What is our curriculum and intention?

The Physical Education curriculum is an inclusive curriculum where all students are challenged, supported and taught to the top. Through the implementation of the curriculum, we want students to experience and engage with a range of different activities in line with National Curriculum. Our students receive a rich and fulfilling curriculum that provides them with an insight into other cultures, perspectives, worlds and experiences that go beyond the classroom. Our curriculum is designed to provide students the opportunity to achieve mastery in a range of different activities including, Football, Rugby, Gymnastics, Dance, Netball, Athletics, Cricket, Rounders, Health Related Fitness, Hockey, Handball, Badminton and Table Tennis. It also exposes students to the power of Physical Education language by implementing components of fitness within each lesson. Overall, we aim to prepare students for life outside of school and beyond education, equipping them with the tools necessary for them to reach their full potential, regardless of ability.

In summary, the Physical Education curriculum intent is to improve practical performance and cognitive development across a wide range of activities, through the development of a creative and fun curriculum that fosters a life-long love for sport and physical activity.

What is our learning journey?

Our Curriculum is a five year ‘Learning Journey’.

At Key Stage 3, our Mastery programme in years 7 and 8 focuses on developing skills within 6 different activities for both the boys (Table Tennis, Football, Creativity, Rugby, Athletics, Health Related Fitness and Cricket) and girls (Table Tennis, Football, Creativity, Netball, Athletics, Health Related Fitness and Cricket). In year 9 students experience more variety within Physical Education in order to build upon the skills learnt in previous years and to prepare students for KS4. Additional activities include handball, hockey, softball, basketball and badminton.

At KS4, we follow the Edexcel specification for GCSE Physical Education. Units have been sequenced to reinforce prior learning from KS3 but also to ensure that more complex topics are taught later in the course when skills and knowledge have been substantially developed.

Each unit of work in KS3 and KS4 have key vocabulary (tier 2) and subject specific terminology (tier 3) attached to them. These are embedded in lessons and through student responses.

Why this? Why now? Why have we sequenced our curriculum this way?

At KS3, we follow a Mastery programme that carefully builds on prior knowledge and skills. KS3 is not designed to merely be a prequel to GCSE, rather it builds on the foundations established at KS2 to develop learners in all aspects of their Physical Education. It provides students with opportunities to explore a vast variety of activities whilst developing their oracy and critical thinking skills.

At KS4 in core PE, students are given the opportunity to specialise in the activities that they wish to participate in. Activities are chosen at the beginning of each new term and allow for students to take ownership of the sports that they may wish to pursue. This helps to instil a lifelong love of sport and exercise. Within lessons, students are encouraged to take more independence and are given the opportunity to take part in Sport Education in football and netball where they can take on different roles within a sport setting such as coach, manager, captain and official. Students can also take on the role of a gym instructor and are encouraged to write full training programmes for both themselves and others.

At KS4, students study GCSE PE. The knowledge they gain in this course is sequenced to build knowledge gradually in order to instil confidence in the content being delivered and this is supported by regular assessment opportunities at mid-points and at the end of topics so that misconceptions can be identified and retaught at the point of error. As students navigate through the course, they learn the art of answering more complex questions in order to give all students the opportunity to gain the highest grade possible.

What will you typically see in our PE lessons?

Long-term learning: Students are made aware of the significance of this unit of work and specific lessons in relation to prior and future learning. Students are prompted to make links between prior key knowledge and skills in this scheme and those they have already studied.

At the beginning of lessons students will warm up in order to prepare themselves for the activities that they are about to take part in.

Checking for understanding takes place in every lesson through specific questioning techniques and mark making (ACMO) which takes place every third lesson within a scheme of work and feature learning activities such as comprehension questions; think, pair, share; cold call; questioning; class discussion; mini whiteboards with a 3, 2, 1 reveal; weekly low-stakes quizzes. All pupils are subject to rigorous checking of their learning and supported to close any gaps they have in knowledge and skills by teachers’ effective formative assessment of their progress.

Live modelling and guided practice: I Do (a metacognitive approach), We Do (either through demonstrations or peer modelling), You Do (independent application); exploration, assessment and deconstruction of effective and ineffective model answers. In Physical Education there is a blend between practical and theoretical modelling and guided practice.

Explicit teaching of vocabulary: I say, you say; exploring the root and etymology of specific words; using key vocabulary within sentences; using key vocabulary in different formations and contexts; deliberate teaching of tier 2 and 3 vocabulary.

Teaching to the top: All lessons included in the Mastery schemes are designed to stretch and challenge students. However, staff will adapt these to ensure that the challenge in each lesson is appropriate for their class.

Retrieval practice and recall: Low-stakes quizzes; mini whiteboards with a 3, 2, 1 reveal; Do Now tasks; Link It tasks where students are prompted to recall prior knowledge and/or skill and make meaningful links to current learning.

Lessons finish with an exit ticket or plenary in order to assess the knowledge learnt within the lesson they have just taken part in.

How do we assess progress in our subject?

At Key Stage 3, students are assessed in every third lesson. The assessment focuses upon the skills learnt in the previous 2 lessons. This gives the students the opportunity to achieve mastery in the skills and also allows for specific feedback to be given to them in order to improve in these skills in the future. At the end of each unit of work the students are given a summative assessment grade for the activity they have taken part in. This helps the student, staff and parents to recognise how well students are working towards their overall target grade in the subject.

At Key Stage 4 in Physical Education, formative assessment is vital is supporting students to make progress within the lesson. In addition, students are assessed at the end of each unit of work following the assessment criteria for GCSE; students are then encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills, responding to teacher feedback. As the Key Stage develops, students will work towards completion of full papers in both Component 1 and Component 2 of the GCSE Specification

How do we extend and enrich our curriculum?

Students are given the opportunity to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities including football, netball, athletics, cricket, rounders, table tennis, swimming and the fitness suite. Students can then have the opportunity to represent the school in fixtures against other schools both in the local area and Lancashire.

The department runs an annual ski trip. In 2024 48 students went to New Hampshire in America and in 2025 70 students are going to Artesina in Italy.

The Physical Education department encourages students to take part in physical activity outside of school and will regularly send students to local sports clubs in athletics, tennis, football and netball so that students can continue their sporting journey outside of DACA.

How does our subject relate to further education and careers?

Physical Education can lead on to further study at degree level in Physical Education, Physiotherapy, coaching and development and personal training. Physical Education underpins any role and career, however some that are more specific to Physical Education may include:

• Teaching

• Police

• Army

• Coaching

• Sports Analyst

• Sports Coach

• Personal Trainer

If you would like more information about the Physical Education curriculum, please contact the Director of Learning, Mr I. Wilkie via email: iain.wilkie@daca.uk.com.