At The Grey Coat Hospital Physical Education provides the opportunity for individuals to achieve their optimum potential. Physical Education is primarily concerned with physical capabilities but the associated aspects of knowledge and understanding are also vital components for all students.

Physical Education encompasses enjoyment and satisfaction and encourages a lifelong commitment to an active and healthy lifestyle. Regular physical activity can improve quality of life, improve health, promote social inclusion, raise individual self-esteem and confidence and counter anti-social behaviour.

The aims of Physical Education and Physical Activity are:

• To develop an understanding of the importance of exercise in maintaining a healthy lifestyle
• To develop a range of motor skills
• To maintain and increase all aspects of health related fitness
• To develop understanding and appreciation of the purposes and rules of a selection of physical activities
• To develop the capacity to express ideas in dance and appreciate the aesthetic qualities of movement
• To develop the appreciation of the concepts of fair play, honest competition and good character
• To develop the ability to develop the capacity to maintain interest and to persevere to achieve success
• To encourage self-esteem through the achievement of physical competence
• To develop self-confidence through understanding the capabilities and limitation of oneself and others.
• To increase the physical activity levels and wellbeing of the whole school community by developing a supportive environment conducive to the promotion of physical activity
• To develop an understanding of the importance of regular physical activity amongst the whole school community for maintaining a healthy life.
• To ensure that all children and young people have the opportunity to develop the confidence, competence and enthusiasm to participate in physical activity for at least three to five hours a week and to establish and maintain an interest in regular physical activity.
• To improve children, young people, parent/carer and staff knowledge, understanding, experience of and attitudes towards participation in physical activity.
• To provide a wide range of quality physical activity opportunities both within and outside the curriculum for children, young people, staff and parents/carers and enable children to participate in at least 100 minutes of high quality PE and School Sport each week.
• To ensure that physical activity provision in the school reflects the cultural, personal, social and medical needs of all children and young people.

Curriculum

Key Stage 3

• KS3 pupils will take part in 2 x 50 minute lessons per week. One lesson indoor and the other outdoor.
• KS3 pupils will take part in 2 fitness tests (Multistage Fitness Test, 800m Vincent Square Run) three times a year to monitor cardiovascular endurance.
• One athlete from each form is rewarded with "Athlete of Term." (December/March/June)

Years 7, 8 & 9                     

Term 1 Netball; Dance                

Term 2 Fitness; Athletics; Gymnastics             

Term 3 Athletics; Rounders; Trampolining  

Key Stage 4

Students are offered the choice of selecting GCSE PE or the Edexcel BTEC Level 1 / 2 Award in Sport

Edexcel BTEC LEVEL 1/2 AWARD IN SPORT

Examination Board: Edexcel

Over two years, they will study four units. There are two core units and two optional units that we have selected for the students. Three of these units are coursework based and internally assessed by Grey Coat Hospital staff before being externally moderated. One of the modules is externally assessed as it is a computer based test.

The modules that are internally assessed coursework based will be presented in a variety of ways. Pupils will have to produce work such as:

• Power Point Presentations
• Essays
• Lesson plans
• Training Programmes
• Posters
• Letters
• Training Diaries and Log Books
• Fitness Tests 

As part of Unit 2 - Practical Sports Performance, students will also be required to commit to a number of extracurricular PE clubs in order to improve their sports performance. Their performance in these sports will then be assessed through video evidence, written assignments and the evaluation of their own performance.

GCSE PE

Year 10:

Year 10 students are studying the OCR GCSE 9-1 PE specification, which is a two year course. During the two years, they will study:

Physical Factors Affecting Performance – 30% of overall grade

This will be assessed through a 1 hour written paper sat at the end of Year 11.

Socio-Cultural Issues and Sports Psychology – 30% of overall grade

This will be assessed through a 1 hour written paper sat at the end of Year 11.

Analyse and Evaluate Performance (AEP) written coursework done in controlled conditions at school -  10% of overall grade.

The AEP is where learners are required to observe their own or a peer’s practical performance in order to:

• Analyse aspects of personal performance in a practical activity
• Evaluate the strengths and weakness of the performance
• Produce an action plan which aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of the performance 

Practical Activity Assessment – 30% of overall grade

Performance in three sports (one individual sport, one team sport and one individual/team sport). It is assessed by an external moderator on a moderation day, in the Spring Term of Year 11.

Key Stage 4 CORE PE

• KS4 pupils take part in 1x 100 minute lesson per week.
• Pupils are offered a choice of activity each term. Each new term, students select a new sport from options such as Yoga, Zumba, and using the gym, trampolining, kayaking, and games activities.
• In Key Stage 4, students participate in three terms of PE activities. In the summer term, pupils travel to Battersea Park and choose from activities such as tennis, rounders, stool ball, tag rugby and athletics.
• In Year 11, students participate in two terms of P.E. activities before going on study leave for their GCSE examinations in May.

Enrichment and Extra-Curricular

There is an extensive extra-curricular programme that runs in the PE department. Members of staff coach their specialist areas and external coaches are employed to enhance the choice of sports offered. Pupils have the opportunity to represent the school at competitions, playing local Westminster Schools and Private Schools. There is progression to borough level that is achieved through the close link with the Westminster Sports, where pupils are selected to represent the borough at the London Youth Games.

We are extremely proud of the depth of opportunity available to students in extracurricular, where students participate to compete or just for fun and fitness. This is enhanced with a series of inter-form sports competitions for those who wish to compete but aren’t in a school team, and a whole host of activities that are just for participation.

We regularly compete in the England Schools FA cup and have teams the whole way through school. Football is one of our most popular sports and we have regular fixtures in these competitions as well as competing in the local leagues and tournaments. Netball is equally as popular and as such we have multiple netball teams in each year group. Students also chose to play netball in our inter-form competitions. Athletics is also incredibly popular and students compete in England Schools Athletics Association Cross-Country cup and Track and Field competitions. The trampolinists enter the BSGA London Regional trampolining competition each year, as well as local competitions. Our basketball players are in the London School’s Association basketball leagues for U14s and U16s. Students have dance opportunities through our connection with Step into Dance and have the opportunity to perform in our annual Gym and Dance Display. Each year we also celebrate competitive sport through a Swimming Gala and Sports Day, giving more students more opportunity for success through sport.