The SPIRALPE framework

Scroll down to find out more about how SPIRALPE is structured to develop the full range of physical literacy skills.

Definition:

A Spiral Curriculum is an approach to education that introduces key concepts to students at a young age and covers these repeatedly, with increasing degrees of complexity.

FOCUS AREAS

Key stage 1

There are 6 FOCUS AREAS - The ‘Fundamentals of movement’ to give children the key building blocks of physical literacy

AGILITY - The ability of the body to change direction and stop and start quickly and accurately while maintaining balance. Agility is the movement of the body at speed when it is both balanced and co-ordinated.

BALANCE - Defined as the state in which a body or object can remain reasonably steady and stable. Balance is established when the centre of gravity (CoG) is over the base of support.

COORDINATION - The skilful and balanced sequencing of the body and its seg- ments to produce movement of the body and generate force.

Key stage 2

Taking the fundamentals further and developing the social skills and physical literacy elements

COGNITIVE - The role thinking, understanding and decision making play in achieve controlled physical literacy and success in physical activity .

PHYSICAL - The individual core elements of physicality (e.g strength, speed etc) which are combined to produce results.

MANIPULATION - The ability to manipulate your body and sports equipment to achieve the greatest advantage in physical activities.

SKILL AREAS

Each of these FOCUS AREAS  are further broken down into 6 SKILL AREAS  of physical literacy. Throughout the school year each child will be taught in these 18 Key Stage specific skill areas, which they will look at least twice (but never in isolation - e.g. it is impossible to carry out a balancing practice without using and reinforcing skills learned in co-ordination drills) so that they build up their bank of transferable skills and become physically literate.

As well as developing within a school year children will build their physical literacy year on year, with a series of tasks and challenge levels that go from introductions to basic skills in Reception to in-game application of skills in year 6.

Breakdown of the SKILLS

AGILITY - Body awareness; Flexibility of movement; dodging and evading; travelling; reaction; rotation

BALANCE - Points of contact; generating force through transfer of weight; balancing equipment; static balance; dynamic balance; understanding base and centre of gravity and  

COORDINATION - Receiving; sending; body position; combination of skills; timings; diffentiating force

COGNITIVE - Tactical awareness; evaluation; peer monitor; understanding rules; anticipation; teamwork.

PHYSICAL - Strength and stamina; power; physical processing; agility; control.

MANIPULATION - Dribbling; passing; shooting; fielding; striking; accuracy

The transferable skills are taught in a spiral curriculum, meaning that we look to embed and contextualise the skills during each academic year. Then, as they move up through school there is a vertical increase in the challenge levels in each of the skill areas.

This is best explained with the following analogy: A child in reception is taught how to balance on one leg.; In year 6 they are taught how and when to apply side steps in a game situation. Each year sees a vertical progression in the end of year expectation between the two points. but within the year, the full range of skills is taught. This is designed to give child a full physical literacy tool kit.