PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The PE curriculum allows all students to thrive through a challenging, supportive and varied learning journey. The curriculum develops in a way which takes account of all prior learning and involves more complexity through the years. As students progress through Key Stage 3, they are strategically introduced to more activities and are given an increasing amount of choice, for example, all Year 7 students complete a scheme of work called ‘game skills’. This introduces fundamental skills and principles of different types of games after which they begin to experience and specialise in many sports. Lesson structure and content is built around the principles of the Pate’s Learner Framework, with assessment strands covering Techniques and Skills, Knowledge and Understanding and Fitness. The curriculum is supported by an outstanding level of extra-curricular provision, allowing students to develop the multitude of benefits competitive sport offers. In addition to a thriving set of House Sport competitions, team practices occur at lunchtime and after school with many midweek and Saturday fixtures against both state and independent schools.  

During Key Stage 4, a pleasing number of students opt to study AQA GCSE PE. The Pate’s curriculum up to this point, and during this time, supports students with the theoretical, practical and coursework elements of the course. The two papers are taught separately by two content specialist teachers to ensure the highest quality of learning. The frequency, quantity and timings of assessments (including coursework) are carefully considered to work alongside students’ workloads. The core PE and Games curriculum continues for all students, with increased choice and individual responsibility for learning.   

By the time they reach the Sixth Form, students have the opportunity to study A Level PE, assessed through OCR. Studying GCSE PE is beneficial but not essential for this course, which is delivered by three members of staff, each delivering their area of expertise to the one group. In addition to A Level PE, all Year 12 students take part in one Games lesson per week. Many Year 13 students also opt for this offer. This continues the development of the curriculum as there is now a completely free choice of a wide range of activities, including some seen for the first time within the curriculum.

KEY STAGE 3

  • Rugby 
  • Gymnastics 
  • Games skills
    • Invasion games  
    • Volleyball 
    • Badminton 
    • Table Tennis   
  • Athletics 
  • Cricket 
  • Rugby 
  • Gymnastics 
  • Games skills
    • Netball
    • Handball
    • Football
    • Hockey 
  • Athletics 
  • Cricket 
  • Rugby
  • Basketball
  • Volleyball
  • Hockey
  • Football
  • Fitness
  • Athletics
  • Cricket
  • Hockey 
  • Netball
  • Games skills
    • Generic game skills  
    • Handball  
  • Dance 
  • Gymnastics 
  • Rounders 
  • Tennis 
  • Athletics
  • Hockey 
  • Netball
  • Games skills
    • Football
    • Rugby
  • Dance 
  • Gymnastics 
  • Rounders 
  • Tennis 
  • Athletics
  • Hockey
  • Netball
  • Gymnastics
  • Fitness
  • Handball
  • Dance
  • Rounders
  • Cricket
  • Tennis
  • Athletics

KEY STAGE 4

Boys – Core PE and Games

  • Rugby
  • Basketball
  • Hockey
  • Football
  • Fitness
  • Badminton
  • Athletics
  • Cricket
  • Frisbee
  • Softball
  • Table Tennis
  • Zumba
  • Yoga

Girls – Core PE and Games

  • Hockey
  • Netball
  • Gymnastics
  • Dance
  • Fitness
  • Basketball
  • Badminton
  • Volleyball
  • Rounders
  • Tennis
  • Athletics
  • Strength and Conditioning
  • Zumba
  • Yoga
  • Structure and functions of the musculoskeletal system
  • Structure and functions of the cardio-respiratory system
  • Anaerobic and aerobic exercise
  • Short and long term effects of exercise
  • Lever systems and their mechanical advantage
  • Planes and axes of movement
  • Relationship between health and fitness and the role of exercise  
  • Components of fitness, benefits of sport and how fitness is measured and improved
  • Classification of skills 
  • Use of goal setting and SMART targets
  • Basic information processing  
  • Guidance and feedback on performance  
  • Mental preparation for performance
  • Engagement patterns of different social groups in sport
  • Commercialisation of physical activity and sport  
  • Principles of training and application to personal exercise programmes
  • How to optimise training and prevent injury 
  • Effective use of warm up and cool down  
  • Use of data
  • Ethical and socio-cultural issues in physical activity and sport 
  • Physical, emotional and social health, fitness and well-being 
  • The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle
  • Energy use, diet, nutrition and hydration  
  • Non-examined assessment coursework – 10% of the course
  • Exam preparation and revision 

KEY STAGE 5 - A LEVEL

  • Hockey
  • Netball
  • Rugby
  • Football
  • Fitness
  • Strength and Conditioning
  • Badminton
  • Frisbee
  • Zumba
  • Yoga
  • Rounders
  • Tennis
  • Athletics
  • Cricket
  • Softball
  • Skeletal and muscular systems
  • Cardiovascular and respiratory systems  
  • Diet and nutrition and their effect on physical activity 
  • Recovery, altitude and heat  
  • Classification of skills  
  • Types and methods of practice  
  • Transfer of skills  
  • Learning theories  
  • Stages of learning, guidance and feedback  
  • Memory models  
  • Sports Psychology: Individual differences  
  • Attribution in sport 
  • Confidence and self-efficacy in sports performance  
  • Emergence and evolution of modern sport  
  • Ethics and deviance in sport  
  • Commercialisation and media  
  • Routes to sporting excellence in the UK
  • Modern technology in sport  
  • Preparation and training methods  
  • Injury prevention and rehabilitation of injury
  • Biomechanical principles: Newton’s laws of motion, force and the use of technology
  • Biomechanical principles: stability and lever systems  
  • Linear motion  
  • Angular motion
  • Fluid dynamics and projectile motion
  • Leadership in sport 
  • Stress management to optimise performance 
  • Group and team dynamics and goal setting in sport 
  • Sport in the Twenty-First Century
  • Global sporting events
  • Energy for exercise