The Physical Education curriculum is broad and balanced, providing students the opportunity to engage in activities that develop health and fitness in order promote lifelong participation. As a PE department we strive to promote a love of physical activity and develop students’ competence and confidence to participate in a range of isolated and competitive activities. Through regular self and peer assessment students will be able to evaluate their performance highlighting areas of strength and improvement in order to providing motivation and a desire to improve performance. Students will be given an opportunity to work with their peers and will be guided to use leadership qualities when working as part of a team and respond to the strengths and weaknesses of those they are working with, with the intention of students taking these skills in to working life. The curriculum also promotes the academic side of the subject closely linking practical and theoretical concepts in a range of disciplines, including physiology, psychology and sociology. Sportsmanship values will be instilled via students abiding by rules and being humble in victory and gracious in defeat. We actively seek to create inclusive learning environment where all students have opportunities to make good progress, whilst feeling comfortable to make mistakes and build resilience.
Sports and skills are re-visited in each year group to consolidate learning. The application of these skills to game play is challenged progressively by increasing the size of small sided games and developing into fully competitive games.
We build on strategies and tactics, knowledge and understanding through the delivery of sports selected by student voice, staff expertise and facilities and resources available. In individual activities students are challenged to be creative and develop their body awareness. Skills increase in difficulty and routines become more challenging with more skills linked together.
Core PE: Our focus is fostering a love for long life participation and an appreciation of the benefits of physical activity on health and fitness. We do this through taking a recreational approach to lessons, offering a choice of activities that students select from. Students adopt different roles within lessons, such as, a leader, official, coach, captain. Students are encouraged to see that participation in physical activity can be achieved in a variety of ways. Students are encouraged to lead warm-up activities and run their own class competitions and tournaments increasing self confidence and leadership qualities needed in the world of work.
GCSE PE: & Btec Sport – To prepare our students thoroughly for all aspects of their assessment.
To offer opportunities throughout the course to inspire students to be the best they can be. Including a trip to Lilleshall National Sports Centre. To facilitate students learning, following schemes of learning, providing personalised guidance, feedback and support to enable students to fulfil their potential.
A Level: To prepare our A Level students thoroughly for all aspects of assessment.
Practical: To facilitate their practical progress by setting personal targets and liaising with parents to ensure practical video footage is high quality and meets specification requirements.
Coursework: Preparing students for their independent coursework by giving advice on selected sports and weaknesses to use. Setting a clearly structured programme so that students are able to meet deadlines. Offering students feedback to guide and improve their work.
Theory Exams Paper 1 & 2: Three teachers deliver their own specialist area. Physiology, Sports Psychology & socio-cultural aspects of sport. Each has its own scheme of learning and is adapted to suit the needs of the cohort each year. A focus on independent learning where teachers act as facilitators and students develop personalised learning styles.
BTEC Level 3 in Sport: To prepare our students thoroughly for all aspects of assessment.
Coursework – Preparing students for their independent coursework by giving advice on selected sports and weaknesses to use. Setting a clearly structured programme so that students are able to meet deadlines. Offering students feedback to guide and improve their work.
Theory Exams 1 & 2: Applied Anatomy and Physiology and Fitness Training and Programming for Health, Sport and Wellbeing.
Human Dignity-Sport provides students with the opportunity to explore and talents in a safe and supportive environment.
Solidarity- In sport this is also known as Cohesion- Sport encourages individuals to work together to support their teammates. The higher the levels of cohesion, the higher the standard of performance.
The Common Good- Within sport scarifies are made for the good of the team and its members so everyone can achieve success.
Peace- “Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination”. Nelson Mandela. 2013
The Option for the Poor- Sport challenges barriers to ensure everyone has access to sport and physical activity for lifelong participation.
Creation and Environment- Outdoor PE connects students with nature and to care for our outdoor facilities.
The Dignity of Work and Participation– There is a sport for everyone to enjoy and excel within, it’s just finding the right one.
The curriculum within KS3 provides all students with equal access to all areas, involving an inclusive approach. Effective visuals via demonstrations, regular scaffolding of skills from isolation through to conditioned practices, as well as adaptive equipment are used with all skills and drills to build motor programmes and develop confidence in performing skills.
At KS4 and KS5 work is differentiated to accommodate student needs. Extended questions are scaffolded to support students with structure and to ensure questions are answered to high standard. Students are offered interventions on lesson content to ensure content is embedded and can be applied effective in exam questions.
Teaching assistances provide support to student within both practical and theoretical lessons. This not only allows students to further support their knowledge within PE by guiding them though the techniques required to perform skills, but to also build confidence in their own ability. In the classroom teaching assistance provide students with the opportunity to build and develop interpersonal skills across the subject.
Science– Theoretical links throughout Year 7,8 & 9. For example: Teaching the Skeleton in Year 7 alongside science at the same time to help students reinforce and embed learning. Yr10 & 11 GCSE and BTEC theoretical topics link with the science AQA course such as Cardio respiratory system.
Drama – “Being a good audience” linking with our aesthetic performance sports of Trampolining / Gymnastics & Dance where students perform in front of others and respect is shown by the audience. At the start of the year links made between the subjects and throughout the sports.
Psychology – Memory models & Learning Theories at A Level. Taught at alongside each other at the same time, students make links between the subjects and consolidate knowledge.
Reading –Text Book given to each student at GCSE &A Level. Current research articles given to students to enhance learning. Encouragement to look at websites and social media reports on sporting events. At key stage 3 students are required to read coaching cards with key teaching points in order to coach each other.
Writing–GCSE, Btec & A Level are given writing frames, connective words help sheets and Evaluative language prompts to help structure their longer questions. Essay writing is focus with clear links to the AO1 AO2 and AO3 objectives. Vocabulary is corrected along with punctuation and grammar. A real emphasis is placed on command words and the understanding of these in terms of requirements for the exam. Students are taught to apply their sporting knowledge through their writing. At key stage 3 students record scores, create routines and evaluate performances through self and peer assessment by writing down their strengths and areas for improvement.
Communicating –Students work in pairs / groups in all lessons and are encouraged to communicate clearly with other students. Students are taught how to express their points of view and how to listen to other students’ ideas especially when set problem solving tasks. Students coach each other and effectively learn how to motivate their team mates. Teachers rotate the captains of teams to allow all students to have leadership opportunities. At GCSE &A Level students are taught to argue their opinions in debates, how to put a strong argument across and justify their points with evidence, this is a vital part of our new specification.
Digital literacy– Students can access articles via our firefly page. At KS4 and KS5 students can access resources to assist them with both internal and external assessments. Students are directed and encouraged to keep up to date with current sporting articles and events.
KS2-3
The PE department organise a summer event for all local primary schools- “The John McCann Rounders Cup” The competition promotes sportsmanship and is accessible to all.
Year 4/5/6 days. Students are exposed to a variety of sporting activities to give them a flavour of the types of sports they will access at KS3.
Year 7 base lining assessments- Useful for assessing sporting ability and what sports have been covered at primary school before accessing the curriculum.
KS 3 to 4
Theoretical links are made throughout KS3 across our broad range of sporting activities.
Year 9 sports science- provides students with a taster of both practical and theoretical content covered at GCSE and BTEC sport to assist with the Year 9 options blocks.
KS 4 to 5
AQA GCSE PE and L2 BTEC sport are directly liked to our AQA A level PE and L3 BTEC courses at 6th form. Building on prior knowledge.
At KS3, our Year 9 students undertake a theoretical Sports Science unit. Not only does this provide students with an insight to GCSE and A level PE, but provides them with an overview of the different types of career opportunities within sport.
At KS4 & KS5 students are subjected to a range of different careers and roles in sport. Topic areas focus on a range of areas including sport rehabilitation, media and sport coaching. A careers section on the Physical Education firefly page allows students to identify different careers and roles within sport and pathways to achieving that career via university or apprenticeships. Ex-students are also invited in to talk to students through their experiences in different sporting roles, providing current students with opportunities to question and gain an insight on future career pathways.
