Curriculum

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The academy’s Physical Education programme encourages all pupils to participate in sports for the benefit of their physical and mental health, and aims to provide a wide variety of activities to appeal to everyone. PE improves pupils’ physical fitness, flexibility, dexterity and endurance, and educates them about the importance of health and well-being. Pupils are encouraged to work hard to develop their skills, which in turn helps to build their self-confidence as they become more adept at different types of sport.

The PE curriculum makes significant contribution in meeting the schools Health and Wellbeing objectives and is supplemented by a plethora of extracurricular activities at both lunch time and after school. The PE department is part of the Manchester Schools PE association and operates several teams that compete competitively, The impact of the pandemic has been at the heart of the PE curriculum and the curriculum has operated with a degree of flexibility to allow for Mental Health and optimum physical activity to be prioritised specifically during periods of lockdown. Year 7 and 8 complete 2 lessons a week with a focus on developing fundamental skills and a love of sport. In Years 9 to 11 the focus shifts to more competitive team sports and setting and achieving health related goals. The PE curriculum helps develop British Values, specifically in creating a culture of tolerance and respect. The order of the units in the medium term plans is intentionally designed to ensure that prior knowledge, skills and conceptual understanding is revisited, recapped and reinforced so that over the full extent of the subject curriculum pupils know more and can do more in an intentionally planned way and, as a result, achieve higher outcomes and healthier lifestyles.

Our vision for P.E

Physical education inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically demanding activities. It provides opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their overall health and fitness and provides opportunities for our pupils to compete in sport and other activities, build character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

Pupils learn increasingly intelligent movement and important knowledge that can reduce barriers to participation and inform their own healthy, active lifestyle choices.

PE provides a gateway into the world of sport and physical activity. Beyond physical participation, the traditions and cultural reference points associated with sport and physical activity are part of our shared heritage. Without being taught the language of sport and physical activity, pupils can miss out on an enriching aspect of our communal life. Participation in physical activities makes ‘our lives go better, not just longer’ (Kretchmar). High-quality PE therefore is a physical and cultural entitlement for pupils to:

 

  • Allows pupils to engage and attain in-depth knowledge of a range of sport and fitness related activities to help improve physical and mental well-being
  • Encourages in-depth understanding of health and fitness and knowledge of various traditional and upcoming sports
  • Uses higher level analysis to critically evaluate levels of health and fitness
  • Supports the development of essential life skills such as teamwork, resilience, verbal and non-verbal communication, sportsmanship, decision making, confidence, self-esteem, understanding of nutrition, leadership and building culture capital.
  • Improves the prospects of progressing into careers such as Teacher of P.E, Sports Coach, Youth Worker, Community Games Activator, Professional Sportsman, Personal Trainer, Physiotherapist, Sports Analyst, Sport Scientist
  • Provides pupils with an opportunity to use sport as a platform to enhance understanding and create a platform to demonstrate and develop ‘British values’ such as resilience, honesty and fair play, mutual respect, responsibility and inclusion, gratitude, humility, tolerance, rule of law and individual liberty develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies to live healthy and physically active lives at school and for the rest of their life
  • be physically active for sustained periods of time
  • engage and energise pupils by building movement, competence and confidence (reduce obesity and increasing positive mental health).
  • improve students’ performance, sharpen their knowledge of strategy and tactics, and help them to transfer knowledge from one context to another
  • develop participation with challenge and competition by choice
  • develop leadership and teamwork skills working cooperatively
  • explores and develop decision-making and risk management thinking critically about movement and movement contexts
  • communicate and signal effectively in basic and complex situations as an official

 

The whole-school curriculum operates at three levels and addresses pupils’ academic, personal and social development. The three individual elements of learning provide a different component to the education of every pupil. Intellectual, personal and social maturity will be the goal of these structured layers of learning at the school.  There are three guiding elements which are brought to life in the P.E curriculum:

Educational Excellence:  Alongside other subjects, P.E enriches the curriculum by providing a broader range of knowledge and skills.  Pupils develop a wide range of sport specific techniques in a range of sports as well as general skills such as hand-eye co-ordination, fine motor skills, as well as knowledge of how to live active and healthy lifestyles with the hope of developing healthy habits for life. PE teachers ensure competence and confidence. This is underpinned by the 3 pillars of progression: rules, strategies, and tactics; and healthy participation.

Character Development: There are several opportunities for students to develop character and leadership within each individual lesson, afterschool enrichment, inhouse sports competitions, external inter-school competitions as well as break-time and lunchtime, organised activities. In addition, conducting holiday sports camps will ensure pupils are able to continue to engage in physical activity whereby in the past, school holidays often result in inactivity amongst pupils. Through maximising engagement in sport and physical activity, we can use sport to develop key skills such as leadership and communication to support our quest to develop leaders of the future. PE competence links with motivation. PE helps pupils to develop socially and emotionally. It encourages a healthy, active lifestyle that will enable pupils to go on to lead happy and fulfilled lives.

Service to Communities: P.E provides a gateway into the world of sport and physical activity. Beyond physical participation, the traditions and cultural reference points associated with sport and physical activity are part of our shared heritage. These are promoted and celebrated. Engaging in competitive sports is met with enthusiasm and glory. Liaising with local charity organisations and faith-centres allows us to connect with members of the local community and understand the challenges our young people face in their personal lives.  Signposting pupils to local sporting provisions and support services allows us to ensure pupils progress and have a greater impact within their community by volunteering at local sports clubs and faith centres.

Key Stage 3 Intent

In Year 7, pupils will perfect their locomotor skills (for example running and jumping), stability skills (for example twisting and balancing) and manipulation skills (such as throwing and catching). Pupils are explicitly taught basic rules, strategies and tactics through direct instruction and feedback. They will learn about the concepts ‘aerobic’ and ‘anaerobic’ exercise. In Year 8, will  apply their locomotor skills through different physical activities. Pupils will consolidate and develop motor skills and techniques relevant to each discipline. They will start to apply the rules, strategies and tactics developed in fixed practice and isolation in variable, sport specific game like situations. Pupils learn important facts about the human body and physical activities and how to perform appropriate activities for health benefits. In Year 9, pupils will learn to apply their locomotor skills through different physical activities. Pupils will consolidate and develop motor skills and techniques relevant to each discipline. They will start to apply learnt techniques, rules, strategies, and tactics intelligently in games. Pupils learn important facts about the human body and physical activities and how to perform appropriate activities for health benefits.

Key Stage 3 Implementation

LEARNING JOURNEYS

Key Stage 3 Impact

Pupils are assessed on composites, such as, small-sided games and questioning to assess skills and knowledge. They demonstrate aesthetically pleasing performance demonstrating learnt knowledge and techniques Composites identify knowledge components that are not secure. These are re-taught or revisited to avoid future gaps from emerging and to secure automaticity with methods and procedures.

Key Stage 4 Intent

Pupils show mastery of the knowledge taught at Key Stage 3 through physical activity and sport. Pupils have increasingly detailed knowledge of the broader physiological, psychological and socio-cultural aspects of the physical activity and sport. They also understand the importance of leading healthy, active lives beyond P.E lessons. Pupils will focus more on leadership roles in sport such as officiating and coaching to develop key employability skills further, to prepare pupils for life after school.

Key Stage 4 Implementation

LEARNING JOURNEYS

Enrichment and Careers

Pupils participate and engage in Winter Sports Day (whole school interform football tournament), Competitive fixtures (Manchester Schools Association), STAR Inter-school tournaments, after-school football enrichment for high ability and multi-sports.

Knowledge and skills accumulated throughout the course will help pupils progress onto further study in the exercise, physical activity, sport and health sector. This could be Level 3 vocational courses, such as the Cambridge Technical in Sport and Physical Activity, AS or A-levels, such as Physical Education, Psychology, Sociology, Sport or Media or apprenticeships for Community activator coaches, Leisure team members, Personal trainers, or Outdoor activity instructors. Skills and knowledge that pupils will learn could help pupils who plan to pursue careers in sports such as Sports Coaches, Teachers of P.E, Gym Instructors, Data Analysts amongst various other roles in the sports and exercise industry.

Useful Resources and Revision Support