Sports Provision
At Alexander McLeod we value the importance of providing our children the opportunity to experience a range of sports and activities. In Greenwich around 29% of children aged 5 are classified as obese or overweight. By the age of 11, around 40% of children are overweight; the 5th worst rate in London. The rising obesity rates are something that we take very seriously and as such we have really raised the profile of sports across the school.
In October 2019 Alexander McLeod received the School Games Gold Mark for 2018/19. See the link below to view the report:
School Games Mark validation report
PE at Alexander McLeod
Sport is really important to us at Alexander McLeod. We have a number of dedicated specialist PE teachers from Dance and Gymnastics to coaches from Kick Up Sports who teach PE to most of the school throughout the academic year.
We believe in the tremendous opportunities sport can provide for teamwork and collaboration, as well as being an incredibly important part of a healthy lifestyle.
Children throughout the school have 2 hours of PE every week taught by either their class teacher or a specialist sports coach. Our Gymnastics coach is a senior women’s artistic level Gymnastic coach with over 25 years coaching experience teaching children from 18 months onwards. This includes preschool gymnastics, general gymnastics and teaching high-level elite gymnastics. Our coach is a National judge that has had the opportunity to attend 2 Commonwealth Games as a judge. Throughout the academic year, every child in the school will have the opportunity to participate in Gymnastics lessons taught by a qualified gymnastics instructor that has worked closely with the British Gymnastics team over the years.
In addition to this, we also have the advantage of a qualified dance teacher who also teaches a range of dances to all children in the school throughout the year. Every class is timetabled for dance lessons and this provides them with an exciting opportunity to get creative with their dancing and also exercise their bodies at the same time.
Children in Year 5 also attend swimming lessons held at Thamesmere Leisure Centre. This weekly lesson is designed to ensure that all children leave primary as competent swimmers. It also helps develop already confident swimmers by challenging them to swim further distances and complete tasks under water.
Sports Competitions
We offer an amazing range of sports’ clubs that give children the opportunity to train together, improving their knowledge of a variety of sports and playing competitively against other local schools.
We are also part of School Games, a locally ran competition including schools from across Greenwich who provide the opportunity to compete against other schools in a range of sports. We have successfully participated in High 5 netball, tag rugby, swimming gala and many more sports. These competitions are held throughout the year and allow our children to develop their understanding of the competitive nature of sport as well as the importance of team building and resilience.
The Daily Mile
Every day our children from KS1 and KS2 complete The Daily Mile; we do this to improve not only the children’s fitness, but also their concentration levels, mood, behavior and general wellbeing. The key features of the daily mile are:
- Taking 15 minutes, with most children averaging a mile each day.
- Children run outside in the fresh air – and the weather is a benefit, not a barrier.
- It’s social, non-competitive and fun.
- The children return to class ready to learn.
- It improves fitness and helps children achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
- It encourages children to be aware of their health.
- It’s fully inclusive at Alexander McLeod; every child, whatever their circumstances, age or ability, succeeds at The Daily Mile.
Swimming
In Year 5 we offer all our children the opportunity to develop their swimming skills. Our aim is that all our children are able to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres. During lessons, children are taught a range of swimming strokes and are taught to perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
During the 2017-2018 academic year, 74% of our Year 6 children were able to swim confidently over 25 metres.
Playtime and Lunchtime
From Reception to Year 6, we want our children to have the space, equipment and opportunity to learn through play and to be physically active. During playtime and lunchtime, our children have the opportunity to engage in a number of sports activities such as; Hockey, Aeroball, Football, Basketball, Alcatraz and much more. We have a range of specialised sports coaches available at lunchtimes to run activities such as Zumba and basketball.
We have a group of Year 6 children called Play Makers who run or support activities at lunch times for our KS1 and KS2 children. Our Play Makers are responsible for role modelling sports values such as perseverance, dedication and commitment. They also ensure that all children are being respectful and following school rules at all times. These helpers also support during sports day and summer fete events.
Our child friendly playgrounds feature a running track a number of football pitches with synthetic turf surfacing as well as four artificial grass areas for sports such as; High 5 Netball, Tag Rugby and Basketball.
We work hard to make sure all our indoor and outdoor equipment is of a high standard. Our newest piece of outdoor equipment is the Aeroball that provides endless fun and excitement not only during the school day, but as an After School Club too.
Sports Day
We celebrate our sports achievements with an end of year Sports Day held at Bostall Heath. Sports day is a fantastic local community event that brings together friends and families. Children are given the opportunity to compete in a range of events designed to test their speed, stamina and flexibility.