Physical Education
Physical Education at Samuel Ryder Academy aims to develop pupils that are both physically and mentally healthy, conscientious and respectful, who take an active interest in sport and physical activity. Through a diverse and engaging, all through, curriculum, students learn how to develop and evaluate skills and techniques in a range of different activities as well as gaining vital experience in leadership, coaching and officiating. Students will develop competence to, engage and excel in a variety of competitive physical activities as well as being capable of being physically active for sustained periods of time.
KS1
The KS1 curriculum is designed to introduce students to a range of fundamental movement skills and techniques that they can transfer into the sports and activities that they will experience in KS2.
Pupils will be taught to master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities. They will also participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending. The students also develop personal skills such as creativity, ability to exploring ideas, working in different groups, exploration of the movement and dance, teamwork and oracy opportunities that are underpinned by SCHOLAR.
As well as this they will gain opportunities to perform dances using simple movement patterns. In KS1 students receive 2 lessons of Physical Education per week. In addition to this they all receive a minimum of 5 weeks swimming lessons each year.
During their PE lessons pupils experience a variety of activities in line with the National Curriculum guidelines. There are also extra-curricular opportunities available in the summer term for students in KS1.
KS2
The KS2 curriculum is designed to prepare students for KS3 by teaching them a range of skills and techniques that they can transfer into the sports and activities that they will experience in secondary school. Although, not all activities covered at KS2 will continue in KS3, our curriculum aims to provide a wide focus for all pupils to have the chance to experience and enjoys a variety of activities from each of the different sporting areas of the national curriculum.
In KS2 students receive 2 lessons of Physical Education per week. In addition to this they all receive a minimum of 5 weeks swimming lessons each year. During their PE lessons pupils experience a variety of activities in line with the National Curriculum guidelines. These activities include; invasion games such as football, hockey, netball, tag rugby and handball. They also participate in dance and gymnastics lessons as well as athletics and striking games including; cricket, rounders and tennis. During these activities’ students are also encouraged to develop as a SCHOLAR through their leadership skills through outdoor adventurous activities. There is a full extra-curricular programme available at KS2 which changes on a termly basis which provides opportunities for students to explore their curiosities. Pupils in years 4, 5 and 6 also have the chance to participate in competitive fixtures in a range of sports including; football, netball, rugby, athletics, basketball, swimming and rounders.
Linear learning from KS4 (GCSE PE) is introduced to the KS2 curriculum to enhance higher order thinking, curiosity and oracy through questioning techniques.
KS3
Physical Education at Key Stage 3 is taught in single sex classes. Students are put into sets based upon ability in order to ensure that they get the best support to aid their development. These groups are reviewed on a termly basis. Students in year 7 receive three fifty-minute lessons per week with year 8 and 9 getting 2. These lessons attempt to engage the students in a variety of activities to make them aware of their full potential. The activities that are covered include: boys and girls rugby, boys and girls’ football, hockey, netball, handball, badminton, basketball, gymnastics, dance, athletics, netball, tennis, rounders, and health related fitness. Students are taught a wide variety of skills including how to work independently and as part of a team in a sporting environment. They learn to evaluate their own and others strengths and weaknesses through new technologies using the OneNote app on the iPads to develop their core skills. This allows the students to then make informed choices about their options at year 8 and 9. In year 9 students can choose PE as an option as well as continuing with core PE. Within lessons students are taught key concepts and information to develop higher order thinking that provides and prepares them should they wish to study GCSE PE at Key stage 4 as well as developing core aspects that are underpinned by SCHOLAR. There is also the opportunity to develop their leadership qualities through our leadership units delivered in year 7, 8 and 9. These aim to teach and develop our students about how to become successful young leaders. Students involved in this programme work closely with our primary students in running team practices and competitions. Students use the OneNote app on their iPads to reflect, self and peer assess during and at the end of each unit of work.
KS4
All students at Key Stage 4 continue to have two fifty-minute core PE lessons per week. These activities are designed to help students find appropriate pathways into sport in the community that they can continue to participate in when the leave school. These include pathways that focus on; competition, recreation, health and fitness and leadership. These options include the traditional games and activities but also offer more unique activities such as yoga, wellbeing, handball, volleyball and table tennis. For those with a particular interest in Physical Education, GCSE PE is offered from year 10, which is a further three fifty-minute lessons per week. Our exam board is OCR. The qualification is broken down into 60% theory, for which there are two written exams, and 30% practical (students will be assessed in three activities as a performer – this must include one team sport and one individual performance). The final 10% comes from a coursework piece which analyses a performance within one of their specific activities. Students use the OneNote app on their iPads to for all lessons, in particular for completing and receiving feedback on their ‘Assessment and Evaluation of Performance’ coursework.
Alongside preparing students for their GCSE examinations, the KS4 curriculum looks to offer students an education in healthy living and the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle, as well as offering an insight into further studies in our sixth form. This is achieved through a wide range of activities, trips, workshops and external agencies, all to provide students with an engaging curriculum that can be tailored towards their own needs and interests. These opportunities also allow students to sample aspects of what PE will be like at KS5, including our A-level pathway and Sports Academies in Rugby and Netball which is underpinned by SCHOLAR.
Beyond GCSE
At KS5, students will continue with core PE during Wednesday afternoon lessons where they are given the choices to participate in a range of activities both in school and off-site.
At Key stage 5, students also have the chance to study A-Level Physical Education. Our exam board is OCR. During this course they will receive 6 lessons per week to cover the Physiological factors affecting performance, Socio-cultural issues in physical activity and sport and Psychological factors affecting performance of the course. This will be delivered by 3 members of staff, each delivering a different aspect of the course across 2 lesson a week.
The course is split into 3 exams (one for each topic), with the Physiological factors affecting performance topic being worth 90 marks compared to the other two aspects being worth 60 marks. Students will also be assessed practically in one sport as either a player or coach, this will be marked out of 30 marks. The remaining 30 marks are awarded for the evaluative talk that each student has to make on an unseen performance in their chosen activity. The students work through new concepts in year 12 building on from GCSE and further develop their critical understanding of A Level PE year 13 aimed to develop their personal skills in areas such as successfully working independently, understanding the physiological, psychological and social factors affecting sport, working together as a team, giving critical feedback, problem solving techniques, communicating ideas, presentation skills and developing their use of new technologies in the sport industry, which intern develops their SCHOLAR skills further in preparation for the next step.
Students who are part of one of our Sports Academies will also receive and additional 6 lessons a week. These sessions are focused upon developing students understanding and performance in their chosen sport. These sessions will include work such as; coaching and officiating, charity work, diet and nutrition, strength and conditioning and specialist coaching from our partners.
Wider Curriculum Opportunities and Careers
We offer a range of opportunities as part of the wider curriculum including; extra-curricular clubs, trips, sports tours, seminars and an annual ski trip.
In KS5, pupils have the chance to apply for one of our 3 Sports Academies; Rugby (in association with Saracens RFC), Netball (in association with Saracens Mavericks) and football (in association with Watford Community Educational Trust). For more information regarding our Sports Academy, please click below:
Careers
Careers that are possible as a result of studying PE at GCSE and A-level include; teaching, physiotherapy, science, media and journalism, coaching, officiating, psychology.
