutes multisports with a qualified coach (all years)
Swimming (termly rotation)
60 minutes a week
Forest School (termly rotation)
90 minutes a week
Opportunities Club
Playground games 50 minutes a week
R-Y2
Golden time gross motor skills 45 minutes a week
Y3-Y6
Netball Club – 50 minutes
Dance Club – 60 minutes
Football Club – 50 minutes