Physical Education 2024

At the heart of Rathmore N.S is the belief that physical activity plays a crucial role in the overall wellbeing of students, both physically and mentally. Engaging in regular physical activity not only helps to improve fitness levels but also enhances mood, boosts self-esteem, and fosters social connections among peers.
Every Thursday throughout the school year, GAA Kildare Development Coach, Rob Thompson comes to Rathmore N.S. In conjunction with the class teacher, Rob teaches GAA to timetabled classes, providing students with the opportunity to develop their skills in a fun and competitive environment. This provides an important school-community link for our students as many are enthusiastic members of the local club, Eadestown GAA.
We are also extremely lucky to have John Holmes coach hurling in our school each Tuesday throughout the school year. John has made a significant impact by coaching Mr. Bolton’s 5th and Ms. Smyth’s 4th/5th classes in September and is now dedicating his Tuesdays to Ms. Malone’s and Mr. Walsh’s 6th classes. His mini inter-county league has sparked enthusiasm and excitement among the students, fostering a spirit of teamwork and healthy competition. Many of our students hurl with clubs in Naas or Ardclough so it keeps our school community connected with the wider Kildare area.
In addition to these guest coaching efforts, all classes get the opportunity to attend swimming lessons. Already, both 6th classes have actively engaged in the Aquatics strand, enjoying five weeks of swimming lessons at K Leisure, Naas. Following this, the 4th and 5th classes are currently working on their swim strokes, with 3rd and 4th classes to follow suit. Each class will receive a block of swimming lessons over the course of the academic year. This focus on diverse physical activities ensures that students not only learn essential life skills but also develop a love for staying active.
The school’s running track (335m! long) serves as a fantastic amenity, providing ample opportunities for students to engage in physical activity both before and during school hours. Lunchtime play is encouraged, with our dedicated teachers stepping up to coach various sports, including camogie, hurling, football, and athletics. Their commitment to promoting physical activity significantly contributes to creating a vibrant and active school community.
Move Well, Move Often.
Fundamental Movement Skills.The development of fundamental movement skills is indeed essential for fostering physically literate children. These skills form the foundation for more complex movements and sports, ultimately contributing to a child’s overall physical development and confidence in physical activity. The categories of fundamental movement skills include:
1. **Balance Skills**: These involve movements where the body maintains its position while rotating around its horizontal and vertical axes. Mastering balance is crucial for activities such as gymnastics, dance, and various sports.
2. **Locomotor Skills**: This category encompasses movements that allow individuals to travel from one place to another, including running, jumping, hopping, and galloping. These skills are vital for participating in a wide range of physical activities and sports.
3. **Ball Skills**: These skills involve hand-eye coordination and include catching, throwing, kicking, underarm rolling, and striking. Proficiency in ball skills is fundamental for sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball, among others.
Fostering fundamental movement skills in children lays the groundwork for their future participation in sports and physical activities, contributing to their overall health and wellbeing helping them to thrive both in and out of the classroom. Rathmore N.S. is committed to providing high-quality Physical Education to all pupils. All classes receive 60 minutes of formal PE lessons each week. All classes are taught the strands of Athletics, Dance, Gymnastics, Games and Outdoor & Adventure each year
Physical Education Success Criteria
In Rathmore Ns, we strive to collaborate with different coaches in order to deliver excellent quality PE lessons. We also see this as a learning opportunity for the teachers to team teach along side the different coaches that visit our school.
Currently Ms Shaw is teaching G.A.A with Rob who is delivering lessons to the children in 3rd – 6th class. Both Ms Shaw and Rob are ensuring that the fundamental movement skills are incorporated each week.
Another teacher, Ms Behan is also teaching alongside our tag rugby coach Mick Cahill. With Rob and Mick’s help the teacher’s in Rathmore NS are strengthening their delivery of a different P.E strand this year.
We never let rain stop us from staying active! If we can’t go outside, we bring the fun and exercise inside to the classroom. On wet days every teacher allocates time for activities. The children get up and get involved with go noodle activities, chair yoga and dance routines!
Rathmore N.S. is committed to providing high-quality Physical Education to all pupils. All classes receive 60 minutes of formal PE lessons each week. All classes are taught the strands of Athletics, Dance, Gymnastics, Games and Outdoor & Adventure each year. Pupils from Junior Infants-6th class also take part in Aquatics, having swimming lessons each year in the Killashee Leisure Centre in Naas.

Teachers use a variety of resources to guide them in delivering quality PE lessons. PSSI Lesson Plans are widely used throughout the school and we have focused on the Dance strand for the school year 2019/2020 in order to build on our resources in this area. https://www.pdst.ie/PSSI-Lessons
Ms Shaw and Mrs Malone part in a PDST Dance course to help improve this area and thanks to them all teachers have access to the lesson plans.
We have introduced the Move Well, Move Often programme to teach the Fundamental Movement Skills to all pupils. These movement skills are available around our schools PE hall for all students and teacher to view and incorporate into their lessons.