Physical Education
Staffing and Key Contacts
- Miss C Paterson – Head of Faculty
- Mr B Hand - Second in Faculty
- Miss K Richardson – Teacher of PE / Head of Year 9
- Mr R Slack – Teacher of PE / Head of Year 10
- Miss Jade Clare - Teacher of PE
- Mr R Onions - Teacher of PE / Head of Year 8
Our Vision
The intent of our PE curriculum is to inspire students of all attainment levels to engage with, enjoy and make progress in PE. We firmly believe that Physical Education has a vast importance within a student’s physical and mental well-being and it plays a huge role in promoting long-term health and lifestyle choices. Within the faculty we aim to:
- Provide all students with high-quality PE and sport provision enriched with the importance of sporting values.
- Offer a curriculum aimed at stimulating every students’ curiosity of the subject.
- Help students to become more competent, confident and expert in lessons.
Key Stage 3
We have implemented a new holistic curriculum, aimed at developing students physical literacy skills by developing their physical, cognitive and social abilities. Students are taught a broad and balanced programme of PE so that our students can gain a sense of enjoyment whilst they learn and develop skills that are transferrable from one activity to the next. Through experiencing this curriculum, students develop valuable life skills such as determination and resilience which improves how they cope with difficult situations outside of sport. The richness of experience and learning will allow students to develop their personal and social skills such as confidence and teamwork by engaging, supporting and learning from others. In our curriculum we plan to cater for students’ individual learning needs to ensure every pupil is engaged, challenged and supported appropriately.
Students receive 2 lessons of core PE per week at Key Stage 3. The purpose of these lessons is to build on and embed the physical development, skills and basic principles learned in Key Stages 1 and 2. The Key Stage 3 learning contains two elements; practical and theoretical understanding.
The focus within practical is to cover a broad range of activities on the National Curriculum including a range of team and individual sports, gymnastics and health-related exercise.
Key Stage 4
t Key Stage 4, all students continue to take part in Core PE as part of their school curriculum and students can also opt to study GCSE PE or OCR Cambridge National Sport Science. Every student will experience a curriculum aimed at further embedding prior learning and developing skills learned in Key Stage 3. At every stage of the PE curriculum, lessons are delivered where possible with links to students’ own lives and experiences, for example, ethical dilemmas within sport and links with students’ own life choices.
Core PE: Students continue to receive 2 lessons of core PE per week in Years 9, 10 and 11. At Key Stage 4 lessons continue to have a holistic approach, but with the focus becoming more on engagement, mental health and enjoyment with a view to providing students with a desire to continue sport and physical activity when they leave us. Students will cover a broad range of activities which are adapted to suit the students within each class.
GCSE PE: Students can also opt for AQA GCSE PE as part of the options system. If they take this course, they receive an additional 3 lessons a week on top of their core PE. These lessons are based in theory for the first term of Year 9, followed by the introduction of practical in term 2. In Years 10 and 11, students receive a mixture of theory and practical at different times of the year (reflective of the assessment which is 70% theory and 30% practical performance). The theory lessons build on from the students’ knowledge in Year 7 and 8 on health and body systems. Practical activities vary from group to group, to both match the strengths of the students within the class and coincide with the permitted activities on the specification.
Typical activities are:
- Netball
- Badminton
- Table tennis
- Handball
- Athletics
OCR Cambridge National Level 1/2 Award in Sport Science
Key Stage 4
Students can also opt for the OCR Cambridge National Level ½ Award in Sport Science as part of the options system. If they take this course, they receive an additional 3 lessons a week on top of their core PE. These lessons are mostly theory as there is no practical assessment within the course, but some aspects of the course are taught practically such as physical training and fitness testing. Students will, again, build on knowledge learnt at Key Stage 3 about body systems and health and fitness but will also gain new insights into the medical aspects of sport science and injury and recovery leading onto possible future careers in sports therapy.
NCFE Health and Fitness (Qualification to cease in August 2025): Students can also opt for the NCFE Technical Award in Health and Fitness as part of the options system. If they take this course, they receive an additional 3 lessons a week on top of their core PE. These lessons are 100% theory as there is no practical assessment within the course. Students will, again, build on knowledge learnt at Key Stage 3 about body systems and health and fitness.
Enrichment Opportunities
To enhance our curriculum and to embed skills and knowledge developed in lessons, the PE faculty offers a wide range of sports and activities through extracurricular clubs. Clubs run before school, at lunchtimes and after school on a weekly basis. All of the clubs feed into either district, county or National level competitions; in addition, there are multiple opportunities through the year for students to compete in other sporting activities where clubs are not offered. The club timetable changes on a half termly/termly basis to fully support as many sports as possible. Furthermore, students are offered the chance to compete in Brighton Hill House competitions in a variety of sports over the year. Finally, to extend our students curiosity for the subject and to enhance their experience of the wider world, the PE faculty offers a range of educational visits and enhancement trips each year.
Assessment
Key Stage 3:
- One practical assessment per activity based on the student’s ability to effectively use the techniques, skills and tactics that they have learnt within competitive situations.
- One student led self-assessment via Microsoft Forms
An overall holistic grade will be produced combining students' physical, cognitive and social assessment outcomes.
Key Stage 4:
GCSE PE:
- Paper 1 – The human body and movement in physical activity and sport. 75-minute exam equating to 30% of the final grade.
- Paper 2 – Socio-cultural influences and well-being in physical activity and sport. 75-minute written exam equating to 30% of the final grade.
- Coursework – Analysis and evaluation of performance in sport. 10% of final grade.
- Practical – 3 sports (one team, one individual, one other) equating to 30% of the final grade.
OCR Cambridge National Level 1/2 Award in Sport Science
External assessment - 40%
Unit Title: R180: Reducing the risk of sports injuries and dealing with common medical conditions.
Externally set written examination of 75 minutes in length with a mixture of multiple-choice answer and extended response questions.
Internal assessment – 60%
Student will sit two internal assessments in the form of written reports on the following topic areas:
Mandatory Unit Title: R181 Applying the principles of training: fitness and how it affects skill performance.
Optional Unit Title 1: R182 The body’s response to physical activity and how technology informs this*
*Students are permitted one resubmission per assignment
NCFE Health and Fitness (Qualification will cease in August 2025):
- Unit 1 – external written assessment – An introduction to Body Systems and The Principles of Training in Health and Fitness. 40% of final grade.
- Unit 2 – internally assessed synopsis project - Preparing and Planning for Health and Fitness. 21 hours of written assessment worth 60% of final grade.
Core PE:
No assessment at Key Stage 4; instead an ‘attitude to learning’ will be given on students' progress trackers twice per year.