Physical Education

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Physical Education (PE) is an opportunity for pupils to not only express themselves through physical activity, but to also develop other qualities such as team work, communication and leadership.

Our aim at Swanmore is to help pupils become technically competent and be able to learn, and then apply, a range of skills and techniques in sport.  By becoming more competent they become more successful, and thus enjoy activity more in the future.  We also aim to develop a wider tactical understanding so students can be successful decision makers and problem solvers in the various activities we cover.  Finally, we look to develop areas such as team work, responsibility, leadership and more so our pupils become more confident well rounded individuals.

We support pupils to better themselves and make marginal gains in their performances.  We hope they become more knowledgeable and aware of the benefits of physical activity as part of a health lifestyle.

 

The focus for core PE in Key Stage 3

Year 7

In Year 7, pupils begin the year conducting a number of fitness tests.  Each test looks at areas such as strength, power, agility, stamina and speed.   These tests are then recorded and turned into a Sport and Exercise (SpEx) score which is reported back to pupils and parents.  Pupils are then monitored twice more over the year, with the aim to improve their SpEx score and get fitter, faster and stronger.  Improving these fitness qualities will make pupils more effective in games and physical activities.  We encourage parents and carers to have a dialogue with their pupils about their fitness, using the SpEx information as a starting point.

Year 7 will then be split into various groups based on their SpEx score.  We do this to support pupils in improving their SpEx score as well as their general technical and tactical abilities.

In lessons Year 7 will work in Sport Education groups.  In every class they will be split into smaller teams of five, with each pupil taking on one of the following five roles within that group:

  • Team Captain
  • Fitness Manager
  • Equipment Manager
  • Skills Coach
  • Analyst

Each lesson pupils will undertake the duties and responsibilities that each role entails.  Roles will change every half term.  The aim of this is to encourage pupils to not only develop their physical skills, but to also develop their leadership, team work, communication and organisational skills; all which are vital for good lifelong learning.

Pupils will take part in a number of individual and team activities over the year.  Each activity will run for approximately 6-8 lessons and includes sports such as Badminton, Rugby, Volleyball, Fitness Suite, Netball, Table Tennis and Gymnastics.  Pupils will also have one strength and conditioning lesson a fortnight where they will develop their SpEx score and become fitter, faster and stronger.

Activities will focus on various concepts rather than skills; such as supporting team mates, working in triangles, formations and positioning and keeping possession.  The aim is that these are transferable concepts which can be replicated time and again between activities.

Year 8

Year 8 follow a very similar path to Year 7 except they do not undertake fitness testing at the start of the year or work in Sport Education groups.  Year 8 instead begin to master the various concepts that we teach and become more competent performers.

Year 8 also has a focus on preparing for GCSE PE as an option, with pupils able to have taster lessons in both theory and practical.  This helps them understand the higher theoretical weighting of the new specification (60% theory) and the requirements of the practical element (30% practical and 10% coursework).

 

The focus for core PE in Key Stage 4

Year 9

In Year 9, pupils continue to have two lesson of PE a week.  The focus of Year 9 is to develop tactical and technical skills and understanding.  Pupils are put in increasingly demanding situations which require them to plan, react and reflect on their performances.  Knowledge of each activity is covered in more depth, with a more critical eye focusing on analysing play and the outcomes which occur.

Pupils continue to work through two activities a half term which again have an individual and team focus.  Activities include those at KS3 such as Rugby, Volleyball, Netball and Hockey.  It also broadens and includes activities such as La Crosse, American Football and Trampolining where available.

Class are not specifically set, but GCSE PE pupils are grouped together to ensure they are consistently competing against each other.

Year 10

In Year 10 pupils are able to opt for the Sports Leaders Level 1 Qualification.  This is a sports coaching qualification and takes place within the normal core PE lessons (still two a week).  The course is designed to help pupils get their foot on the coaching and leadership ladder.  It teaches and helps pupils develop skills and behaviours such as organisation, communication, leadership and analysis.  Pupils are required to undertake numerous leadership experiences through running sessions in class, helping with extra-curricular clubs and being involved in feeder school sports events.  The course is predominantly a practical based course, but as a requirement of the course, pupils will have to complete written tasks as part of their learner evidence logs.

The remaining core PE lessons will therefore consist of GCSE PE pupils combined in groups, with other classes being mixed.  Activities are similar to Year 9 with the addition of activities such as multi-sports and an increased focus on the Fitness Suite, to help pupils see what types of physical activity they could continue to undertake in later life.

Tactics, analysis and refining advanced techniques is a big focus, and pupils will receive continued teaching and coaching of these areas.

Year 11

When the Sports Leaders finish their course, they will return back to normal classes in Year 11.  With their new knowledge and experiences on leadership, these pupils will be involved in running sessions with the support of the class teacher.  The aim in Year 11 is to push performance to its highest level, whilst ensuring their knowledge and understanding of each area is very good.  It is also focused on ensuring pupils leave with a love of physical activity, with some classes looking at the benefits of recreational sport as a balance to competitive sport.  Year 11 once again focuses on a mixture of individual and team games in an effort to offer pupils a balanced experience of physical activity.

 

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Extra-Curricular

A current list of clubs for this term can be found here. All clubs are ‘open door’. This means that no pupil has to sign up to a club. Instead they can turn up at any point in the term. In fact we welcome newcomers at any stage in the year.

Clubs work in line with the demands of local competition. So clubs like Football, Rugby and Netball will run up to October/November but will then have a winter break until February due to poor light in the evenings. When this happens we switch to indoor sports such as Basketball.

If your child attends a club, they may be asked to represent a school team. We play fixtures both home and away. Parents are welcome to watch fixtures but must stick to a strict behaviour guideline:

Parents/carers must:

 

  • Be supportive to all players – including their own
  • Not interfere with any tactical decisions
  • Be respectful in their use of language. We have a strict no swearing policy
  • Not criticise umpires or referees – understanding that it is a difficult responsibility and one we try to do as best as we can.
  • Understand we operate zero tolerance on verbal and physical abuse to anyone involved in the fixture.

 

If parents are unable to follow these they will be asked to leave and will be banned to attend again.

Parent/carers will be notified that their child is involved in a fixture at least a day in advance including opponent, venue and time the fixture will finish. We will provide information to the pupil directly about what they will need to bring.

When we move to the summer term we turn our attention to Athletics, Cricket, Rounders and Tennis. Once again we will have clubs and fixtures that coincide with these.

PE Kit

To view the current PE Kit, please click here.

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