News

Put on our Dancing Shoes – It’s our Brand New Videos & Dance Lesson Plans!

Published on 8th January, 2024

PE Planning and our very own PE Pack have been very busy during the Autumn term. Our dance specialist, along with children from a local primary school have learnt, developed and performed the PE Planning Dances to complement our lesson plans.

Dance in PE

Ofsted’s recent report ‘Levelling the playing field: the physical education subject report’, highlights “just over a third of all schools, dance is either not taught at all or only taught to some pupils. In a further third of schools, the precise content to be taught is not clearly identified.” It highlights that pupils experience learning that is not clear within dance lessons and staff lack confidence and subject knowledge.

We feel strongly that dance is a crucial feature of the National Curriculum for PE, but so often it is left behind and neglected in Primary School PE! And, as we’ve said before, teaching dance doesn’t have to be daunting!

Our dance lesson plans have been improved and updated to ensure they are easy to follow and deliver!

We have dance lesson plans available for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 so your whole school will have the opportunity to develop physically and express their emotions through dance.

Dance lessons are a compulsory component of the National Curriculum for PE. From simple movement patterns to creating movements inspired by a stimuli, our dance units will help develop your pupils’ confidence, motor skills, rhythm and imagination.

But why are Dance lessons so important in PE?

Dance lessons are particularly important because they help to provide unique benefits and contributions to the holistic development of pupils.

Let’s take a look at the impact Dance lessons can have on pupils’ physical, mental and social growth.

Better flexibility and agility

Dance has endless physical benefits, including flexibility and agility, but there are many more. Improved strength and coordination skills, as well as cardiovascular health and endurance. These are all crucial for a child’s motor development and are easily transferable to other sports.

Better cognitive health

Dance develops creativity. All our dances provide an opportunity for pupils to ‘create their own dance phrase’. This helps develop their creative mind, as well as self confidence and social skills.

Dance releases serotonin – the happy hormone, which help improve mood and lowers stress levels.

Brain power is needed in dance, due to the need to memorise and recite movement patterns, listen to the music, and keep up with the constant changes.

Confidence and self esteem

Primary school dance is great for building confidence, as well as developing social skills and allowing children to recognise and celebrate their successes. Dance lessons can allow children to master new skills and conquer physical challenges, building a sense of accomplishment and self-belief.

Body awareness and control

Dance lessons are great for cultivating body awareness and control – crucial aspects of physical development. Through various movements, pupils can learn to control their bodies in a given space, improving spatial awareness, balance and coordination. Because dance requires timed movements, such as moving in time with the beat, children will develop body awareness and gain confidence in their movements – which will in turn improve other PE activities, as well as everyday life.

Teamwork and cooperation

You may see gymnastics as an individual sport – generally, it can be! But it can also be a great way to develop teamwork amongst children. Try group activities, partner work and team-based challenges to develop communication skills, as well as an understanding of mutual support. For example, group routines like synchronised movements, are great to develop children’s social skills, and help to build positive relationships and good sportsmanship.