PE

Physical Education at The Marlborough School

At The Marlborough School, our Physical Education vision is for all pupils (now, and beyond school) to be able to:

• Lead an active lifestyle and be ambitious to find and participate in ‘their’ sport.

• Recognise the health (mental, physical and social) benefits that physical activity and sport can offer.

• Develop core knowledge and skills in a broad range of activities or sports and apply these in isolated and competitive situations. 

• Represent our school values of respect, perseverance and ambition during all aspects of PE and sport.

• Achieve success in all areas of PE including GCSE and A Level PE.  

Our aim is to provide the opportunity for all students to enjoy a well-rounded and broad physical education experience; where they feel confident and responsible to achieve their personal best. All of this, with the understanding that personal development and wellbeing is at the heart of what we do. We strive to deliver lessons which support students’ individual needs, whilst challenging and equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to ensure lifelong participation in sport and physical activity at a level which is right for them.

A values approach to teaching Physical Education:

A high-quality and varied physical education curriculum inspires all pupils to participate and excel in competitive sport and physical activity. Ensuring that values are placed at the heart of the curriculum and ensuring that they are explicitly focused and taught within lessons will not only help pupils become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness, but also support their holistic development, build character and resilience and promote respect, ambition, perseverance and equality.

KS3 Physical Education

At The Marlborough School, the basis of our KS3 Physical Education curriculum is underpinned by core knowledge, skills and values. All pupils will experience a broad range of activities regardless of their age, gender or ability. 

Our classes are mixed gender and lessons will have two fundamental components: 

1. Core Knowledge: Students will be explicitly taught the declarative and procedural knowledge in a range of activities or sports.

2. Skills: Students will learn sport specific and transferable motor skills and be taught how to apply and engage these skills in isolated and competitive situations. 

In KS3 PE, pupils build on and embed the physical development and skills learned in key stages 1 and 2. We aim for students to become more competent, confident and expert in their techniques, and apply them across different sports and physical activities. Students are given the opportunity to understand what makes a performance effective and how to apply these principles to their own and others’ work. With this, students have the ability to develop the confidence and interest to get involved in exercise, sports and activities out of school and in later life, and understand and apply the long-term health benefits of physical activity.

Students will build upon prior learning in each activity or sport from year seven to nine with the core knowledge and skills being developed as the curriculum progresses. Similarly, students will be told explicitly when and where skills from similar units of work may be transferable and used. In KS4 PE, pupils continue to have a broad Physical Education experience. Students are involved in a range of activities that develops personal fitness and promotes an active, healthy lifestyle with a clear focus on individual participation, social interaction and enjoyment.

KS4 Physical Education

In KS4 PE, pupils continue to have a broad Physical Education experience. Students are involved in a range of activities that develops personal fitness and promotes an active, healthy lifestyle with a clear focus on individual participation, social interaction and enjoyment.

Our approach to KS4 PE is built on the following principles:

1. All pupils will experience a broad range of activities regardless of their age, gender or ability.

2. Rotation of three ‘areas’ where a broad range of activities and sports are available at student-teacher discretion. 

3. Calendar rotation every three-four weeks (approx. 6-8 lessons).

4. We aim for students to enjoy their time participating in physical activity and sport whilst demonstrating our school values along the way. The importance for all pupils to recognise the long-term benefits of physical activity and sport to a healthy lifestyle is imperative to what we do in order to achieve lifelong participation.

AQA GCSE Physical Education

Students develop their understanding of; the human body and the body systems, sport psychology, socio-cultural influences on participation in sport, and the benefits of physical activity to health, fitness and well-being. 

Paper 1: The human body and movement in physical activity and Sport.

Paper 2: Socio-cultural influences and wellbeing in physical activity and sport.

Non-Exam Assessment: 

• Practical performance in physical activity and sport. Required to be assessed in three sports with a minimum of one individual sport and one team sport.

• Analysis & Evaluation of performance in sport to identify strengths and weaknesses. Produce an action plan to suggest ways to improve upon the two weaknesses identified. 

GCSE PE Assessment:

AQA A Level Physical Education

Many of our GCSE students also opt to study A Level PE at our sixth form. A Level Physical Education gives students a fantastic insight into the amazing world of sports performance. Students will; delve further into anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, look at the historical development of sport within society, discuss the ethical considerations behind the use of drugs, evaluate the use of learning theories in skill acquisition, the concepts used to improve performance in sport psychology and recognise the influence that modern technology is having in and on physical activity and sport. 

Paper 1: Factors affecting participation in physical activity and sport: Anatomy & Physiology, Skill Acquisition, Sport & Society.

Paper 2: Factors affecting optimal performance in Physical Activity and Sport: Exercise Physiology & Biomechanics, Sport Psychology, Sport & Society & Technology in Sport.

Non-Exam Assessment: 

• Practical Performance in one sport: including marks for technical quality and the application of strategic and tactical awareness.

• Analysis & Evaluation of performance in one sport to identify strengths and weaknesses. 

A Level PE Assessment:

Head of Department

Miss N Bishop