Physical Education  


​In Dromclough N.S. we deliver a broad and balanced, high quality P.E. curriculum that caters for the needs of all our pupils.
Our talented and dedicated teachers plan, organise and deliver a prescribed PE curriculum during timetabled lessons as well as through extra-curricular activities.
This section of the Active School Flag, the "paperwork section" if you like, details the arrangements that the school has put in place to ensure all pupils are provided with a minimum of 60mins. of timetabled physical education each week across the six different strands of the P.E. curriculum. 
Planning is crucial to make sure that PE is accessible for each and every child. Much of this planning centres around engagement with the following:
  • PE School Plan
  • Primary PE Curriculum
  • Primary PE Teacher Guidelines
  • PSSI lesson plans
  • PDST PE Support Service
  • Move Well, Move Often resources
  • Land PAWS Water Safety Programme
  • Irish Primary PE Association

The key principles of Physical Education in Dromclough NS are:
  • All pupils receive 1 hour of timetabled PE per week, as a minimum
  • All classes are taught 5 different PE strands each year: Athletics, Dance, Gymnastics, Games and Outdoor and Adventure.                                                      Pool-based Aquatics is taught to 4th class for 6 lessons in Tralee Regional Sports and Leisure Centre. All other classes partake in theory-based learning.
  • A different PE strand is chosen each year for further development. In 2019/20, Games is our focus.
  • A standardised PE timetable is organised at the beginning of each year to ensure a balanced programme of physical activity. This year, the new Fundamental Movement Skills programme has been integrated into this.
  • All sporting and exercise-related efforts and achievements are acknowledged at weekly Assembly and on our ASF notice boards.
  • All pupils receive PE homework once per week, related to the PE strand that they are working on at the time. Supertroopers booklets from Laya Healthcare are also used to support.
  • Every child's progress in PE is discussed with parents at PT meetings and feedback is included in the annual end-of-year school report.
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ASF Committee 

Each year, a new set of eager and willing boys and girls are chosen to represent their peers on the Active Schools Committee. They become the voice for sport and ftiness in the school and are given various tasks to complete throughout the year. These jobs range from organising circuit training to attending meetings to planning a full list of events for Active School Week.
ASF Committee 2019/20: front (l-r) Mr. Enright, Paddy, Sadhbh, Jerry, Caroline, Leagh; back (l-r) Lily, Marcos, Mark, Jack, Jake

Games

Each year, the strand of Games plays a central role in the PE curriculum. This year, more than any, it is very important as we have pinpointed this strand as our area of further development. Many of these games can be seen in the Physical Activity section of the ASF website. One particular request that our committee made was for the purchase of indoor basketball hoops for use all year round. They asked...and we provided!


Land PAWS Water Safety Programme

Water safety is a critical knowledge that children need to learn about in school. We are currently awaiting the booklets from Irish Water Safety to teach these valuable life lessons to the pupils.


​CPD in PE

Members of staff regularly undertake Continuous Professional Development in PE. Over the past 3 years since its launch, teachers have attended Workshops 1-3 of the Move Well, Move Often seminars while Mr. Enright is a member of the Irish Primary PE Association and attended their annual conference in Mary Immaculate College last February.
Furthermore, for each of the past two years, Dromclough N.S. has been used as the venue for a CPD in PE workshop. The most recent in-service was on the topic of Playground Games and all members of staff were in attendance highlighting how we all work together to strengthen our understanding of the Games strand.


​PE Equipment and Storage

We pride ourselves on the vast quantity of PE equipment that we have available for use. We have a plentiful supply of resources for all of the strands of the PE curriculum. In 2016, we invoiced for necessary equipment and, again in 2019, we made big investments in up-stocking to meet requirements. 
​An audit of all PE equipment is completed once a year and documented. All materials are kept in our spacious storage unit within the Halla Mór and are clearly labelled, well organised and easily accessible.


Fundamental Movement Skills

In recent years, the PDST has decided to evolve the learning outcomes of the Physical Education syllabus by introducing the 15 fundamental movement skills. These basic skills form the foundations for all movement associated with exercise and physical activity and mastering these skills are seen as a necessary requirement in order to be considered physically literate.
As part of our PE School Plan, the FMS' are to be taught in connection with the strand being taught at that particular time. Two new skills will be introduced each term with each learning experience lasting for six weeks. In total, each teacher will prioritise six different FMS' for further development within the PE programme every year.


ASF Publicity

Two notice boards located right outside our sports hall keep pupils up to date on all new correspondence in relation to the Active School Flag. The boards are updated regularly to maintain relevance e.g. Well Done Wall to acknowledge pupil achievements and posters demonstrating each new fundamental movement skill.
Sports books for pupils and teachers as well as PE literature for staff are kept within the ASF library located in the same convenient place.
Ideas for improvements are always welcome to our committee members by placing them in our ASF Suggestion Box.