Physical Education

What does Physical Education look like at Ponsonby?

Physical Education is approached and viewed from a holistic stand-point. We always aim to incorporate the Whare Tapa Wha model in all we do.

The students are focusing on the acquisition and development of physical skills and their social interactions and connections in sporting contexts. We subscribe to positive reinforcement and encouragement amongst peers and student self-esteem, values and beliefs consistently comprise the core of our planning.

Physical Education is inclusive of all abilities and learning needs. Lessons are differentiated to enable the high achievers to engage in student agency, giving the lower students more teacher time. We value exposing students to a varied array of sports and activities and place great emphasis on non-specialised sporting practise. As an Intermediate, it is important to give students the chance from an early age to try multiple sporting pursuits rather than minimise their opportunities.

Physical Education enables students to explore the sporting spectrum in a safe and encouraging environment. 

We want to foster positive attitudes and values, create healthy bodies and minds, through motivation, participation and developing new skills.

Why do we teach it?

Through learning and by accepting challenges in health-related and movement contexts, students reflect on the nature of well-being and how to promote it. As they develop resilience and a sense of personal and social responsibility, they are increasingly able to take responsibility for themselves and contribute to the well-being of those around them, of their communities, of their environments (including natural environments), and of the wider society.

This learning area makes a significant contribution to the well-being of students beyond the classroom, particularly when it is supported by school policies and procedures and by the actions of all people in the school community.

Physical Education is another tool we have for fostering positive attitudes and values in our students. Through the medium of sport/physical activity, we are aiming to develop real, transferable skills they can use not just out of the classroom, but well after they have finished school. It is a chance for students to learn such skills in a fun and safe environment, where perhaps the learning was subtle/subliminal for them. Physical Education is not an obvious subject for students, such as maths or English. They sit down in those subjects and they open their books, prepared to write and learn a specific objective. They come to PE to play, to have fun, to experience new sports. It is through this game sense approach that they are learning how to treat those around them with respect, how to communicate verbally and non-verbally with people they know, and also with those they don’t know. They are learning to respect different cultures through various games. Some of them will not want to be there…they are learning resilience and coping mechanisms, because unfortunately we can’t always do what we want. They are learning how to participate and contribute to a team. It is an imperative piece of a holistic approach to not just well-being, but to learning.

For some students, sport is their be all and end all. If they were not able to have a constructive space to let out their energy and have fun while simultaneously subliminally learning about our school GEMS, we may struggle to make some students focus.

How do we teach it?

• Class PE programme: One core period a week.
• Health and Hauora: One Health lesson a week which works in conjunction with form teachers taking their classes for one Hauora session weekly.
• Kori: 15 minutes of physical activities Monday – Thursday.
• Interclass Sport: Held on 2-3 lunchtimes of the week, running for the course of the whole year.
• School/Zone Sports Teams: Students are offered a range of organised sports teams for regular competitions out of school.
• EOTC: During Term 1 classes participate in a variety of different activities off campus.
• After school/Extra curricular programmes: Students have access to multiple sporting competitions which run outside of school hours. Organised by the school.
• Recreation: Students participate in physical activities either within their class, against other classes or against other houses. The games can vary from competitive sport to team building activities, or they can have an individual well-being focus.
• Options: Students can select enrichment/advanced sporting opportunities.
• Class Camps: All camps are mainly based on Outdoor Activities.

From the Ponsonby Curriculum. Published 2022.