CURRICULUM INTENT
Physical activity is a critical life-skill which will impact on an individual’s health and well-being. Regular exercise is fundamental, as it allows you to function properly, complete everyday tasks with ease and also improves the quality of life and life expectancy. Physical activity also improves mental health through the release of positive endorphins such as serotonin and also promotes and develops social inclusion and social skills through playing team sports.
Our curriculum is designed around high-quality experiences in a varied and broad spectrum of physical activity and sport. Students are encouraged to find an activity that engages, challenges and inspires them to participate in a ‘life-long’ active pursuit, committing to regular participation both within and outside of school, develop an understanding of the importance of physical activity on our health and make informed choices throughout their life to remain physically active.
During lessons, students experience a variety of roles such as official, coach & choreographer and through Sports Leadership opportunities they are able to develop a range of life skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork, decision making and confidence that will further develop their quality of life in a range of future settings. As our student’s progress, they should be able to participate, organise, lead active learning challenges and be confident in accessing physical activity outside of school.
Aims
Our aim is to provide a positive atmosphere, promoting and enhancing students' experiences and enthusiasm for physical activity. Students should experience & develop their core skills & fitness which apply across the range of activities. Students gain knowledge in the key theoretical aspects of the subject which will enable them to plan and maintain an active healthy lifestyle.
Our curriculum for Physical Education aims to ensure that all students:
Experience a wide range of activities to inspire an active life-long participation
Develop physical literacy and skills and techniques required to play a wide range of sports.
Gain the knowledge to become and remain physically active
Have the opportunity to select and study the subject at GCSE level
Develop the confidence & knowledge to access physical activity and sport outside of the school environment
Why are we teaching a knowledge-rich curriculum; how is it different?
Our knowledge rich curriculum is purposefully sequenced, delivered and assessed using the principles of ‘Head, Heart, Hands’. This method of delivery and assessment gives a subject specific focus to the whole learner and the qualities that can be developed through Physical Education and not just the practical ability of a student.
Pupils will develop a deep and meaningful understanding of how their own body works, values to promote sportsmanship, leadership and physical competency in a range of activities in order to support lifelong involvement in physical activity and the health and well-being benefits that comes from this lifestyle.
Why are we teaching this content?
The aim is to provide a high-quality physical education experience that inspires pupils to achieve a high level of competency and a level of enjoyment that promotes lifelong involvement in sport or physical activity.
Within the Key Stage 3 curriculum, pupils develop knowledge on the stages and purposes of warm ups and cool downs, identification and types of bones, muscles and joints, the short term effects of exercise on the cardio-respiratory and musculoskeletal systems. They gain a knowledge of fitness components and methods and principles of training, short and long term effects of exercise on the body systems and diet and nutrition.
Students experience a wide range of activities and sports and will develop and apply skills and techniques, rules, tactics and strategies to be successful. Examples of activities include Football, Netball, Rugby, Badminton, OAA, Basketball, Gymnastics, Dance, Handball, Table Tennis, Tennis, Cricket, Athletics, Rounders and Softball.
A concept curriculum is used with the KS3 practical delivery within lessons. The curriculum is developed so that all students will experience a wide range of different sport and physical activities across the key stage for them to develop their skills and abilities within these activities. Within each Year group, 4 different concepts will be delivered alongside the practical activities being delivered. These concepts are key skills and experience that can be delivered through the vehicle of practical activities that will have an impact in helping develop well rounded students with skills that will be used later in life. This gives PE at Smithdon High School an extra dimension and importance as it teaches life skills whilst also developing students' understanding of sport and the importance of life-long physical activity contributing to a healthy lifestyle when they leave school.
The Key Stage 4 curriculum enables students to continue to experience a wide range of activities and sports and develop the skills and physical competencies gained during Key Stage 3. Sports and activities are delivered with a key life skill focus developed form the ‘Head, Heart, Hands’ skills developed in KS3. These life skills are delivered through practical activities that include Football, Netball, Rugby, badminton, OAA, Basketball, Gymnastics, Dance, Handball, Table Tennis, Tennis, Cricket, Athletics, Rounders and Softball as well as fitness and well-being activities catered to individual wants and needs.
Why are we teaching it in this order?
During KS3 the practical progression develops in each year group. In Year 7 basic skills and techniques are introduced to be able to develop physical competence and play each sport or activity. In year 8 these skills are further develop to be able to outwit opponents through attacking and defensive principles. In year 9 skills continued to be developed along with a development of tactics and strategies to be successful in the sport or activity. Students will also experience different roles within a sport or activity and develop skills that are required in these roles.
Throughout each year group pupils are encouraged to transfer fundamental principles and tactics between sports and activities. For example students may transfer attacking principles developed in football to a game of handball.
As pupils move into KS4 the physical competencies are further developed with the use of advanced skills and techniques along with health and well-being activities. Life skills are introduced on the back of KS3 head, Heart, Hands. These life skills are designed to further develop qualities and skills through the use of Physical Education that are valuable to students as they progress into future careers. Key leadership skills are delivered through a leadership course culminating in a student led sports festival for primary school students in the summer term.
What do pupils need to remember and be able to do in this subject?
Specific anatomy and physiology linked to physical education and the effects of exercise, health, fitness and wellbeing principles and apply these into either practical applications.
An understanding of how to apply this to their own life for health, wellbeing and to keep themselves physically fit whilst developing physical competency, self-confidence and enjoyment in sport and physical activity.
Specific rules, tactics, skills and techniques to develop physical competency and enjoyment in a range of practical sports and activities.
Skills and qualities required to fulfil other roles within sport such as a leader, official or a coach.
What methods do we use to help pupils secure this knowledge in long-term memory?
Teachers within the PE department use a variety of methods to help pupils secure knowledge and be able to demonstrate physical skills and techniques into a range of practical situations.
Low stakes quizzing takes place at the start of every lesson to test students’ understanding of knowledge rich curriculum topics delivered in previous lessons. New content from students knowledge organisers are also delivered and re-taught and practised regularly to ensure it is embedded into student’s long term memory.
There is also a large amount of class discussions or sharing of ideas on certain topics as well as a high amount of application into practical demonstrations of skills and techniques to ensure pupils have a good knowledge of the content in the sports and activities they are studying.
There is an emphasis on robust teacher questioning to check for understanding
How does our curriculum match the ambition of the National Curriculum?
Our curriculum teaches the students to 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
How does the curriculum build on that from Key Stage 2?
Our PE curriculum allows our pupils to build on and embed the physical development and skills learned in key stages 1 and 2, such as:
Locomotor skills: athletic events and team sports
Object control skills: basketball, cricket, handball, football, netball, rugby, tennis
Stability skills: - gymnastics, dance
It allows them to become more competent, confident and expert in their techniques, and apply them across the different sports and physical activities that we offer, both recreationally and competitively
Please see the PE curriculum plan below.
Our PE curriculum is based on the 3concepts which develop through each year of KS3. All concepts combine motor/ physical competence and Rules, strategies and tactics, all encompass a healthy participation in sport and physical activity both inside and outside of school.
Year 7 - development of basic motor/ physical skills required in a wide range of sporting activities
Year 8 - further progression of basic motor/ physical skills required in sports, along with an understanding of outwitting opponents in defensive and attacking strategies
Year 9 - develop tactics and strategies to be successful in sport, along with application of rules and regulations along with developing different roles within sports.
To develop competence, the pupils are taught to demonstrate the following knowledge:
'Know what’ (declarative) - knowing what safe and successful movement looks like; the rules, conventions, regulations and strategies of the activity; health and fitness and knowing what to do to improve them.
‘Know how’ (procedural) - to perform safe and effective movement by the rules and conventions and how to participate in activity/sport.
Practical progression in physical education is through an understanding and the application of key knowledge, skills, movements and techniques as well as knowledge about significant tactics and rules.
As pupils move into Key stage 4, the depth of the activities and breadth is expanded to ensure pupils develop a higher level of competency as well as experiencing a wider range of activities. Knowledge is sequenced to deepen their understanding of the activities. There is a more indvidualised programme of study with pupils having choice in sport and physical activities they participate in through main life skills. These life skills are designed to teach key qualities through physical education that are lifelong skills that can be used in future careers and help individual character development. These include:
Competition
Recreation
Leadership
Rules and officiating
Health and well-being