Physical Education

Physical Education at Wollaston is a very well supported and successful subject. The faculty is one of the largest in Northamptonshire and comprises of nine PE specialist teachers and also a PE technician.

Recent improvements to the sports facilities and fields have been completed; to the benefit of the school its students and also the wider community use.

General Curriculum detail for Key Stage 3

Groups participate in one 100 minute and one 50-minute lesson across a full week. All pupils complete a range of team and individual activities and sports. Our aim is to provide all pupils; regardless of ability or individual need the opportunity to grow and develop a deep understanding of the benefits of Physical Education.

Pupils in will be guided to excel in the following competencies:

• To be physically active for sustained periods of time.
• Be engaged in competitive all forms of sport and physical activity
• To lead healthy active lives.
• Find enjoyment and happiness through the regular participation in physical exercise.
• Interhouse Sport competitions are held within PE lessons at the end of each half term/term.

Across the whole of key stage 3 pupils will perform in a broad and balanced curriculum which will be composed of a range of activities suitable to pupils’ motivation, expertise, and the facilities we have at Wollaston.

Through the activities all pupils will be taught and assessed in a holistic approach and follow an assessment model of “MEinPE”. There are 4 four elements to this assessment comprising of; Physical ME, Healthy ME, Social ME, and Cognitive ME. Students are expected to grow and develop in all of these areas, with the understanding that each element is as important to them as another and thus a well-rounded and knowledgeable PE student is grown

• Physical ME – refers to the physical literacy and movements of the body.
• Healthy ME – refers to the choosing of healthy behaviours and attitudes.
• Social ME – refers to the communications, teamwork, management, and leadership.
• Cognitive ME – refers to tactics, mental capacity, decision making and evaluation.

Students will also study the immediate and long term effects of exercise on their own health and well being. They will be required to identify the location of major muscles and the anatomy of the human body. Such as the skeletal system and cardiovascular system also.

Dance is taught through performing arts curriculum rotation but is managed at present range of dance styles and forms through PE.

There is the option @KS4 to study OCR GCSE PE for 1×50 minute lesson and 1×100 minute lesson in a week, which aim to raise pupil’s achievement in specific sports and encourage further competition and excellence. GCSE PE consists of 70% theory (made up of 2x 1 hour exam) and 30% practical (1x Team Sport, 1x Individual Sport, 1x Free Choice)

In Year 10 and Year 11 all pupils will have at least 1x 100 minute lesson of practical PE and rotate through a range of activities. Students in Key Stage 4 are given more freedom in the nature of the activities provided. These can include some of the following: Boxing, Trampolining, Yoga and more conventional activities like Football, Badminton etc.

As a Faculty we recognise the importance of the extended day and therefore run clubs and fixtures afterschool. This is an extensive list of teams and after school clubs which are very well attended by our students. Students’ attendance is carefully monitored and recorded, and Praise and recognition is given throughout the year, this leads to our Sports Awards in the summer. Team and individual success is something that we as a school and PE department pride ourselves on. Our teams and students compete well against local district and County opponents. Our PE staff provide expertise in a wide range of sports which helps develop our student’s performance levels. Students can also follow the Leadership Club and gain qualifications in this area of sport. They will then run their own sporting events with the local primary schools once qualified. We also run lunchtime activities which are made accessible for all students. Our “Invitation club” is a real boost to our provision and sense of fun and enjoyment in physical activity. We also advertise and link with several local community clubs to facilitate our pupils’ participation in these clubs.

Year 7 PE.

Students being their PE journey by developing their “Physical ME” within four different sports/activities. Students are in mixed ability classes and not separated by gender. This provides a very positive and equitable learning environment which enables all students to develop their understanding of Physical Education. Assessments can be based on both fitness and physical skills initially. Year 7 Students are expected to become much more self-reliant and independent. They are expected to organise their own PE kit and attend after school clubs that they would be interested in participating in. Emphasis on student engagement and enjoyment is a key part of PE at Wollaston. The groups rotate through a varied programme on a three-weekly cycle of lessons.

Year 8 PE

Teaching groups are altered slightly to suit the level of progress and capability identified from year 7 for the learners within the year group. This is to enable a greater speed of progress for all abilities at this age. This will encompass a “Performance pathway”, “Participation pathway” and an “Exploration pathway”. Teaching groups will continue to be all taught as mixed gender groups within these pathways. Year 8 continue to use the “MEinPE” assessment model. There is a greater focus this year on the Cognitive ME and how decision making and evaluation of performances in PE can help a student to develop in PE. The groups rotate through a varied programme on a three-weekly cycle of lessons.

Groups stay with the same member of staff where possible unless staff expertise means lessons can be switched for the benefit of pupils learning.

Year 9 PE

Teaching groups are again reviewed and where necessary or appropriate will be changed to suit the level of progress and capability identified from year 8 for the learners within the year group. Some PE groups will be the same gender in year 9 as the development and maturation of young people at this age is quite varied and is supportive to an equitable learning experience. This is to enable a greater speed of progress for all abilities at this age. This will continue to encompass a “Performance pathway”, “Participation pathway” and an “Exploration pathway”. Year 9 continue to use the “MEinPE” assessment model. There is a greater focus on 2 elements in each assessment window, eg “Physical and Healthy ME”. This enables students to progressively build on their previous learning and experiences. The overarching focus for year 9 is in “Social ME” and their ability to work together effectively with their fellow peers and classmates. The teaching groups rotate through a varied programme on a three-weekly cycle of lessons. Groups stay with the same member of staff where possible unless staff expertise means lessons can be switched for the benefit of pupils learning.

Towards the end of Year 9 students will have the opportunity to select to study GCSE PE at KS4 in year 10 and take their interest and study of PE to a higher level.

In year 10, all pupils participate in Core PE lessons for 100 minutes in each week. They can choose their own physical activities and are given up to 5 options of different sports and activities to choose from. This includes Yoga, Fitness, Trampolining, Table Tennis, Volleyball and dodgeball and also sports such as football, netball etc, they choose their activities and rotate through a range of activities. Intervention GCSE groups exists in Year 10 and 11, which aim to raise pupil’s achievement in specific sports and encourage further competition and excellence.

GCSE Physical Education groups are taught theory and practical. It consists of two theory lesson and one practical session each week. They follow the OCR Specification (J587) and are assessed based on their theoretical understanding and their practical ability.

The PE department runs 2 popular courses at KS5. This includes and A-level in PE (AQA) and the OCR Cam Technical in Sport and Physical activity. Students can study at a higher level in sport and PE. This prepares them for their further education and chosen path to university. The PE department consists of very experienced and expert staff at this level.

Setting

In year 7 all PE students remain in their Tutor classes and follow a range of different Physical activities and disciplines. They are not streamed in any way and continue to study Physical Education within their mixed groups.

In year 8 and year 9 Wollaston PE department provide an opportunity for our students to be mixed into different groups dependent on their skills and abilities and learning capabilities that enables each student to be working at a comparable and suitable level. Thus optimising their learning in an appropriate and also supportive way. Our students that are skilled and generally experienced PE students are allocated into the performance group.

Our participation groups are designed to enable those students who have slightly less proven sporting experience the chance to work in a meaningful and suitable way; without the undue competitive element that may hinder some students progress and enjoyment of their subject. The “Exploration” grouping is designed to support and enable students that may find accessing and enjoying their PE lessons a challenge. This can help grow and develop their fundamental movement skills and fitness. Within this group we aim to cater for those students who wish to explore physical creativity and activity rather than competitive games and application of skills in a formal way.

The setting of different students in PE is focussed around the appreciation and development of the “MEinPE” including the Cognitive, physical, healthy and social strands of learning and assessment. Physical education at Wollaston is not an extension of the schools sports teams, but an opportunity for students to gain a wider appreciation of the benefits and impacts of Physical activity and a healthy lifestyle throughout their learning within PE lessons.

Students that wish to pursue a higher level of sporting performance, have this opportunity through the many clubs and teams provided in our Extra Curricular sporting programme throughout the year.

Students are not divided or set in their GCSE Classes if they have chosen PE as a Key Stage 4 option and may only be moved classes where practical activities and assessments necessitates this.

There is the option of OCR GCSE PE for 1×50 minute lesson and 1×100 minute lesson in a week, which aim to raise pupil’s achievement in specific sports and encourage further competition and excellence. GCSE PE consists of 70% theory (made up of 2x 1 hour exam) and 30% practical (1x Team Sport, 1x Individual Sport, 1x Free Choice)

In Year 10 and Year 11 all pupils will have at least 1x 100 minute lesson of practical PE and rotate through a range of activities. Students in Key Stage 4 are given more freedom in the nature of the activities provided. These can include some of the following; Boxing, Swimming, Yoga and more conventional activities like Football etc.