PE and Sport Premium

Physical Activity

Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives. Gross and fine motor experiences develop incrementally throughout early childhood, starting with sensory explorations and the development of a child’s strength, co-ordination and positional awareness through tummy time, crawling and play movement with both objects and adults. 

By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, adults support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility. Children have access to two PE (Physical Education) sessions per week and twice daily access to our field and playground to socialise and engage in physical activity.

Coordination and muscle development

In addition to gross motor development involving large movements such as climbing, running, dancing etc, our curriculum also develops fine motor skills. This involves small muscles working with the brain and nervous system to control movements in areas such as the hands, fingers, lips, tongue and eyes. 

Fine motor control and precision helps with hand-eye co-ordination, which is later linked to early literacy. Repeated and varied opportunities to explore and play with small world activities, puzzles, arts and crafts and the practice of using small tools, with feedback and support from adults, allow children to develop proficiency, control and confidence.  

Fine motor skills, combined with hand to eye coordination are essential for sports.

Range of opportunities

As children get older they learn a range of sports including hockey, football, basketball, netball, tennis, cricket and rounders. Children also have swimming, gymnastics, dance and athletic lessons and take part in a range of competitive games. We take all our children to outdoor centres where they can engage in challenging outdoor adventurous activities. This year our children will be linking up with Finchingfield St John the Baptist Primary Academy on a joint residential to Mersea and Danbury.

Danbury outdoor centre is an purpose-built site, set in over seventy acres of stunning woodland in the heart of the county near Chelmsford. It offers outdfoor adventurous activities including bushcraft, kayaking, climbing, caving and orienteering. Mersea offers the children an opportunity to camp outdoor under canvas as well activities such as high ropes, low ropes, team challenges, climbing and pedal karts. 

Forest School

We are proud to be able to offer regular Forest school sessions to all our children. “Forest School offers a unique opportunity for children to experience the outdoors in a way that facilitates their holistic development and fosters their growth as confident and competent learners.  It also encourages healthy habits and lifestyles.”  (Knight 2009). 

Children also develop a love and respect for the natural environment, where they get to know, value and nurture God’s World and one another. All the activities are child-centered and then child-led.  Children have the time and space to engage with the environment, make their own choices and they are encouraged to take small, safe risks.