Secondary Curriculum

Physical Education

Why study PE?

In PE, pupils are offered a unique platform where they can promote their physical development and well-being. PE allows pupils to strive and excel through varied sporting experiences and helps develop confidence, social skills and leadership opportunities.

Throughout PE, pupils can explore, identify and evaluate their own experiences in sport and gain the confidence they need to be part of a team, work tactically and develop the skills needed to become leaders in chosen areas.
PE allows pupils to master in specific sports through enrichment and allows pupils to compete against other schools. PE allows pupils to improve their mental, social, and physical health by offering pupils a broader curriculum and enrichment clubs.

The curriculum is designed with progression through motor skills, rules, strategies and tactics and the promotion of healthy participation.

How will I study PE?

Pupils study PE through both declarative and procedural knowledge. The curriculum is sequenced to maximise the pupils to know and do more in PE. Progression of knowledge is built over time from simple to complex through a range of physical activities and sports. Activities are selected for pupils to recall prior knowledge and apply similarities and differences between selected activities.

What will I study at key stage 3?

Pupils will study a wide range of physical activities in KS3. They will learn the importance sport has on improving physical, mental and social well-being. We embed fundamental skills (running, jumping, throwing, balance, coordination) through a variety of sporting activities. Pupils will grow in knowledge and experience of games (netball, handball, badminton, rounders, basketball) and in gymnastics and creative movement. Pupils will also learn leadership skills including the ability to officiate sporting matches.

Pupils will experience competitive sports and performance in a summer sports day held at an athletics facility in the city and through competitive game experience. They will learn about how their body adapts and changes (long and short term) due to physical activity. They will understand basic theory (muscles, bones, components of fitness) and apply this knowledge practically.

The study of outdoor adventurous activities helps to develop their problem-solving skills, communication and language skills, decision-making, risk-taking, teamwork, social and leadership skills.
Throughout KS3, pupils will participate in indoor and field athletics.

We link sports to major sporting events in our learning, for example, Wimbledon to tennis, FIFA World Cup to football, athletics to the Olympics, and games included in the Commonwealth Games

What will I study at key stage 4?

In Physical Education in KS4 Core, we build upon the skills learnt during KS3 and focus on sports for life.

Pupils who opt to study Health and Fitness will a variety of topics in depth, developing their knowledge and understanding through first class teaching. They will enjoy the opportunity to improve their healthy active lifestyle by creating and following a PEP (Personal Exercise Programme), which in turn will improve their performance both practically and theoretically.

Gifted and Talented pupils are then able to progress in their sports studies and study a Level 3 National Certificate in Sport in Year 11. This will entail learning to develop their understanding from GCSE level, of how their body adapts due to sport and living a healthy active lifestyle in key areas (skeletal, muscular, respiratory, cardiovascular and energy systems). Pupils will also become masters in a sport, developing their knowledge from Governing Body rules and regulations, to playing and reviewing performance.

Assessment at Key Stage 4

NCFE Health and Fitness

Overview Focus
  • Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • 80 marks
  • 40% of final grade

Structure and Function of Body Systems

  • The Skeletal System
  • The Muscular System
  • The Respiratory System
  • The Cardiovascular System
  • Energy Systems

Effects of Health and Fitness on the Body

  • Short-Term and Long-Term effects on the body

Components of Fitness

  • Understanding health and fitness
  • Health related components of fitness
  • Skill related components of fitness
  • Testing of components of fitness
  • Training methods

Principles of Training

  • Understand the principles of training and overload

Impact of lifestyle on Health and Fitness

  • Lifestyle factors including diet, activity levels, rest and recovery
Overview Focus
Synoptic Project
60% of final grade

Structure of Health and Fitness Programme

  • Components of a health and fitness programme
  • Health and safety
  • The session plans
  • Warm-up/cool-down
  • Main activity session
  • Reviewing the activity session
  • Timescales and goal setting

Enrichment

PE offers subject-specific enrichment clubs and the faculty organise a range of educational visits throughout the year.

PE offers ‘have-a-go’ style clubs and enrichment, as well as competitive opportunities and teams. Pupils can take part in school-wide competitions, as well as representing the school in local and national competitions and leagues. Sporting equipment is available for pupils to borrow during lunchtime and break.

Careers

A good grade in PE will allow pupils to choose A Levels (or a Level 3 BTEC course in Sports) and further study that could eventually lead to a career within the sporting industry. It will also show that you have a broader range of skills, both physically and socially.

Physical education lends itself to a range of careers in sports and fitness as well as other industries that you may not have considered before. For example, did you know that many nutritionists, physical therapists and chiropractors have a degree in PE? Some careers that you could consider doing with PE include:

  • Sports science
  • PE teacher
  • Physiotherapist
  • Professional sportsperson
  • Sports coach/consultant
  • Sports policy at local and national level
  • Diet and fitness instructor
  • Personal trainer

These employability skills will support learners in a wide variety of jobs. Specifically, this course will develop skills and knowledge that will allow progression into careers such as sports medicine, physiotherapy, sports science, biomechanics, personal trainer/fitness instructor, PE teacher, professional sportsperson, sports media and many more.