Head Teacher Helen Key
Curriculum Intent
The ‘formal’ curriculum for Physical Education at Chailey School is designed to be broad, balanced and engaging with a view to developing physical competency and promoting life-long participation in physical activity and sport. The curriculum follows a “Hands, Heads and Hearts” approach which aims to develop students wholistically whilst maintaining its emphasis on the physicality of the subject.
Hands Represents the development of physical literacy to include the development and application of skills, techniques, and tactics in a variety of physical settings, the development of physical fitness and the ability to use techniques, skills and fitness to solve physical and tactical problems.
Heads Represents the knowledge and understanding required to successfully engage in different physical activities to include knowledge of rules, strategy, and tactics as well as an understanding of the key terminology required to be informed performers and spectators.
Hearts Represents student’s ability to demonstrate the Chailey School Values via their performance in different physical environments.
Key Stage 3 equates to 3 years, with Key Stage 4 equating to 2 years.
The intent of the curriculum in Physical Education aligns with the overall curriculum intent of Chailey School
By the end of Key Stage 3, students are expected to know a variety of transferable skills and be able to apply these in both competitive and non-competitive situations. Focus in year 7 is upon the development of transferable skills with the expectation being that they will develop enough competency to be able to apply these under the pressure of competition with at least some success. Development of fitness components, physical literacy and an understanding of their importance in sport is also explored. Although further development of skills and more specific technique will be seen in Year 8, the aim here is to build upon prior understanding and begin to apply more tactical and strategic principles. An understanding of how sport and physical activity can help to improve all elements of wellbeing is integral. In Year 9 Students are expected to not only develop and apply but to also evaluate the performance of themselves and others. They are expected to utilise their understanding in the coaching of others and be able to offer their peers effective feedback to bring about improvement. Students in Year 9 will begin to develop an understanding of the rigours of examination Physical Education including the more in depth development of knowledge in relation to physical training. Across the Key Stage students are encouraged to reflect upon personal performance and strive to better this in future attempts.
By the end of Key Stage 4, via their core PE lessons, students will have taken more autonomy in their learning and will have selected appropriate pathways to support their engagement in physical activity. They will further develop both skill and tactical understanding through competitive gameplay as applicable and will improve their understanding of physical activity as a vehicle to improve health and wellbeing. Students can also develop their ability in a variety of roles, including leadership and coaching.
By the end of Key Stage 4, students who take Physical Education at BTec Sport level are expected to know how physiology, psychology and sociology can impact performance in physical activity and how good health and wellbeing can be maintained. Students will be able to recall knowledge, apply their understanding to sporting contexts and evaluate concepts to provide well balanced responses. They will be able to use their knowledge to analyse real life scenarios and make suitable suggestions based on the theoretical concepts delivered. This will include leaderships of practical elements. In practical lessons they will develop more advanced technical understanding and will be able to adapt tactics and strategies according to varying situations within competition.
By the end of Key Stage 4, GCSE Dance students are expected to be able to perform in a solo piece demonstrating physical, expressive and mental skills; a group dance demonstrating safe practice in relation to a choreographic intention; and able to choreograph a solo or group dance showing creativity in relation to an externally set stimulus. Students are also expected to develop their theoretical understanding of Dance which is done through written communication and use of appropriate terminology. Students must be able to critically analyse, interpret and evaluate their own work in performance and choreography and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of professional practice in the six set works in the GCSE Dance Anthology.
To achieve this, the curriculum in Physical Education is planned in coherent sequences of lessons – knowledge, skills and understanding will be built on and applied in a cumulative manner.
Assessment, testing of knowledge, skills and understanding, and effective feedback will support this – further details of this can be found in the school’s and subject’s Feedback Policy.
Physical Education contributes much to the school’s ‘informal’ curriculum – the experience and opportunity for students in Physical Education is not just about a set of exam results, very important though those may be.
Key opportunities for this are enabled via the quality extra-curricular sport provision on offer. Students are able to develop their techniques and tactical application further via attendance at sports clubs as well as experience structured competition via inter and intra school fixtures. The ethos of the departments extra-curricular provision is very much on participation and we strive to ensure all students are given the opportunity to experience a competitive setting, regardless of ability. The Aesthetics Show provides opportunity for students to compose dance, gymnastics and trampolining routines/pieces, thus encouraging their creativity and allowing them to express themselves through movement.
Physical Education also contributes to the development of cultural literacy as well as providing inspiration via the celebration of individual sporting achievements, whether these be of our own students or of top international performances.
All subjects at Chailey School contribute towards building the character and values of its young people. The PE Curriculum is designed with these key values prominent in the “Hearts” element of its design.
Creativity: Providing students with opportunities to explore ideas and identify different ways to solve problems or complete physical tasks. Providing them with different experiences to feed their curiosity and demonstrate the variety of sports available to them. Teaching how they can plan for their own engagement in fitness based training outside of school to help forge a lifelong love of physical activity.
Kindness: Providing students with opportunities to develop specific skills of communication as well as develop teamwork and appreciation of the strengths and areas for development in others. Provide opportunities to develop mutual respect in a group setting and be able to work with others and share opinions in order to overcome problems in a sporting context. Developing the use of language as a motivational tool in sport and physical activity.
Independence: Providing students with opportunities to identify their own strengths and areas for development in relation to physical literacy and working independently to improve performance following coaching feedback. Developing a sense of self-acceptance and self respect for their sporting abilities. Developing a respect for their own bodies and an understanding of how sport can contribute to mindfulness and wellbeing.
Resilience: To provide opportunities for students to develop a growth mindset approach to physical activity. Emphasis is on improving their personal bests and striving to be the best they can be in any given activity. Teaching the importance of 'stretch' zones in learning and developing an appreciation that if we are not failing sometimes in sport, we are not developing our physical and mental capacity in sporting situations. Exposing students to situations where failure is possible and teaching how we can learn to deal with the emotions linked to this, learn from it but not give up.
Community: Providing students with the opportunity to realise that participation in physical activity can come in a variety of forms and that these themselves allow for success of all (Roles in sport, formations/ positions suited to differing skill and ability). Developing a sense of community via the promotion of team spirit. Providing opportunities for students to appreciate the importance of fair play in sport. Exposing students to situations which might not be fair and exploring the emotions and coping mechanisms associated with these. Developing a sense of justice through sport and compassion for those where fair play is not provided.
Participation: Through the promotion of active participation and positive work ethic.
Head Teacher Helen Key