Key Stage 3
Physical Education offers a wide range of physical activities and opportunities for you to participate and excel in sport. You will gain valuable life skills such as self-discipline and responsibility, team work and leadership and playing by the rules and being fair. Physical Education allows you to develop the practical skills and understanding to lead a healthy and active life as well as expressing your creativity and your ability to adapt to various situations in a competitive environment.
How will it be assessed?
Key Stage 3 Physical Education Curriculum
Year 7
In Year 7 students participate in a wide range of team games and individual sports to gain the fundamental skills of movement and a basic understanding of the various sports. These include Outdoor and Adventurous Activities, Athletics, Fitness, Cricket, Tennis, Rounders, Hockey, Rugby, Basketball, Football, Netball and Badminton. Students are set into a top and mixed set group for PE depending on their practical application and understanding of tasks within the first few weeks. Groups are fluent and will be changed when staff feel a movement within groups will benefit the learning of the individual. Extra-curricular opportunities are available to students in Year 7 throughout the year. Within the practical lessons we will also explore more theoretical concepts such as the bones, muscles and the way in which muscles work together to create movement as well as, methods and effects of warm up and cool downs.
Year 8
In Year 8 students continue to be set into top and mixed set groups for PE and continue to participate in a wide range of team games and individual sports to build on their skills and knowledge from Year 7 focussing more on aspects such as tactics, strategies to outwit opponents, evaluation of performance and students are encouraged to take on more leadership roles within the lessons. Students also explore other sports such as Volleyball and Table Tennis. Extra-curricular opportunities are available to students in Year 8 throughout the year. Within the practical lessons we will also explore more theoretical concepts such as training principles, methods and qualities of effective coaching and leadership.
Year 9
In Year 9 students begin to develop the foundation knowledge that they will need to pursue an examination course in PE such as GCSE PE or Cambridge National Certificate in Sport Studies. Throughout this year students will be set into groups according to their ability in PE and we will be considering those who are able to continue a GCSE PE or Cambridge National course in this subject in Year 10 and Year 11. This will still be two hours of practical activity but as well as enhancing your skill level and decision making within a variety of sports we will also be exploring the knowledge and understanding that underpins the exams for these two courses within a practical context. Students hoping to continue to study examination PE should be participating in extra-curricular activities or in a sport outside of school hours regularly. Theoretically students will focus on the short and long term effects of exercise and the changing demands of the body during exercise.
Where could It lead? Post 14
GCSE PE is a course comprising of 70 % theory which is assessed in an exam and 30% practical which is assessed by PE teachers and then externally moderated by the exam board by a visiting moderator. This course will cover a range of theoretical concepts that will develop your understanding of how the body functions in sport, how to train appropriately to meet the needs of different sports, how sports psychology works to support athlete’s development, what the structure of sport is in the UK and how that structure develops an athlete from grass roots to elite standard and how we can improve health and fitness. There are two exam papers to assess your understanding at the end of Year 11 both worth 30% of the overall grade. Your practical includes an assessment of your performance in one team sport, one individual sport and one other sport from the two lists of sports the exam board will accept which will make up 30% of your GCSE. There will be a piece of coursework that is completed in 14 hours of controlled assessment time and you will need to be filmed in your chosen sports for assessment which counts for 10% of your GCSE.
Students studying GCSE PE could progress into the world of work in Leisure and Management, Personal Training, Apprenticeships, Coaching and exit routes from the Higher Education degrees could lead into a variety of careers including; Physiotherapy, Teaching, working in the Media or as a Journalist or Managing Events. Students may also progress to sports related degree courses, such as Sport Science, Sport Studies, Sport Therapy, Sport Media or Journalism, Sport Management, PE Teaching, Sport Coaching, Dance and Sport Law.
Cambridge National in Sport Studies is a course comprising of one exam in Contemporary Issues in sport such as the structure of sport in the UK and the Olympic values and ideals; this exam will take place at the end of Year 11. There are three other units all assessed by PE teachers and through either practical performance or coursework tasks and then these are externally assessed by the exam board. The other three units involve assessing your Practical Skills in an individual and a team sport, your Leadership Ability working with primary students and your understanding of Media in Sport. You will complete some of your assignment based work in controlled assessment time and you will be need to be filmed in your chosen sports for assessment.
Students studying Sports Studies may progress to sports related degree courses such as Sport Studies, Sports Development, Sport Media or Journalism, Sport Management, PE Teaching, Sport Coaching, Dance Studies, Sports Law, Leisure and Health related degrees and Event Management.
The Sport Studies course will highlight the various sectors of the sports industry to you and careers vary from coaching, working in sports journalism and media, sports agent, sports lawyers, event organisers and working with National Governing Bodies in specific sports to personal training and other related careers in the leisure and health industries
Where could It lead? Post 16
The A Level Physical Education course comprises of three theoretical areas of study, practical performance and observational analysis of performance. The practical unit, which is internally assessed and externally moderated by the exam board, consists of assessment in one sport and an observation and analysis of performance in that sport.
Students studying A Level PE may progress to sports related apprenticeships or degree courses, such as Sports Science, Physical Education Teaching, Sport Studies, Dance Movement Studies, Sports Therapy, Physiotherapy, Physical Education Teaching, Sports Management, Leisure Services, Sports Coaching, Sports Media, Physical Recreation, Sports Law and Sports Development. Students can also progress into employment within the sport and leisure industry.
The OCR Cambridge Technical in Sport will enable students to develop the experience, knowledge and skills to progress into employment or further education in the sports coaching, sports science, leisure management and business, personal training and PE teaching sectors. This course will enable progression into employment, an apprenticeship course or university course such as Sports Science, Sports Coaching, Teaching, Sports Therapy and Sports Management
This is an exciting and innovative course which will provide opportunities to work with young people and a range of other professionals and employers. It comprises of mandatory and optional units of work which are assessed through both an exam and coursework or practical based tasks.
The Cambridge Technical is divided into the Extended Certificate which is equivalent to one A level or the Diploma which is equivalent to two A level grades and there is a degree of flexibility in offering these courses.
Enrichment Opportunities
- Extra-curricular programme that is changed each term to facilitate a range of sports
- Intra school competition via regular house matches and the annual Sports Day
- Inter school fixtures and tournaments with local schools
- National fixtures and tournaments in knock out round structures
- Sports Leaders course in core PE lessons in Year 10 and working with primary school students as part of our School Sports Coordinator Programme with Dartmoor School Sports Partnership
- Sports Personality awards evening to celebrate your achievements
- Trips to various events such as Twickenham to watch International Rugby games and Wimbledon
- Gifted and Talented programme
- SEN Ability games and events
- Sports Ambassadors (our Sport and PE student voice group)
- Annual Bank holiday Soccer Tour in May to Looe Bay or Weymouth
- External basketball coach weekly
Our Achievements
- 300 students regularly taking part in physical activity on an annual basis
- National Schools Table Tennis team final winners
- Year 9 South Devon championship winners
- Schools Games Gold Mark Award
- A level PE work taken for ‘National Exemplar material’ by exam board for the past two years.
- Over 80 students successfully complete the Level 1 Sports Leaders UK Award 2016
- Students are representing South Hams for Hockey in the Devon Youth Games 2016
- County Trials for various year groups for Athletics 2017
- 94% A*-C in GCSE PE 2017
- 100% Pass and above in L2 Cambridge Technical sports studies
- 100% A*-D in A level PE 2017
- 100% Pass and above in L3 BTEC Sport 2017