PE
Why do we teach PE?
It is our intent to inspire our pupils with an engaging curriculum suitable for 21st century learners. From a spark of curiosity we aspire to nurture lifelong engagement in a healthy active lifestyle. Through PE we want all young people to feel safe, to feel valued, to have confidence and pride in their abilities; safe learning environments are created so pupils can develop their confidence to make improvements within the physical domain (physical health), cognitive domain (mindset/strategy/resilience), and the social/emotional domain (positive relationships/sportsmanship/leadership). All of these components are integral features of our curricular and extra-curricular provision and give every individual an opportunity to shine and contribute positively to our school and the community
Physical Education is an exciting and dynamic part of the Hele’s School curriculum taught by six experienced specialist staff who share their passion for the subject with learners. Pupils enjoy working in fantastic sports facilities and achieve satisfaction from producing very high-quality outcomes. Staff strive to create physically literate lifelong learners who have a passion for physical activity and the knowledge to continue participating long after they leave school.
Key Stage 3
All learners follow a challenging course throughout Key Stage 3 which teaches them how to develop skills, make and apply correct decisions, evaluate their performances and improve their knowledge of fitness and health. The persistence and effort of students are rewarded throughout and a deep understanding of how learning takes place enhances their ability to make progress.
Key Stage 4
At KS4 we offer our pupils 3 hours of PE across our two-week timetable. Pupils will be placed in a healthy active lifestyle group to suit their needs and interests where they will follow a curriculum that includes activities such as football, basketball, rugby, netball, handball, table tennis, tennis, cricket, badminton and athletics. Non-traditional games such as dodgeball, futsal and Danish Longball also feature as part of our offer. Pupils will also spend time developing their confidence in the safe use of a fitness suite environment to help prepare them for their next steps beyond education. Pupils will be given the opportunity to further develop their leadership skills through our units of work.
The department offers GCSE PE and the Cambridge National Sports Studies level 2 qualification for those students who are interested in studying P.E and sport at the next level. This option is open to students who are participating in sports on a regular basis and would like to learn more about studying sport at a deeper level. GCSE PE delves into anatomy and physiology, psychology in sport and contemporary issues in sport and comprises of two written examinations taken at the end of the course (60%) and practical (40%) through 3 individual and or team sports with a written coursework piece. The Cambridge National Sport Studies qualification focuses on developing leadership in sport, Outdoor and Adventure as well as contemporary issues in sport. There are 3 units to complete overall (2 coursework units and one exam).
At key stage 4, pupils have the option to participate in fitness each evening (Monday-Thursday 3:10-4:10 pm) as part of our extra-curricular offering. In addition, there are options to join our netball, football, rugby, badminton, basketball, rounders, cricket and tennis clubs that operate throughout the academic year. Lots of these clubs also have exit routes to our sports teams that compete in localised and national competitions.
Key Stage 5
The department currently offers A-Level P.E. and Sport for advanced level students. The physiological, psychological and sociological aspects of elite athletes are explored. Biomechanics is also taught in Year 13, adding rigour to the theoretical content of this challenging course. Students need to specialize in one sport that will be assessed in a fully competitive situation as part of their coursework
Clubs
Our extra-curricular programme is comprehensive. We have numerous lunchtime and after school activities on offer for all abilities and we also enter many teams into local, county and national school competitions.