“Intelligence and skills can only function at the peak of their capacity, when the body is healthy and strong” - Aristotle
Curriculum Intent
In PE, we aim to consolidate, build upon and expand skills & knowledge taught at Key Stage 2. Pupils develop their basic practical skills, alongside new subject knowledge to become more confident and competent in their abilities, encourage a love of sport, exercise and a healthy active lifestyle. Our curriculum is based around seasonal sports, also including regional and local competitions and sporting events. Every teacher has the same high standards and expectations of pupils, by promoting and implementing the school ethos and its values and virtues into each lesson. Pupils have many opportunities to be part of sports teams, competitions and tournaments, playing both in and out of school. As each year progresses skills, tactics and techniques become increasingly more challenging in lessons, which expands and broadens their ability to perform and succeed.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum
The aims of the national curriculum for PE are covered and extended on in our planning. Y7 begin developing fundamental practical skills and subject knowledge. By the end of the key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study They should understand what makes a performance effective and how to apply these principles to their own and others’ work. They should develop the confidence and interest to get involved in exercise, sports and activities out of school and in later life and understand and apply the long-term health benefits of physical activity.
Key Stage 4 Curriculum
Core PE is essential to pupils’ health and wellbeing. All pupils participate in core PE but this is not an examined subject. If pupils would like to attain a qualification in PE then they need to opt for Sport and they will study for a qualification in Cambridge National Sport Science or GCSE PE.
GCSE PE: Exam Board: AQA Syllabus: 8582
GCSE Physical Education builds on the understanding developed at Key Stage 3, supporting a smooth transition to the next level of study. It encourages learners to become more competent, confident and expert in their techniques, and apply them across different sports and physical activities. It also helps students develop important transferable skills for progression to the next level, including numeracy, communication and an understanding of practical performances. The GCSE is made up of 4 components:
Component 1: The human body and movement in physical activity and sport - Written examination: 1 hour and 15 minutes 30% of the qualification
- Topic 1: Anatomy and physiology
- Topic 2: Movement analysis
- Topic 3: Physical training
- Topic 4: Use of data
Component 2: Socio-cultural influences and well-being in physical activity and sport - Written examination: 1 hour and 15 minutes 30% of the qualification
- Topic 1: Health, fitness and well-being
- Topic 2: Sport psychology
- Topic 3: Socio-cultural influences
- Topic 4: Use of data
Component 3: Practical Performance
- Non-examined assessment: internally marked and externally moderated 30% of the qualification
- 75 marks, (35 marks per activity) One team activity, one individual activity and a free choice from the list published by the DfE Skills in isolation Skills in a competitive/ formal situation.
Component 4: Personal Exercise Programme (PEP)
- Non-examined assessment: internally marked and externally moderated 10% of the qualification
- 25 marks Aim and planning analysis Carrying out and monitoring the PEP Evaluation of the PEP.
Cambridge National Sport Science
The Cambridge National qualification in Sports Science is a vocational qualification with a larger controlled assessment component and a smaller external examination component compared to the GCSE PE. the qualification is composed of some mandatory units of study and some optional units as described below.
Mandatory Units
Unit R180: Reducing the risk of sports injuries and dealing with common medical conditions (EXAM)
Unit R181: Applying the principles of training: Fitness and how it affects skill performance.
Optional (decided by the class teacher)
Unit R182: The body’s response to physical activity and how technology informs this.
Unit R183: Nutrition and sports performance.
You may be interested in this if you want an engaging qualification where you will use your learning in practical, real-life situations, such as:
- Understanding how to prevent and treat sporting injuries
- Understanding how different medical conditions can affect sports performance
- Applying the principles of training to fitness and skills development for sporting activities
- Understanding how to apply knowledge of good nutrition to improve sporting performance
- Understanding how the body systems change and develop in response to physical training
- Understanding how technology can assist in measuring the changes in your body during physical training. This will help you to develop independence and confidence in using skills that would be relevant to the Exercise, Physical Activity, Sport and Health sector.
Course Content
The two mandatory units are:
- R180: Reducing the risk of sports injuries and dealing with common medical conditions This is assessed by an exam. By completing this unit, you will prepare as a participant to take part in physical activity in a way which minimises the risk of injuries occurring. It will also prepare you to know how to react to common injuries that can occur during sport and physical activity, and how to recognise the symptoms of some common medical conditions. Topics include: Different factors which influence the risk and severity of injury. Warm up and cool down routines Different types and causes of sports injuries, reducing risk, treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries and medical conditions Causes, symptoms and treatment of medical conditions.
- R181: Applying the principles of training: fitness and how it affects skill performance This is assessed by a set assignment. By completing this unit, you will conduct a range of fitness tests, understand what they test and their advantages and disadvantages. You will also learn how to design, plan and evaluate a fitness training programme. You will then interpret the data collected from these fitness tests and learn how best to feed this back. Topics include: Components of fitness applied in sport, Principles of training in sport, Organising and planning a fitness training programme, Evaluate own performance in planning and delivery of a fitness training programme.
The two optional units are:
- R182: The body’s response to physical activity and how technology informs this.This is assessed by a set assignment. By completing this unit, you will gain understanding of how both the cardio-respiratory and musculoskeletal systems provide you with the energy and movements needed to keep you exercising and in turn how exercise helps develop both systems. You will also learn about relevant technology and how this assists us in measuring changes in these systems. Topics include The cardio-respiratory system and how the use of technology supports different types of sports and their intensities; The Musculo-skeletal system and how the use of technology supports different types of sports and their movements; Short-term effects of exercise on the cardiorespiratory and Musculo-skeletal systems; Long-term effects of exercise on the cardiorespiratory and Musculo-skeletal systems.
- R183: Nutrition and sports performance This is assessed by a set assignment. By completing this unit, you will gain understanding of healthy, balanced nutrition. You will consider the necessity of certain nutrients and their role in enabling effective performance in different sporting activities. The knowledge you gain will be used to produce an appropriate, effective nutrition plan for a performer. Topics include: Nutrients needed for a healthy, balanced nutrition plan; Applying differing dietary requirements to varying types of sporting activity; Developing a balanced nutrition plan for a selected sporting activity; How nutritional behaviours can be managed to improve sports performance.
Skills Developed
Our Cambridge National in Sport Science award will encourage students to:
- Understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of Sport Science
- Develop learning and practical skills that can be applied to real-life contexts and work situations
- Think creatively, innovatively, analytically, logically and critically
- Develop independence and confidence in using skills that are relevant to the Exercise, Physical Activity, Sport and Health sector and more widely
- Prepare participants for physical activity in ways which keeps them safe as well as learning how to react should injuries happen and how to recognise common medical conditions
- Learn how to conduct fitness tests, including interpreting and feeding back on the data you get from these as well as how to design, implement and evaluate fitness training programmes
- Develop knowledge of either how the body responds to exercise and understand how technology helps inform us of these changes, or a delve into the world of sports nutrition to understand how what we eat can impact our performance in sport
- Develop the skills of team working, research and planning and understand that sports performance goes far beyond just the simple physical movements of the human body.
Progression Routes
Many of the students who enjoyed studying GCSE Physical Education or Cambridge National Sport Science have gone on to study A Level Physical Education or Level 3 Cambridge National or BTEC qualifications in sport. The course also a good lead into personal fitness instruction qualifications.
Future Careers
Future careers include sports coaching, physiotherapy, scientific research, fitness instruction, nutritionist and dietician and teaching.