Physical Education

All classes are taught 5 different PE strands each year: Athletics, Aquatics, Gymnastics, Games, Outdoor and Adventure. In Castleplunkett N.S each class receives at least an hour per week of physical education. By taking part in the Active School Flag programme it has helped us to focus on an improved provision of Physical Education in the school. Teachers use the Primary Schools' Sport Initiate to help when teaching and delivering the different strands.   For further information on our PE programme, please see our School Policies. This year, as part of the ASF initiative, it was decided by staff to select athletics as the strand for development.

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Athletics

The strand units of the athletics curriculum include:

• Running
• Jumping
• Throwing
• Understanding and appreciation of athletics

Athletics was our strand for development and we focused on this strand in our Physical Education lessons in September and October. This coincided at the same time as our Run Around Europe programme and it also helped us when training for the Cross Country Competition. 

When delivering the athletics programme it was important to provide opportunities for the child to challenge him/herself to run faster or for a longer period, to throw an implement further and to jump further or higher. The children from 2nd-6th class kept running diaries to track their progress and their fitness journey. 

Running

For the running strand unit the children enjoyed sprinting, long distance running and relays. Depending on the class level the children did standing start and reaction sprints, pair and group relay, running over flat markers (hurdles) and shuttle sprints of different distances.     

Jumping

For the jumping strand unit, depending on our class we explored different aspects like jumping from 1 to 2 feet, 2 to 2 feet,  our strides leading up to the jump, our landing and strategies for jumping for height and distance. We marked out different jumping courses with chalk.

Throwing

For the throwing strand unit, depending on our class level we did different activities. We did individual throws exploring height and distance, underarm throws into hoops using beanbags, underarm and overarm throws with bean bags for height and distance, overarm standing throws with beanbags, foam javelins, hoops, quoits and discuses, 3 stride approach using beanbags and foam javelins, putting technique using a heavier beanbags and discus throws using hoops and quoits.

Aquatics

The strand units of the Aquatics curriculum include:

• Hygiene
• Water safety
• Entry to and exit from the water
• Buoyancy and propulsion
• Stroke development
• Water-based ball games
• Understanding and appreciation of aquatics

In November and December we went to swimming lessons every Tuesday in Roscommon Leisure Centre in Roscommon town. Each week the children learnt and developed different swimming strokes and techniques. Aquatics proved to be a weekly highlight for all children.

Gynmastics

The strand units of the Gymnastics curriculum include:

• Movement
• Understanding and appreciation of Gymnastics

We really enjoyed gymnastics this year. We practised all the basic movement actions of balancing, rolling, turning, twisting, stretching, climbing, transferring weight with a variety of rolls. When doing gymnastics we also travelled on apparatus. We followed and devised individual, pair and group sequence and we practised take off and landing skills. Gymnastics helped us with our posture and good body tension. It was also really beneficial to observe and describe movement of peers as this helped with the understanding and appreciation of Gymnastics.

Games

The strand units of the Games curriculum include:

• Sending, receiving and travelling
• Creating and playing games
• Understanding and appreciation of games

During Games lessons children are provided with opportunities to develop skills, create and play games, understand and appreciate new and familiar games.  The children have opportunities to develop skills and understanding through enjoyable individual, small group and team activities.Children experienced a balance of skills and games in a number of categories: Invasion Games, Net Games, Fielding/Striking and Target Games. This strand was also supported by local visiting coaches from Roscommon GAA, Tulsk Camogie and Roscommon & District Soccer. 

Outdoor and Adventure

The strand units of the Outdoor and Adventure curriculum include:

• Walking
• Orienteering
• Outdoor Challenges
• Understanding and appreciation of outdoor and adventure activities

We have set up an orienteering course around the school with our new Active School Walkway pack. The activities in this strand help to develop appreciation and enjoyment of the great outdoors.  The activities are team-orientated and develop social skills.  Some involve map-reading and problem-solving, coming to group decisions, developing leadership qualities and taking calculated risks.