Curriculum - physical education

Mrs Susan King with students

Intent (based on the National Curriculum)

  • A high-quality physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities. It should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

    Pupils should build on and embed the physical development and skills learned in key stages 1 and 2, become more competent, confident and expert in their techniques, and apply them across different sports and physical activities. 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.

    Implementation

    Students will be taught to:

    • use a range of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in direct competition through team and individual games [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders, rugby and tennis]
    • develop their technique and improve their performance in other competitive sports [for example, athletics and gymnastics] perform dances using advanced dance techniques within a range of dance styles and forms 
    • take part in outdoor and adventurous activities which present intellectual and physical challenges and be encouraged to work in a team, building on trust and developing skills to solve problems, either individually or as a group
    • analyse their performances compared to previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best and take part in competitive sports and activities outside school through community links or sports clubs.

    Key concepts

    • develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities
    • are physically active for sustained periods of time
    • engage in competitive sports and activities
    • lead healthy, active lives.

    Links to Key Stage 2

    We note that there are huge differences in student’s Key Stage 2 curriculum diet. However, students at Key Stage 2 are generally taught  to apply and develop a broader range of skills (broader than Key Stage 1), learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.

    The Key Stage 3 RET PE curriculum extends the following skills:

    • running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination
    • playing competitive games, applying basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
    • developing flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics]
    • performing dances using a range of movement patterns
    • taking part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team
    • compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.
    • developing teamwork and leadership skills through a variety of activities

    Relationship to the wider Key Stage 3 Curriculum

    There are links with Science, History and Food Tech departments and our schools engage in cross curricular projects to contextualise PE. Other areas of the curriculum that PE is linked with are as follows: PSHE, tutor time. There are also links to dance in delivering performance. Having a variety of tasks and roles within PE lessons is key in developing students within the wider curriculum. Students can use maths within the role of being an official and umpire, whilst acting as a coach and taking notes on performance links with English.

    Links to KS4

    All of the skills practiced at KS3, are represented, assessed and developed in Key Stage 4. KS3 is a natural progression. Where option numbers and staffing permits, students can choose between a traditional GCSE path and an alternative pathway. Our KS3 offer prepares students to tackle complex and demanding physical activities and supports their involvement in a range of activities that develops personal fitness and promotes an active, healthy lifestyle

    Extra Curricular Experience

    Irrespective of background we encourage all students to take part in our extra curricular sports offer. This includes a range of sports and competitions that take place before and after school and during lunch times. Examples of our offer include:

    BFS: Rugby, netball, football, cricket, rounders, athletics, tennis, dance, cross country, basketball