Overview

Physical education is all about pupils learning about themselves.  It teaches pupils to be analytical people who are aware of their strengths and weaknesses.  The subject provides pupils with an avenue to showcase their strengths and talents, whilst equipping them with the skills to devise plans and strategies to overcome their weaknesses and experience self improvement.

As a subject, PE is unique in nature as at its core is the ability to develop pupil’s intellectual, emotional, social, physical, moral and creative skills.  These skill developments mean the subject creates well rounded and valuable citizens who have the ability to create and maintain a valuable role in society.  This means that PE at Swanmore contributes significantly to the development of young people who have good self confidence and worth which is a truly enriching experience.

The Department aims to provide the above education in line with the ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda and the National Curriculum 2008.  As a Department we aim to impart and facilitate pupils’ development of skills that will allow them to remain safe in and out of the school environment.  We hope to provide transferable skills that supersede the specifics of the subject area and will benefit all of our young people in gaining and maintaining the ability to remain financially independent and contribute to the community they will be a part of.  The Department creates obvious opportunities for pupils to develop the skills to remain healthy, but we aim to do it a way that will make it enjoyable so pupils will continue this post 16.  As previously mentioned the Department aims to develop pupil’s emotional development.  We aim to do this by providing experiences of success and failure so that pupils develop the necessary skills to deal with both in a calm and analytical way.

The Department aims to educate pupils through a skills based curriculum as identified in the Nation Curriculum 2008.  At both Key Stages 3 and 4 all pupils receive 2 hours of quality PE a week and the Department is working towards 5 hours with an extensive extra curricular programme.  Pupils are also offered the opportunity at Key Stage 4 to gain an extra 5 hours a fortnight to follow either a GCSE PE or Dance qualification.

The Key Stage 3 Curriculum aims to teach pupils generic transferable skills rather than focus on individual sporting activities.  This allows the Department to challenge and develop pupil’s skills in greater depth with individual sports being the tool for delivery rather than the main focus.  The Department’s long, medium and short term planning allow pupils to build upon their learning in increasingly varying and challenging situations.  During Year 7, pupils are focussed on what skills are available to them.  This skill acquisition arms pupils with a bank of physical skills in which to prepare responses with.  Year 8 is focussed on how pupils can apply the skills learnt in Year 7.  This enables pupils to plan performances and become aware of tactical and chorographical ideas.  Year 9 is focussed on why we perform and use certain skills when we do.  This enable pupils to analyse and evaluate their own and others performances.

Curriculum

The Key Stage 4 Curriculum aims to extend upon the Key Stage 3 Curriculum by providing more game/performance like situations in order for pupils to apply all of the skills learnt.  The curriculum is delivered using traditional PE/Sporting activities in conjunction with alternative activities such as:  Aerobics, Mountain Biking, X-Bikes, Rock-it Ball, Tae Kwon Do, Ultimate Frisbee, Self Defence and Golf.  The aim of these activities is to create young people who are aware of the importance of staying fit and healthy, and making them aware of the many opportunities available to do this.  Key Stage 4 also allows the Department to develop young leaders through the delivery of the Junior Sports Leaders Award.  This is delivered in conjunction with the National Leadership Routeway and the Hamble Sports College Sporting Partnership.  The Department works closely with Amanda Quill, the Partnership Development Manager and our Link Schools to provide opportunities for our pupils to lead and develop sporting opportunities.  This is led by Jeremy Broadway who is the Department’s School Sports Co-ordinator.

Extra Curricular

It is the Departments aim to provide a wide range of extra curricular opportunities to meet the needs of all pupils at Swanmore.  All staff are fully committed to the extensive programme on offer which sees activities such as football, rugby, netball, basketball, dance, fitness, Tae Kwon Do, Ski Fitness, Athletics, Cricket, Rounders and Cross Country being made available to all pupils.  The Department competes within District, Partnership, County and National competitions to provide suitable and challenging levels of competition for our young people.  As well as these traditional extra curricular opportunities we also give pupils the experiences of an annual ski trip and water sports adventure trip.  These are accompanied with regular trips to top level sporting events such as Sporting Internationals and links with Universities for specific sports science lab work.

Facilities

The Department has substantial facilities with which to work.  The Department boasts extensive outdoor facilities in 2 very large playing fields.  These house 2 football pitches, 4 mini soccer pitches, 2 rugby pitches, gridded training area, 6 rounders pitches, 2 cricket pitches, 2 400 m running tracks, javelin/discus/shot putt throwing areas and 2 long jump pits.  The outdoor facilities are furthered by a multi-use games area (MUGA) and netball/tennis courts area.  The indoor facilities include an all purpose sports hall, gymnasium, sprung mounted floor dance studio and the schools main hall which is used for gymnastics and trampolining.

Staffing

The Department is staffed by 7 full time staff, all of whom are fully qualified specialists.  The staff are all dedicated to the furtherment and importance of PE at Swanmore.

Aims and Objectives

Aims

• To create an environment that inspires pupils to commit to life long exercise.
• To educate pupils on the benefits of exercise on their physical, social and mental health.
• To develop pupils self esteem by promoting success and providing suitable challenges to overcome.
• To raise the importance of PE and Sport to all young people and how the skills they gain will benefit their later life.

Objectives

• The Department should provide a balanced programme that allows all pupils to access and engage with the subject.
• The Department should provide lessons that are safe and structured in a way to allow all to learn.
• To make pupils aware of the sporting opportunities available to them at Swanmore and the wider community.
• The Department should set good examples for pupils through appropriate and professional behaviour.

Teaching Group Organisation

Key Stage 3

The Department follows a policy of grouping pupils according to their ability in Physical Education.  Attainment levels from previous years are used to review certain pupils who staff feel have either improved or declined in their performance.  In Year 7, the pupils complete a Baseline Assessment which tests various components of fitness.  The results of these tests produce the evidence on which ability grouping takes place.

Pupils are taught in mixed sex ability groups throughout year 7, single sex in year 8 and year 9 depends on preferences chosen.  The Department feels that by grouping pupils in this way, they are more able to fulfil their individual potential in the longer term.

Key Stage 4

For the ‘Options’ system in Years 10 and 11, the pupils have an element of choice.  Providing group numbers are viable, pupils get their first choice and stay in these blocks with the same teacher for the term.  At this stage, the pupils re-opt and the system restarts.  The options are blocked based on activities for those who prefer single sex PE, and for those who have no preference.

GCSE Group Organisation

Pupils who choose GCSE Physical Education as one of their subjects are usually made known to HODs after the Easter break.  It is our intention to deliver the GCSE Athletics Module in the Summer term of Year 9 to those who have opted for the next academic year.  This allows them to follow a Summer activity of their choice during the Summer term of Year 10.  At the start of Year 10, pupils are then organised into teaching groups based on the following policy:

1. Ability grouping for theory lessons based on statistical analysis of their:

• KS3 Science level.
• KS3 English level.
• KS3 Physical Education level.

Pupils are placed in a group for the theory element of the course with similar results of the above analysis.  They can therefore work at a similar pace to each other and lessons can be planned with this in mind.

2. Mixed ability grouping for practical lessons.  Staff in charge will, in consultation with the HOD, decide on a programme of activities for the cohort that capitalises on the flexible nature of the AQA syllabus and gives the pupils the potential to score their highest marks.  If a pupil is a high achiever in an activity that the College is unable to deliver, there are processes where the individual may be assessed.  For example, Golf, Martial Arts, Horse Riding etc.

At the end of Year 11 the strongest FOUR assessments are submitted.

Assessment, Recording and Reporting in Physical Education

Assessment in PE falls in line with those standards set by the QCA and outlined in the National Curriculum.  All pupils are assessed by their teacher according to the levels set out in the National Curriculum document.  When making their judgement staff will refer to the following strands:

1.         Developing skills in physical activity.

2.         Making and applying decisions.

3.         Developing physical and mental capacity.

• Evaluating and improving.
• Making informed choices about a healthy and active lifestyle.

The individual member of staff will assess against these strands through continued informal assessment and by carrying out a formal assessment task within each scheme of work.  The records of these are kept on individual staff registers and also on the central Departmental spreadsheet.

For GCSE PE all pupils are subject to ongoing assessments which are carried out in accordance with the criteria set by the Exam Board.  As with core PE data levels are kept in staff registers and on the Departmental data capture format.

Assessment for Learning

The Department hopes to increase pupils ability to learn for themselves.  We aim to provide this in many ways that provides success for all pupils.  The Department has worked very hard on its objective setting for every lesson and employs the WALT (What are we Learning Today) and WILF (What I am Looking For) system.  This means clear targets are set for learning in every lesson and are backed up with what success will look like.  The Department also aims to make the level descriptors more accessible to all pupils in order to allow them to see where they are and what they need to do in order to progress.  Pupils use these in lessons to form their opinions during peer and self assessment tasks (examples included in appendices).

Differentiation

As the Department is dedicated to the progress of all of the pupils it teaches, we are fully committed to ensuring all Swanmore pupils can access our curriculum.  For this reason the Department differentiates lessons in the following way:

SPORT

Support
Pace
Outcome
Resources
Task

Support

Is offered to all pupils at a level appropriate to their needs.  Extra support is offered to lower achievers in a bid to cement understanding in order for success to be maximised.  High achievers receive support in terms of feedback and prompts for them to expand and develop their own understanding and opinions on the learning taking place.

Pace

Pace of individual lessons and units of work are adapted and varied to promote a suitably challenging and engaging learning environment.  Pace is adapted to provide time for skills to be mastered if difficulties arise, or to take pupils out of a ‘comfort zone’ to progress learning further.

Outcome

Within all lessons, what is expected of pupils will differ depending on their level of performance and understanding.  The Department operates a All, Most, Some policy with which to differentiate outcome.  This allows different expectations to be delivered within one lesson.

Resources

The Department is well equipped so that all pupils can be challenged appropriately by the resources employed.  The resources are adapted in size, shape and content to meet the demands of the individuals using them.

Task

Within a lesson structure pupils may be given different tasks in order to challenge their learning.  This enables all to learn safely and at a level befitting to their performance.