Physical Education

In PE, our aim is to develop a sporting habit for life and for students to understand the importance of exercise and sport in developing physical, emotional and social well being. Our curriculum will allow all to try a range of different physical activities in order to find something they can enjoy and further develop outside of school hours and maintain this interest for life. This will allow students to learn about the benefits of exercise and healthy living, whilst learning a variety of skills in order to prepare them for their next stage in life. They will focus on the five core Principles of PE which are: Sport Related Attitudes and Values, Healthy, Active Living, Movement Competence, Sport Specific Skills and Techniques and Mental Challenge.

Key Stage 3

Our KS3 curriculum is sequenced to enable students to build on their existing physical, mental and social skills and further develop new and more complex skills and understanding.

KS3 is focused on developing a wide range of different skills across a breadth of different activities. These will then be further developed and applied into more challenging situations, which will allow them to reflect, revisit and transfer skills from one activity to another. They will learn the fundamentals behind why it is important to exercise and the subsequent benefits to their physical, mental, emotional and social well being and the importance of intellectual and physical challenge. By reflecting on past accomplishments, and also failures, students will be able to revisit skills and situations they found challenging, show resilience, and determination in order to develop their skills and hone the application of these in challenging situations.

Alongside this will be the basic core principles from various strands such as outwitting opponents, developing technique to improve performance,  accurate replication, analysing performance to achieve personal best and making and applying decisions.

Year 7

Students will begin developing their love of PE by being introduced to the five Principles of PE. An introduction to the basic skills, attitudes and values, tactics and knowledge within Football, Handball, Basketball, Netball, Rugby, Fitness, Table Tennis, Dance and Gymnastics (Trampoline) will allow students to begin to understand some of the simple skills needed in order to be successful in that area. The summer term will see students take part in Tennis, Striking and Fielding and Athletics, allowing them to gain a taste of performing at maximal levels and analysing performance to achieve personal best. The basic underpinning knowledge of how to outwit an opponent, accurate replication and physical and intellectual challenge will allow students to explore the benefits of regular exercise and inspire them to try something new or continue along their sporting pathway.

Year 8

Students continue to broaden their love of PE by focusing on building upon the skills and knowledge already gained in Year 7 within the five Principles of PE, and understanding of physical processes and application of these skills within more challenging competitive situations. Further honing of the basic skills in isolation will allow students to apply these to more complex situations whilst beginning to develop analytical and evaluative skills in order to improve their own performance.

Year 9

This year students will embed their love of PE by exploring and stretching their five Principles of PE with more emphasis on developing the tactical elements of outwitting opponents and the application of more complex skills. Students will also get the chance to develop their leadership skills by developing the technique and performance of others through more detailed analysis and evaluation on how to improve performance. They will also get to try out different activities such as Fitness and Badminton, whilst honing their now more complex skills and understanding of the intricate tactics within performances and what is needed to achieve personal and team best.

Key Stage 4

Within Core PE lessons students will get the opportunity to develop their love and passion for sport and physical activity planted in KS3 by becoming competent and confident within the five Principles of PE and fully embedding these into a sporting habit for life. Students will get the opportunity to follow the Sports Leaders Level 1 and 2 qualification which will see them develop all aspects of their leadership skills by running sessions in the local community and successful candidates will be accredited by Sports Leaders UK. Those not following the Sports Leadership pathway will gain the opportunity to get a taste of different activities such as Zumba, Volleyball, and Ultimate Frisbee alongside the application of skill and tactics in more complex and challenging competitive situations. 

Students will experience different elements of physical training and fitness whilst beginning to understand the physical, social and emotional benefits of exercise. More emphasis is on game based activities (if they choose) and more independent activities as students will be given more freedom within the choice of activities that best suit their needs as they become more confident and competent within PE.

The GCSE and Sport Studies courses are popular choices at KS4 as students gain an insight into how the human body works. They will discover the anatomical and physiological response to exercise; investigating how the different body systems work together to produce movement. They will learn about the biomechanics behind this movement, alongside the psychological and social aspects, such as the impact that media has on the performer, coach and spectator and the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle. Students will discover the fundamentals behind performance and how to improve this through physical training, exercise and development of skill.

Health and Social Care

At KS4 & 5 Students students will be able to experience a new specialism of study; Health and Social Care. The BTEC offers the right blend of technical and academic skills to support students on the first steps to their chosen career. Learners will cover physical, intellectual, emotional and social development across human lifespan and the factors affecting development and the effects of ageing. Students will develop a knowledge base of working with people in every stage of their lives, exploring key aspects of growth, development and human health. They will also focus on the principles and practicalities that underpin meeting individuals’ care and support needs, which are the foundation of all the care disciplines.

Key Stage 5

At KS5 students will gain intricate knowledge about the interaction between the theory and practice of Physical Education. Students will gain a clear appreciation of key issues in Physical Education including balanced, active and healthy lifestyles, a focus on performance in practical activity, and the opportunity to pursue particular areas of interest. They will discover more about applied anatomy and physiology, exercise physiology and applied movement analysis (biomechanics).

This will develop the students’ knowledge of the anatomical/structural and physiological/functional roles performed in the body. They will cover how different stresses will bring about both acute and chronic responses, and how principles of Newton’s Laws of motion and movement analysis can be applied to sporting technique in order to improve performance. They will understand concepts of energy and how they relate to physical activity. They will understand the role that sports psychology plays in facilitating optimal performance by exploring the different psychological views, theories and perspectives and applying them to discover an explanation of behaviour. They will gain an insight into the relationship between sport and society and the parallels between societal changes and sport, utilising this knowledge to consider historical and contemporary events and trends and the potential future developments. They will gain knowledge of the role commercialisation, politics, ethics and pressure play on a performer and the relationship between the media and sport.

Exam Board:  Edexcel

Learning beyond the classroom

At Ashlyns we pride ourselves on the breadth of extracurricular activities on offer and also  the impact that our Sports Leaders have within the community. Those with a passion for helping others develop their love of sport can get involved by completing the Young Leaders Qualification in Years 7 and 8 and move through the Sports Leadership pathway as the progress through school, gaining the Level 1, and Level 2 qualification in Year 10 and 11 respectively and the Level 3 (UCAS points) award in sixth form whilst inspiring the others to have a healthy and active life and take part in sport.

We offer an extensive range of lunchtime and after school clubs at both recreational and competitive levels. Students can get the chance to represent the school in a variety of sports in school house challenges, and District, County and National competitions. We run a ski trip every two years and sports tour for students in year 9 every year, allowing students to try new skills alongside developing pre-existing ones and applying it to more competitive situations in a range of different cultures, environments and situations.

Our parallel curriculum is designed to fully embed the sporting habit for life of our students and develop their love and passion for physical activity, sport and exercise. It is shaped and implemented in order for students to experience a range of intellectual and physically challenging scenarios so that they can find activities that they will pursue in their next stage, whether it be extra curricular clubs moving form KS3 to KS4, or a passion for the fitness suite from KS4 to KS5 or joining a sports club whilst studying/working post 16. We provide opportunities for all to engage and hopefully find an interest in physical activity which will stay with them for life.