Physical Education

About the Faculty

The Physical Education Faculty deliver a variety of courses at all Key Stages, developing knowledge and skills in a variety of sports and physical activities. The faculty has dedicated teaching staff, various sports fields and gymnasia and are committed to delivering excellent learning for all students.

Years 7 to 9 – Key Stage 3

Physical Education in Key Stage 3 at Belper School aims to provide students with a broad range of physical and sporting experiences which will form the foundation of a lifelong interest in physical activity.

In Key Stage 3, students develop a wide range of physical skills and undertake a range of activities to challenge and develop their physical fitness.

The over-riding aims of PE at Belper School are…

* to develop students’ competence in a range of skills and activities
* to develop students’ confidence in themselves and their abilities
* to encourage students to be thoughtful in their performances
* to encourage students to take responsibility for their own progress
* to provide students with the skills and knowledge required to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.

Year 7 PE Overview

In Year 7, students are taught in mixed- ability, single sex classes. There are 4 PE lessons per fortnight. Curriculum coverage focuses on introducing the core skills, actions and rules of a variety of activities, enabling students to take part in simplified games or performances. Activities covered in year 7 (5 lessons on each) include: rugby union (touch), gymnastics (floor), basketball, netball, swimming (stroke development), hockey, table tennis, football, tennis, track athletics, field athletics, striking activities.

Year 8 PE Overview

In Year 8, students are taught in single-sex sets based on ability. There are 4 PE lessons per fortnight. Curriculum coverage builds on the year 7 work and aims to develop student competence and confidence across the range of activities, moving towards the full version of the various activities. Activities covered in year 8 (5 lessons on each) include: rugby union (boys), gymnastics (flight), basketball, netball (girls), swimming (water polo & personal survival), hockey, table tennis, football, tennis, track athletics, field athletics, striking activities.

Year 9 PE Overview

In Year 9, students continue to be taught in single-sex sets based on ability. There are 3 PE lessons per fortnight. Curriculum coverage continues to develop technical and tactical aspects of the various activities with officiating and leadership also being explored. Activities covered in year 9 (5 lessons on each) : rugby union (boys), gymnastics (partner and group work), basketball, netball (girls), badminton, hockey, volleyball, table tennis, health and fitness, tennis, track athletics, field athletics, striking activities.

Inter-Tutor games

All Year 7, 8 and 9 students take part in the annual inter-tutor games festival in the two weeks before Easter. Inter-tutor competitions include team games, gymnastics competitions, team cross-country and a swimming gala.

Cross-Country

Students in Key Stage 3 all run the ‘cross-country’ twice per year. Performances are recorded and used to help the students monitor their fitness. Students are guided on how to set realistic targets for future performances. The cross-country course for Key Stage 3 is 2200m.

PE Philosophy

Competence and Confidence

Students will engage in progressive activities to develop their competence and confidence in the following activities during Key Stage 3 PE: gymnastics, athletics, cross-country, dance, tennis, cricket, rounders, hockey, swimming, personal survival, water polo, football, netball, rugby union, table tennis, badminton, fitness training, volleyball.

Thoughtful

A considerable emphasis is placed on developing students’ ability to apply themselves mentally as well as physically in PE activities. Examples include: Students will develop an understanding of the rules and tactics of various sports; they will be involved in creating their own performances in dance and gym; in cross-country, they will reflect on the times they achieve and set achievable targets for future performances.

Responsibility

Students are encouraged to reflect on their performances in all lessons and identify areas for improvement in their work. Often they will work with partners to give each other constructive feedback on their performances. They are encouraged to work both co- operatively and independently. As they progress through the Key Stage, the more able students will start to take on leadership roles and use their own expertise to assist others. Students will also take on officiating roles at times in their lessons.

Healthy Active Lifestyle

To improve students’ understanding of how the body works, they learn the effects of exercise on the body, the names of the major muscles and look at various ways to improve their physical well-being.

Lessons

Students will experience mixed and setted ability teaching at various points through the Key Stage. Activities are mostly taught in single sex groups. Students are required to be smartly dressed in Belper School PE kit.

Enrichment

To support student development, a wide variety of sports activities is provided for students at lunchtimes and after school. Activities are open to students of all abilities. The most committed and most able students can go on to represent the school in one of its many teams. Belper School has a proud reputation of fielding competitive and successful teams in a range of sports at both local and county level.

Years 10 to 11 – Key Stage 4

Core PE

Participation in PE is a compulsory part of the Belper School Curriculum until the end of Year 11. At Belper, students in Years 10 and 11 will take part in ‘core’ PE for two hours per fortnight.

Some of the main aims of core PE include:

giving students the chance to make choices about which activities to pursue
developing students’ understanding and practical performance in their preferred activities
engaging students in a variety of roles, other than participant, in their chosen activities; for example, referee or coach

Activities on offer

Students will opt for activities of their choice and will study each activity for six weeks.

The activities on offer include:

Aerobics	Netball
Athletics	Rounders
Badminton	Rugby
Basketball	Softball
Cricket	Squash
Dance	Swimming
Fitness Activities	Table Tennis
Football	Tennis
Golf	Volleyball
Hockey	Water Polo

Qualification Opportunities

Through Core PE, students will have the opportunity to gain a variety of sports qualifications. The courses offered will vary subject to demand. Recently, students have had the opportunity to gain the Sports Leader Level 1(20 hours), Volleyball Young Leader Award, Young Netball Officiating Award, Junior Athletics Officiating Award. These courses have proved very popular with our young sports players.

Examination Courses at Key Stage 4

The PE Faculty offers two pathways for students wishing to follow a sports exam course at Key Stage 4. These are GCSE PE and OCR Cambridge National Sports Studies. Students who opt for PE are allocated a place on the course which best matches their sporting and academic background.

GCSE PE

Students opting for PE will need to have shown a commitment to PE and sport during their time at Belper School. They will need to bring PE kit nearly every day and they will be expected to be involved in extra-curricular sports activities. It is essential that students who opt onto a PE course are keen to join in with and develop in a wide range of sports. Outstanding ability in just one sport will not bring success in GCSE PE.

This two-year course is nationally recognised alongside all other GCSEs. It is by no means a ‘soft option’!

Students will develop their sporting ability in a wide variety of activities, while also undertaking class-based theory work on a number of sports-related topics.

The assessment breakdown is as follows:

Practical (This counts for 40% of the final grade)

Students will be assessed at the end of the course in a variety of sports – their three strongest sports will account for 30% of their final grade. Sports are categorised as individual and team activities. Students must have at least one from each category in their final three. A further 10% will be awarded for a Personal Exercise Programme which students plan and undertake in Year 11.

Examinations

60% of the marks are awarded for students’ performance in two written exams –

Paper 1 – 1hr 45 Fitness & Body Systems – 90 marks / 36%

Paper 2 – 1hr 15 Health & Performance – 70 marks / 24%

Examination Board: Edexcel
Course Code: 1PE0

OCR Cambridge National Sports Studies

The Cambridge National provides and alternative route into sport at further education level or to a career in sport.

This is a Level 2 course assessed by a combination of written coursework and examinations. The exams are taken at various points throughout the course. Students cover a variety of sports-based topics including: improving practical performance, factors affecting participation, sport and the media, sport leadership.

The four modules of the course are as follows:

Contemporary Issues in Sport (1 Hour external exam)
Sports leadership (written coursework at practical assessment)
practical Performance (1 team and 1 individual sport)
Sport in the Media (extended coursework piece)

Examination Board: OCR
Course Code: J813

Years 12 and 13 – Sixth Form

A Level PE

The A Level PE specification is divided into FOUR compulsory components. Each component is further sub-divided into topic areas. The four components are as follows:

Physiological Factors Affecting Performance (Applied Anatomy & Physiology, Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology)
Psychological Factors Affecting Performance (Skill Acquisition and Sports Psychology)
Socio-cultural Issues in Physical Activity and Sport (Sport & Society and Contemporary Issues in Physical Activity & Sport
Performance in Physical Activity (Practical performance in ONE activity and a performance analysis task)

Assessment

Components 1, 2 & 3 will be assessed through THREE written theory papers (1 x 2 hr and 2 x 1 hr) and is worth 70% of the total marks.

Component 4 is internally assessed, but externally moderated and is worth 30% of the total marks.

The length of the course is 2 years.

Exam Board: OCR

Course Code: H555