Physical Education

Developing social and physical skills and fostering what could well turn out to be a lifelong interest in sport,

Pupils will be involved in a principle-led curriculum, where they will develop their knowledge and understanding of a variety of different of sport. Embedded in this will be a development of physical literacy in the form of functional movements and sport-specific development. Pupils will find themselves in challenging scenarios where they will be expected to be creative, make decisions and reflect on their performance and the performance of others.

A healthy mind and body is essential to our well-being. As a department, we are justifiably proud of the framework we have created and the courses our pupils follow. PE is delivered using a number of teaching methods which include: independent guided discovery, group learning, peer-assessment, teaching games for understanding and the Sport Education Model.

Lower School

Pupils have the opportunity to explore and develop functional movement skills in gymnastics, swimming, athletics and sports conditioning. In addition to this they will be exposed to striking and fielding, ball skills and racquet skills in order to develop more of the sports specific skills. All elements are designed to encourage pupils to set themselves targets, to experience and understand what they can achieve. In Year 7 pupils have three lessons of PE a fortnight. In Year 8 pupils have two lessons per fortnight.

Middle School

The programme builds on the foundations laid in the Lower School, in developing advanced specialist skills in a range of sports and activities. The focus is on the principles of play for invasion games, net and wall games and striking and fielding. A variety of sports are used to deliver these principles, including developing sports, such as lacrosse, tchoukball, softball and handball. In Year 10, pupils have an opportunity to develop and design a new sport, emphasising their ability to be creative and work together as a team. Middle School pupils have two lesson of PE a fortnight.

Sixth Form

At A Level we strive to enthuse our pupils, inspiring them to take on new challenges, activities and opportunities beyond their comfort zones.

The course is broadly divided into four sections; the sporting body, the sporting mind, sport in society and the practical application and evaluation of performance. The two year linear course not only assesses the practical skills of our students but also their understanding of theoretical aspects of sport. Throughout the course, students will develop an holistic understanding of sports performance, what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and how sport has developed in today’s society.

Within the practical units, students will develop their evaluative and analytical abilities during the observation of sport performance. A recent addition to the course content will also see students learning about the application of modern technologies and understanding of Biomechanics, in order to enhance performance in sport.

The academic strands of A Level PE link with other academic subjects such as Biology, Physics, History and Psychology. A Level PE prepares students for a myriad of future learning opportunities, from university level sport-related degrees through to professional development courses in a variety of sport and leisure pursuits. The range of exit opportunities reflects the ever growing popularity of a career in sport, leisure or education and the expanding market for employment in this area.

Our goal is to encourage life skills for the individual, enabling him or her to tackle sports and activities in school and beyond.

Exam results

The average of the results in A Level PE over the most recent three year period (2023, 2022, 2021) is:

A*37%
A* – A54%
A* – B79%

Click here to visit our sports site to find out more about co-curricular sport activities. Follow the PE Department on twitter.