Physical Education Physical Education (PE) provides lots of opportunities for students to target improvements in their performance and enjoy themselves along the way. It focuses throughout on improving skills, working cooperatively with and competitively against their peers, responding to physical and mental challenges, making and applying decisions, evaluating and improving performance and understanding the value of a healthy, active lifestyle. All students in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 have two hours of timetabled PE a week. We follow an equal opportunities programme: all students have access to all sports; some groups are taught in gender groups and some in mixed groups. Lessons are structured so that students will enjoy learning and will consistently want to improve their level of performance. Lessons consist of sport-appropriate warm ups, development of sport specific skills and the opportunity to apply these in small sided competitions. Physical Education at Key Stage 3 What sports do students do? In Year 7, students experience a wide range of sports in line with National Curriculum requirements. In later years, new sports are introduced to all students. Sports undertaken in Key Stage 3 include: - Football - Rugby - Hockey - Basketball - Cross-country - Netball - Cricket - Tennis - Rounders - Athletics - Gymnastics - Health- Related Exercise - Rock Climbing - Orienteering - Table Tennis - Badminton - Indoor Rowing - Fixed Cycling - Volleyball How are students assessed? Students are assessed in every practical lesson using the National Curriculum Key Performance Indicators which are linked to: - Skills & Techniques - Tactics - Personal Challenge & Teamwork - Health & Fitness - Analysing Performance - Competition
Year 7 Students follow an initial generic based course where core sports skills, fitness and aesthetic abilities are developed and assessed. They are encouraged to take responsibility for organising and leading warm ups for themselves and small groups of their peers. Students are introduced to a variety of different sports, many of which may not have been covered at Primary School. Year 8 Although lessons still revolve around the core structure set up in Year 7, the whole Year group are also introduced to a Half Term Unit on Developing Leadership Skills Through Sport. The leadership course gives them the skills to organise small groups and equipment. They learn about the different forms of communication and how to structure sessions so all can enjoy sessions and be involved. Small sided games are by now the norm in the final phase of lessons in order that students can apply skills, strategies and tactics learnt. Students are encouraged to evaluate and improve their own and peers performance in every lesson and will be given the opportunity to take on leadership roles, such as coaching and officiating Year 9 Stretching and improving sport-specific skills is the main focus in Year 9, along with the development of a more sophisticated and applied understanding of tactics and scoring/rules across all the sports taught. Self- and peer-assessment is a feature of all lessons. Students knowledge of their bodies, their specific talents and of their own weaknesses is better understood by them at this stage. Although the programme continues to broaden their sporting experience, students themselves start to make informed decisions on their favourite sports for movement into Key Stage 4.
Physical Education at Key Stage 4 Core PE All students in Key Stage 4 have two hours of timetabled Core PE per week. In Core PE we teach skills and how to use these in game situations. We develop an understanding of relevant tactics. Lessons are structured so that students will enjoy learning and will consistently want to improve their level of performance. Students are encouraged to evaluate and improve their own and peers performance in every lesson and will be given the opportunity to take on leadership roles, such as coaching and officiating. In Year 11, students enjoy the Sport Education approach to learning, where they take on different roles during the lesson, including acting as coach and manager. Students also utilise different training methods to improve and develop their level of fitness. What sports do students do? In addition to the sports taught at Key Stage 3, students are introduced to: - Aerobics - Step Aerobics - Crossfit - Dodgeball - Handball Students also use fitness equipment such as rowing machines and stationary bikes. How are students assessed? Students are involved in self- and peer-assessment in every lesson. They evaluate and suggest ways their performance can be improved in skills learning and gameplay. GCSE PE All students have the option of taking GCSE PE. GCSE students have an additional 2.5 hours of timetabled PE a week. In GCSE PE students will work towards refining their performance in 3 self-selected activities. Theory work is based on fitness and body systems and health and performance. Throughout the course students are encouraged to link the theoretical aspects of the course to their practical performance. Students who perform to a high level in an off-site activity are encouraged to take this as one of their 3 self-selected sports. A 6 week Personal Exercise Plan will be completed during Year 11 when students will target an area of performance and then develop and improve this through a training programme.
The GCSE course is broken down into four components as follows: - Component One: Fitness and the Body Systems Topic 1: Applied Anatomy and Physiology Topic 2: Movement Analysis Topic 3: Physical Training Topic 4: Use of Data Percentage of marks: 36% Structure of Assessment: Written examination (1hr 45 minutes) taken at the end of Year 11 - Component Two: Health and Performance Topic 1: Heath, Fitness and Well-Being Topic 2: Sport Psychology Topic 3: Socio-Cultural Influences Topic 4: Use of Data Percentage of marks: 24% Structure of Assessment: Written examination (1hr 45 minutes) taken at the end of Year 11 - Component Three: Practical Performance Three physical activities from a set list, containing at least one team and one individual. Students are given guidance as to what their bet choices of activity would be. Every year we have a range of students who are assessed in sports outside the school-based curriculum such as skiing, swimming, snowboarding, and golf amongst many others. Percentage of marks: 30% Structure of Assessment: Marked by class teacher against criteria provided by the exam board, with a selection externally moderated by the exam board. - Component Four: Personal Exercise Programme Students plan, write and complete an individual Personal Exercise Programme (PEP) focused on a chosen physical activity over a period of 6-8 weeks. They are assessed on their aim & planning analysis; the carrying out and monitoring of the PEP; and their evaluation of the PEP. Percentage of marks: 10% Structure of Assessment: Marked by class teacher against criteria provided by the exam board, with a selection externally moderated by the exam board.
How Parents Can Help - As the course is 60% practical it is extremely important that students are refining and practising their practical skills on an ongoing basis. Students should be attending regular and at least weekly practices in their chosen activities. - The more students learn and use key terms, the easier it will be to remember them during the theory exam. They can be supported by regular testing of theory definitions and key terms. - Theoretical homework is set on a weekly basis and returned the following week with a mark and next steps as to how the homework could be improved. Encouraging students to meet homework deadlines will assist students and teacher to assess their knowledge and understanding of theoretical concepts covered. Students should be responding to the next steps.