PE
Physical Education encourages a positive disposition towards physical activity. Students are encouraged and taught to apply the basic skills of a sport, learnt in previous years, to the broader game setting. We emphasise that the attainment and maintenance of fitness levels are connected to healthy living and that this is the personal responsibility of the individual. We place significant value on the continued development of socially responsible behaviour relevant to the sporting environment and seek to develop the student’s ability to work with a partner or as part of a team. Students are challenged to participate in both cooperative and competitive situations in order to further develop socially in a sporting environment.
The curriculum and teaching philosophy aims to ensure maximum activity time. To achieve this, the games are modified in terms of numbers and equipment, and rules and strategies are introduced appropriate to each grade. We also begin to encourage depth of skill, knowledge and experience. Each student will also be introduced to training techniques designed to improve their understanding of the different elements of fitness, where their strengths and weaknesses lie and how to develop levels of fitness.
Students in Grade 6 are taught in their advisory groups. Our diverse curriculum provides opportunities to experience a range of activities. All students take two, 75-minute periods of Physical Education per week, covering seven different activities for five weeks each. After each unit students receive an assessment of effort, knowledge and understanding and performance levels.
The Grade 6 programme includes the following activities taken from the seven physical domains
- Basketball
- Football
- Swimming and kayaking
- Gymnastics including conditioning
- Athletics and health-related fitness
- Badminton
- Softball
Students will also be taught and tested on several parts of fitness. Towards the end of the College year individuals will receive a fitness report which they will use to reflect on their personal strengths and areas for development.
Assessment in Middle School Physical Education
Students will be assessed using a variety of techniques and reported upon using the following headings and criteria.
- Effort and Approaches to Learning
Students will be assessed using the Middle School Effort and Approaches to Learning rubric
- Active Lifestyle
Regular participation in physical activity enhances well-being
- Physical Skills
Movement competency and confidence develop through the acquisition and transfer of motor skills and movement concepts
Analysis of skill performance leads to increased success in physical activities
- Strategies and Tactics
Apply strategies and tactics to increase the performance during physical activities
- Personal Responsibility and Social Interaction
Responsible behaviour during physical activity creates safe and respectful environments for self and others
Assessments will be made during each of the units taught using formative assessments techniques. Reports will then be posted following the same timeline as the whole Middle School.
Middle School students also take part in three different ‘Days of Sport’: swimming, games and athletics. These are fun-filled days where the Advisory Group and house groups compete against each other on topics covered during the curriculum. The House system involves dividing the students into vertical groups, which, includes students from each grade level of 6, 7 and 8. Houses have a defined name, colour and mascot, and will compete against each other Days of Sports events throughout the school year. Thus, providing a focus for group cooperation and loyalty. The major impetus for such a system has come from student feedback over the last few years. Students have highlighted a real desire to increase Middle School identity, in addition, to increasing opportunities that encourage cross grade interaction, simply put, more opportunities for grades 6, 7 and 8 to mix together during major events.
Below are details of what students study in each unit in Grade 6. These are based on the 2018-19 academic year. You can check by looking at the day your child is taught PE and the teacher that teaches them. Please note that this may change as teachers adapt the curriculum to the needs of particular individual and groups of students.
