The aim of the Physical Education is to engender the lifelong love of physical activity and sport. Our goal is to develop confidence and competence in a broad range of physical activities, this will aid the pupils with the benefits associated with increased physical activity, these can range from benefits in physical and mental health and improved attainment. In a time of increasingly sedentary lifestyles it is vital we instil life changing habits into the next generation.  The PE and Games curriculum is designed to ensure that it is accessible to all students.  In all years pupils study a range of topics that are relevant to the students and themselves and also link to the school’s history and traditions.  The nature of a language means that key terminology and vocabulary are regularly revisited throughout all years.  This, combined with the retrieval practice exercises that take place each lesson ensure that key terms and vocabulary are important parts of the curriculum.

Our curriculum is split into the following areas:

Using a range of strategies to overcome opponents
  • Perform in a range of progressive situations to apply the skills taught in order to outwit and overcome opponents or challenging situations.  Develop their own tactical ideas to overcome opponents.
  • Use effective teamwork, leadership and cooperation in team situations to overcome opponents.
  • Students will be taught the key skills and teaching points for the activities being delivered.
  • Select and apply skills in closed and open situations.
  • Scaffold on skills, technique and tactics year on year.
  • Understand the role that fitness has in improving performance
  • Learn and apply the correct teaching points
  • Self and peer assess
  • Use ICT to analyse and improve own and others work
  • Receive high quality feedback to assist with analysis
  • Develop skills in lessons and games sessions.
  • Attend squad training sessions delivered by appointed member of the PE department.
  • Receive additional coaching from external specialist coaches.
  • Develop technical and tactical knowledge.
  • Develop position/role specific skills
  • Instil the values of sportsmanship, respect and resilience through physical activity and sport.
  • The department places a strong emphasis on respect, dedication and commitment and this is a theme that will run through all P.E., Games lessons and extra-curricular activities.

The department offers a broad and balanced curriculum with topics taught in termly blocks in P.E. These lessons are taught in mixed ability groups.

  • Year 7: Health Related Fitness, Swimming, Hockey, Short Tennis, Athletics
  • Year 8: Health Related Fitness, Swimming, Hockey, Badminton, Athletics, Tennis
  • Year 9: Health Related Fitness, Swimming, Basketball, Badminton, Athletics, Tennis
  • Year 10: Health Related Fitness, Swimming, Basketball, Badminton, Softball, Tennis
  • Year 11: Health Related Fitness, Basketball, Badminton, Softball, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee

All pupils will study a minimum of 2 hours of Physical Education and Games per week in Key Stage 3 and 4 and 1 hour of Games in Key Stage 5. The Physical Education department is incredibly lucky that it can offer students its curriculum on site and facilities include swimming pool, Fitness Suite, cricket nets, Astro-Turf hockey pitch, 6 rugby pitches, 3 cricket pitches

  • GCSE PE: Fitness and Body Systems, Health and Performance, Practical Performance and Personal Exercise Programme
  • A Level PE: Scientific Principles of P.E., Psychological and Social Principles of P.E., Skill Acquisition and Sports Psychology, Sport and Society, Practical Performance and Performance Analysis and Performance Development Programme

Games lessons are either termly or pupils will study topics for 2 terms dependent on what ability group they are in. Games lessons are set in ability groups to ensure appropriate challenge and for safety reasons.

  • Year 7: Rugby, Hockey, Cricket
  • Year 8: Rugby, Hockey, Cricket, Tennis, Athletics
  • Year 9: Rugby, Hockey, Cricket, Tennis, Athletics, Softball
  • Year 10: Rugby, Hockey, Cricket, Tennis, Athletics, Softball
  • Year 11: Rugby, Hockey, Cricket, Tennis, Athletics, Softball, Ultimate Frisbee

We have no prescribed approach to the teaching of Physical Education which enables teachers to make the most of their own skills, abilities and professional judgements. However; there are common ways in which the curriculum is implemented across the department

  • Staff have excellent subject knowledge and are all subject specialists
  • Lessons are appropriately challenging
  • Students are made aware of their current level and what they must do to progress to the next level
  • Students are given the opportunities to achieve through practical and verbal success criteria in lessons
  • Students have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities both before, at lunchtime, after school and also at weekends
  • Assessment both formal and informal informs teaching
  • Use of subject specific vocabulary is embedded from Year 7
  • Use of theoretical themes threaded into lessons from year 7
  • Reference to GCSE Physical education criteria within schemes of work and therefore lessons
  • SEN provision meets the needs of individual pupils ensuring that they have equal access
  • Our employment of external coaches in some sports ensures pupils are getting access to the very latest expertise
  • At Key Stage 4 and 5 examination PE assessments mirror the ones the pupils will face in external exams
  • Extra-curricular provision is designed to complement and enhance activity levels
  • After school clubs happen in all topics studied in the curriculum
  • We have close links with external clubs ie. Medway RFC where we can see and hear about some of our former pupils enjoying success

The external coaches in rugby, cricket, badminton and netball provide our pupils with a wealth of learning opportunities and also additionally help to keep the full time P.E. teachers knowledge up-to-date

The department offers pupils regular opportunities to compete against other schools and embarks on a number of high profile overseas tours, which go to Barbados, Canada and Barcelona. The Barcelona tour was fortunate to gain a bursary from the Old Williamson’s Hockey Club which enabled 4 pupils to make the trip affordable.

Our link to the Old Boys Club is important and gives our pupils an avenue they can follow after leaving school if they choose.

The impact of the curriculum can be seen through a number of measures

  • Physical Education is a popular subject with very low non-participation rates across all year groups
  • Student outcomes at both GCSE and A Level P.E. are good
  • A number of our students go on to study a sport related degree at university
  • Internal assessments at examination P.E. demonstrate that pupils effectively develop P.E. specific skills
  • SEN pupils achieve in line with their peers
  • Students can effectively communicate about P.E.
  • Student numbers at GCSE and A Level are good
  • Pupil voice surveys indicate that they enjoy P.E.
  • Extra-curricular numbers are high and pupils will give up their time, most notably on Saturday mornings throughout the year to represent the school
  • We are producing successful teams and individuals in a wide range of sports
  • We have produced 2 school boy international rugby players in the last 2 years, in addition we have has successes of former pupils in a range of different sports
  • House Sport is an integral part of the extra-curricular programme and sports are offered in a wide range of activities, the Founder’s Day sports afternoon is the highlight of these occasions

“Intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong” (JFK) this statement reflects the importance of physical fitness and health, and PE is the only subject to develop a student physically. Physical Education promotes an active lifestyle and has all sorts of health benefits: strengthen bones and muscles, fight obesity, help with sleep, relieve stress and anxiety and improve mental wellbeing, improve body image and self-discipline, develop confidence. 

In addition, PE teaches you why an activity is important, what types of activity benefit your body, and how you can stay active for life. These are essential transferable skills such as teamwork, leadership, problem solving and communication skills, all of which are vital in most jobs.

Physical Education provides a solid foundation for further studies relating to movement and the body, including the social and health sciences, recreation, and tourism and leads to a huge range of jobs: Teaching, Instructing, Personal trainer, Professional Sportsperson, Physiotherapy, Dietician, Sports policy, Officiating, coaching as well as being perfect for those wishing to enter Public Sector careers such as the Police, Fire Service and Armed Forces.

Schemes of Work

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13