Physical Education

Head of Department:  Mr K. King

Regular physical education and activities are vital to the health, fitness and development of all of students. These activities also help students develop personally and socially, enabling them to work individually, in groups and in teams to be as effective as possible in each instance.  Students throughout all year groups have regular, timetabled PE lessons, as well as the opportunity to participate in a huge variety of PE based extra-curricular activities before, during and after school. The PE Department is dedicated in creating clubs and opportunities for all students. Popular clubs include; basketball, handball, table tennis, badminton, football, rugby, athletics and cross country, all of which have teams competing in local, London and national tournaments!

We encourage all students to participate in active extra-curricular activities. We use PE lessons to build upon other knowledge, such as biology and nutrition, to inspire our students to seek an active and healthy lifestyle. PE lessons are also designed to heighten students' ability to use tactics and strategy with defined aims. Students are encourage to evaluate their own and group performance, which facilitates improvement and ultimately builds confidence.

PE is compulsory for all students throughout both KS3 and KS4. In addition to this students can select PE as one of their optional GCSE subjects.

Key Stage 3

Core PE is exclusively practical. Throughout Key Stage 3 all students take part in one double lesson of physical education per week. This adheres to the national requirement of all 11-14 year olds accessing a minimum of two hours of physical education per week. This is further complimented by our extensive extra-curricular opportunities.

Students will not gain a qualification during Key Stage three. However the skills and knowledge they acquire acts as a pathway to success if they decide to access a qualification in PE at Key Stage 4 or 5.

In year 7 we deliver a winter programme that is traditionally games based that helps develop skills such as outwitting opponents, defining roles within team games and moreover a duty of care within a team setting where cohesion and communication are paramount to success. In the winter term there are also opportunities to develop physical attributes such as cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, strength and speed along with other important components of fitness.

In the summer term students are taught a wide range of athletics disciplines with an equal opportunity to develop in both track and field events. Striking and fielding also plays an integral part in the summer term and allows both team and individual skills to be developed accordingly.

In year 8 all students undertake activities where the primary focus is developing knowledge and skills and cardiovascular fitness across a range of activities, covering topics and activities which include; basketball/handball, badminton, health related fitness, rugby, athletics, cricket and table tennis. The national curriculum forms the foundation of the schemes of work.

In year 9 all students continue the activities they have undertaken in previous years. The national curriculum forms the foundation of the schemes of work and all some of the boys are put into ability groups.

Key Stage 4 - Curriculum

The core Physical Education programme aims to build upon many of the activities covered in Key Stage 3, in order to develop the depth of understanding which would allow students to continue to enjoy that activity once they leave school.

In Year 10 and 11 emphasis is placed on recreational and sporting activities for personal enjoyment and fitness as well as promoting and developing high levels of skill in particular sports. Students have the opportunity to participate in Badminton, Athletics, Cricket, Tennis, Handball, Basketball, Football, Rugby, and Health Related Fitness.

Key Stage 4 - GCSE

Students may select GCSE PE as their optional subject. Students who will be capable of undertaking this subject must be good a practical Physical Education, and have a desire to learn more about the human body in sport and exercise. Students taking PE GCSE must participate in extra-curricular clubs and activities both in and outside of school.

In GCSE PE we follow the OCR syllabus which comprises 40% practical and 60% theory. Students will be taught in a variety of practical and theory lessons. Theoretical topics studied include Skeleton, Muscles, Fitness training, drugs in sport, sponsorship and media. In practical lessons pupils are introduced to a variety of activities, improving their skills and tactical awareness.

For a more detailed explanation of the GCSE course and assessment format please click here.

For a more detailed breakdown of the curriculum please see the Curriculum Overview and more details can also be found in the Curriculum Booklet.