Why study Physical Education?

GCSE PE at Marylebone is a fantastic course to take if you enjoy your PE lessons, like participating in sporting activities and want to know more about sport and performance. During theory lessons, you will develop your knowledge of how the body systems inter-relate during exercise and how a healthy, active lifestyle contributes to the development of body systems and general wellbeing. You will take part in a range of practical activities and will get the opportunity to learn new skills such as rock climbing and how to plan your own fitness programme.

Over the 2 year course, students will develop a range of skills which will enable them to become future performers in sport, personal trainers and aspiring PE teachers. You will learn many different aspects of sport and physical exercise by developing an understanding of how the mind and body work in relation to performance in physical activity.

During the course you will look into a number of different training methods and ways of improving performance. You will develop your fitness levels and take part in a range of activities to develop skills that are transferable to other sports and activities. The course requires attendance at extracurricular clubs to further development in each sport and to maintain a good level of fitness throughout KS4.

The course provides preparation for future careers in PE & Sport by enabling students to be able to:

• plan their own exercise programme

• have knowledge of body systems, anatomy and physiology

• the ability to analyse movement 

• plan their own diet 

• know the socio-cultural influences of why people participate in sport

If you love playing sports, have bundles of energy and enjoy learning about movement then studying PE at GCSE, A-level and beyond could be a good career move for you.

You'll learn a range of skills from studying PE that will help you in your future career.

This is Hannah and Bo who are currently taking GCSE PE. They talk about what they enjoy about the course and future ambitions. 

Studying PE can lead to various challenging careers in Physical Education.

Physical Education lends itself to a range of careers in sports and fitness as well as other industries that you may not have considered before. For example, did you know that many nutritionists, physical therapists and chiropractors have a degree in PE? Some careers that you could consider doing with PE include:

• Sports science

• PE teacher

• Physiotherapist

• Professional sportsperson

• Sports coach/consultant

• Sports policy at local and national level

• Diet and fitness instructor- sports nutrition

• Personal trainer

If you want to specialise in coaching or teaching a specific sport, then there's a chance that you'll need to have a degree in Physical Education. If you plan to study Sports Science or Occupational Therapy, then having GCSE and A-level PE will certainly come in useful when applying to university. However, every institution is different and you should check the entry criteria with individual universities when applying for degree programmes.

Sarah Oscar and Holly Foskett, former St Marylebone students, share their experiences from being students at our school to a career in sport.