PE and Sport at Burlescombe
At Burlescombe we value the importance of regular physical activity and provide a range of sports and activities for our children because we understand how these activities enrich a child’s physical, emotional and social well-being.
Within our curriculum, we provide children with opportunities to take part in outdoor learning activities. These enable the children to learn in a different context, to enjoy physical activities outside, explore ‘risk’ in a safe and supportive environment, and develop the skills of teamwork, resilience and perseverance which are necessary to achieve personal success.
We recognise that these qualities are essential in order to live a happy and fulfilling life, and can be further developed through our comprehensive PE provision. During their time at Burlescombe, children in the Foundation Stage work with the ‘Leap into Life’ programme to develop muscle control, motor skills and accuracy. Once these skills have been mastered the children progress to a comprehensive programme of sporting activities including orienteering, invasion games, gymnastics, net and wall games, striking and fielding games and athletics. We place great importance on inclusion for all children, regardless of gender, background, SEN or physical disability.
With our beautiful location in a rural, coastal location we feel that is imperative that children leave Burlescombe having gained the life skill of being able to swim. We focus on ensuring that every child learns to swim while in Year 4 through two terms of swimming lessons at Torridge Pool.
We enjoy promoting ‘Healthy Living’ through a focus on healthy eating, healthy minds, nutrition, and the importance of exercise and fitness.
We have carefully planned our programme of residential trips to offer children experiences which challenge and inspire personal improvement through fun and stimulating activities appropriate to their stage of development.
Our semi-rural location does mean that the cost of transporting children to and from sporting events and active curriculum activities held off-site can be a barrier. To overcome this, the school has been successful in obtaining grants from local charities to subsidise coach transport and continues to work collaboratively with other schools, where appropriate, to ensure that the best value is achieved for all children.