Click here for the PE Curriculum Map

Content

Students in Years 7-9 have three 1 hour lessons per fortnight (plus an additional lesson taught by the Dance department). Students cover a wide range of activities throughout these lessons from the following categories: invasion games; net and wall games; striking and fielding games; athletics; gymnastics; fitness activities; and outdoor and adventurous activities. The exact content of the curriculum may vary due to facility and staffing demands.

Each block of activity has a specific focus, where students focus on one or more of the following concepts:

• Developing their physical capabilities
• Developing their understanding of game processes and rules
• Developing their understanding of principles of fitness and health
• Developing their inter-personal skills for sport and physical activity

Assessment, Marking and Feedback 

Students are assessed formally throughout each activity unit, in one or more of the concepts listed above. This may take the shape of ongoing teacher observation, verbal questioning or occasionally via a more formal, theory assessment. Assessment grids are used to determine whether students are  deemed to be “exceeding” “meeting” or “working towards” expected levels. These end of unit grades contribute towards the student’s overall performance grade in PE. Students are actively encouraged to self-assess and seek feedback to make further progress.

This is an example of a KS3 assessment guide for Year 8 Indoor Rowing:

Content 

We follow the AQA GCSE Physical Education specification over 2 years. Lessons are a mixture of theory and practical activities and are in addition to compulsory core PE lessons. Theory topics covered during the course include: applied anatomy and physiology; movement analysis; physical training; sports psychology; socio-cultural influences on participation; and health fitness and well-being. Students also take part in practical lessons in a variety of sports and choose their strongest 3 to contribute towards their GCSE grade.

Assessment, Marking and Feedback

The theory component (worth 60%) is assessed via 2 exams at the end of the course. Three theory assessment objectives are used throughout the course:

AO1 – Demonstrate knowledge and understanding (25%)

AO2 – Apply knowledge and understanding (20%)

AO3 – Analysing and evaluating (15%)

Students’ written work is regularly assessed against these assessment objectives in a variety of ways: teacher marking; peer marking; end of unit assessments; and verbal questioning and feedback. A full end of year assessment is made via one exam at the end of Year 10.

The practical component (worth 40%) is assessed through live or recorded performance during Year 10 and/or 11. Students must demonstrate skills in all activities, both in isolation and a fully competitive context. Students must also produce a written analysis of their own strengths and weaknesses. One assessment objective is used for both elements of this component:

AO4 – Demonstrate and apply relevant skills and techniques and analyse and evaluate performance 

40% of the marks are awarded for practical performance in 3 activities. These must include at least one team and one individual activity from the list here.

Students receive consistent verbal feedback regarding their practical performance in activities which are taught during lesson time. Activities completed outside of school lessons should be frequently recorded and students are encouraged to regularly submit these for feedback. At the end of the course, the student’s 3 highest practical activities are submitted to the exam board for assessment.

Specification 

Please click here for the AQA GCSE PE specification

Content

Students have three 1 hour lessons per fortnight in Year 10 and two 1 hour lessons per fortnight in Year 11. As in Key Stage 3, students cover a wide range of activities throughout these lessons from the following categories: invasion games; net and wall games; striking and fielding games; athletics; gymnastics; fitness activities; and outdoor and adventurous activities. The exact content of the curriculum may vary due to facility and staffing demands.

In Year 10, each block of activity has a specific focus, where students focus on one or more of the following concepts:

• Developing their physical capabilities
• Developing their understanding of game processes and rules
• Developing their understanding of principles of fitness and health
• Developing their inter-personal skills for sport and physical activity

In Year 11, students experience a range of lifelong participation activities designed to prepare them for a physically active lifestyle, post compulsory education. They experience games, dance, yoga and  other physical activities.

Assessment, Marking and Feedback 

Students in Key Stage 4 core PE are assessed using our ‘readiness for learning’ criteria only. At each assessment point, students are given a grade relating to their attitude towards their own personal development in PE. Students receive ongoing feedback from teachers during their curriculum lessons and are encouraged to seek feedback on specific aspects of their performance if required.

Content 

We follow the AQA A Level Physical Education specification over two years. It is a linear qualification so all assessment takes place at the end of the second year of the course. It is therefore imperative that students on this course continue their competitive participation in their chosen sport for the full duration of the course.

All lessons have a theoretical focus but some practical activities may be used to help students’ applied understanding. Students must therefore be taking part in their chosen practical activities in their own time and usually outside of school.

Theory topics include: applied anatomy and physiology; skill acquisition; sport and society and the role of technology; exercise physiology and biomechanics; and sport psychology.

Assessment, Marking and Feedback 

The theory component (worth 70%) is assessed via 2 exams at the end of the course. Three theory assessment objectives are used throughout the course:

AO1 – Demonstrate knowledge and understanding

AO2 – Apply knowledge and understanding

AO3 – Analysing and evaluating

Students’ written work is regularly assessed against these assessment objectives in a variety of ways: teacher marking; peer marking; end of unit assessments; and verbal questioning and feedback. A full end of year assessment is made via one exam at the end of Year 12.

The practical component (worth 30%) is assessed through live or recorded performance during Year 13. Students must demonstrate skills in a fully competitive context as a performer or coach in one activity. Students are also required to produce a written or verbal performance analysis of their own strengths and weakness, using appropriate theoretical content. One assessment objective is used for both element of this component:

AO4 – Demonstrate and apply relevant skills and techniques and analyse and evaluate performance.

Students are required to submit recorded examples of their practical performance at certain points throughout the course. Verbal and/or written feedback will be provided and final assessment will be made in term 3/4 of Year 13. A sample will be selected by the exam board for external moderation after final centre marks are submitted.

Specification

Please click here for the AQA A Level PE specification

Past papers

Past papers and mark schemes can be found via the following links:

A Level

GCSE

Useful external links

PlanetPE youtube channel - AQA specific. Videos on many paper 1 and paper 2 GCSE topics, as well as coursework support. You can also follow PlanetPE on Instagram.

BBC Bitesize  - Ensure that you select AQA specification. Resources for all topics as well as generic exam skills information.

Seneca Learning Work your way through topic based questions and complete standardised assessments on all topics.

Quizlet - Make and use flashcards for key terms and definitions. Use ready-made sets or make your own. Be careful that definitions are AQA, as different exam boards use slightly different terms (search for “AQA PE”)

Potential careers

Skills and qualifications in Physical Education and Sport can lead to many careers. Popular examples include:

• Teacher
• Physiotherapist / Sports Therapist / Sports Rehabilitation
• Sports Scientist
• Sport Psychologist
• Sports Coach
• Sports Development officer
• Sports Journalist
• Fitness instructor / personal trainer
• Military / public services

Here are some other links containing information about careers in sport, leisure and physical activity:

Careers in Sport

UK Sport – Jobs in Sport

Target Careers - Careers in Sport

Sport Careers guide

UCAS Sports careers

University of Kent- Careers in Sport

Alumni 

Here 3 ex Highworth A-level PE students tell us what they are up to now!

Ellie S

Ellie has just reached the end of a Sport and Exercise Science degree at Canterbury Christ Church University. She has now applied for an MSc in Applied Health and Exercise Science and hopes to eventually get a job as an Exercise Physiologist specialising in cardiac rehabilitation. Ellie suggests that her A Level PE was a great help in the first year of her course, as there has been a large degree of overlap in the topics covered. This allowed her to focus on revision of these topics and building a really strong knowledge base for years 2 and 3.

Lizzie C

Lizzie is currently studying Sports Therapy at The University of Kent at Medway. She says that A Level PE was particularly useful in developing her knowledge of anatomy in preparation for the course. Lizzie also found the challenge of A Level PE coursework to be excellent preparation for the analysis of movement required in this role.

Caitlin P 

Caitlin studied Primary Teaching at University and is now teaching at Leeds and Broomfield Primary School in Maidstone. She is PE coordinator for the school and says that her enjoyment of A-Level and GCSE PE encouraged her to apply for this role. She also suggests that her time studying PE at Highworth helped her to develop many leadership skills which have been essential for success in her current post.

Clubs

The PE department runs a range of extracurricular clubs, taking place at lunchtime and after school. Clubs are run by a mixture of school staff and external coaches and change every term. See the extra-curricular page for further details of this term’s activities.

Sponsorship

The Highworth football teams are sponsored by Quinn Estates Ltd, Highland Court Farm, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 5HW. The teams are very grateful for the support.

Trips and visits

The PE department run a variety of trips and visits which change on a yearly basis. Examples of such activities that have run in previous years are:

• Bi-annual Ski Trip to Italy
• Outdoor Education trip to Kent Mountain Centre, Snowdonia
• Hockey trip to Olympic Park to watch England in World League Finals
• Football tour to Spain
• A Level Sports Science Workshop at University of Kent

The PE department also regularly take groups of students to fixtures and competitions to compete at a local, county and national level.

Find our latest PE and sport news on the Highworth homepage news area.