PE at Thornhill
Hello, my name is Mr Ayres and I am the PE teacher at Thornhill Primary School. I have always been interested in sport and physical activity and I enjoy running, going to the gym, playing football and hiking. My job is very exciting as I get to witness the passion the children have for sport on a daily basis.
Mr Galloway is the new PE apprentice and he enjoys playing ice hockey, he has represented England U23’s. During the week the children will have Mr Ayres (Monday-Wednesday) and their class teacher (Thursday and Friday) for their PE lessons, alongside Mr Galloway. To contact Mr Ayres please email: gayres.teacher@thornhill.durham.sch.uk
PE at Thornhill Primary School
PESSPA (Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity) at Thornhill Primary School
PESSPA is at the heart of Thornhill Primary School and is a driver for whole school improvement. We have the following ambitions for PESSPA:
For our children to enjoy being active For all children to be physically literate For all children to have the knowledge, skills and motivation to equip them for a lifelong healthy lifestyle For all children to have the potential to participate in lifelong physical activity and sport For all our children to experience competitive sport For our children to develop important life skills through regular sport
For our children to be confident in the water and be able to perform safe self-rescue
At Thornhill Primary School we have amazing facilities for our pupils to flourish. We have a 3G multi-surface, ideal for PE lessons. The school grounds benefit from two multi-sport pitches, low level climbing course, sand pit with run up area, sprint track, a large field and forest school area.
Each class at Thornhill Primary School take part in 30-minute daily PE lessons. In Key Stage 1 our children master the fundamentals of sport allowing them to excel in a range of physical activities as they get older.
We work alongside Treetops Occupational Therapy and value their expertise to support children’s fundamental movement skills. All of our children benefit from this bespoke programme during PE lessons.
We also teach our children to lead healthy active lifestyles to take into adulthood. Our children are physically active for sustained periods of time, helping them to reach the target of sixty minutes of physical activity per day set by the Government.
We have a school buddy system where older children run sport and physical activity sessions at break and lunch times allowing children to be active for 45 minutes over their allocated break time each day. We have funded extra swimming lessons, allowing our children to swim in years 4, 5 and 6 in both the small and large pool.
Our children have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of competitive sports leagues, festivals and competitions. In the 2021-22 academic year we attended over 50 different events ran by Sedgefield School Sport Partnership and Education Enterprise Legacy.
At Thornhill Primary we are creating closer links with local sports clubs to help signpost our children to out of school sport. We have closer relationships with a number of clubs in the local area.
At Thornhill Primary School we use the School Games Values to teach our children about important life skills such as teamwork, respect, determination, passion, honesty and self-belief. We recognise the importance of having a healthy mind and body. We have recently been awarded the Gold School Games Award, an achievement which demonstrates the staff and children’s passion for physical education, school sport and physical activity.
