PE – Ysgol Y Grango

PE

Designed to encourage learners to be inspired, motivated and challenged

GCSE Physical Education

The WJEC GCSE Physical Education course consists of two parts – a written examination and a practical assessment supported with a written piece of course work. The specification is broad, coherent and practical, designed to encourage learners to be inspired, motivated and challenged by the subject and enable them to make informed decisions about further learning opportunities and career pathways.

Through studying GCSE Physical Education learners will acquire the knowledge, understanding, skills and values to develop and maintain their performance in physical activities and understand the benefits to health, fitness and well-being. Learners will develop theoretical knowledge and understanding of the factors that underpin physical activity and sport and use this knowledge to improve performance

Developing skills & techniques

Learners will perform in a range of different physical activities. They will develop skills and techniques, select and use tactics, strategies and/or compositional ideas.

Learners will develop their ability to analyse and evaluate to improve performance in physical activity and sport.

Unit 1

Written – 50% (100 marks)

Unit 1 will be assessed by a written examination: 2 hours, accounting for 50% of the qualification through a range of short and extended questions. (100 marks).

Subject Content

The subject content focuses on five key areas:

Health, training and exercise
Exercise physiology
Movement analysis
Psychology of sport and physical activity
Socio-cultural issues in physical activity and sport

Unit 2

Practical – 50% (100 marks)

The practical element accounts for 50% of the final qualification (100 marks). This component is internally assessed and externally moderated. Learners will be assessed in three different activities in the role of performer, one of which will be a major activity carrying a higher weighting, in at least:

One individual
One team sport and
A further third choice of either a team or individual sport
Students will be further assessed through a written Personal Fitness Programme linked to one of the chosen major activities.

Personal Fitness Programme

Learners must design a Personal Fitness Programme which will help to improve fitness and performance in which they were assessed i.e. the major activity. Learners will not be assessed on whether or not improvements have occurred. It is recommended that the programme be a minimum of 8 weeks duration. The written evidence may be submitted electronically or as a paper version and must include evidence of the following:

Self-analysis of current fitness level
Recommendations to improve fitness and performance in the major activity
A plan of the fitness programme
Completion and monitoring the programme
Evaluation of the programme
Recommendations for improvements to personal performance in the major activity.

For the team sports/activities candidates should: demonstrate the application of skills/techniques/strategies appropriate to the position/activity in demanding situations i.e. in small sided and full sided games in competitive contexts.

For individual sports/activities candidates should: demonstrate the application of skills/techniques/strategies appropriate to the activity in demanding pressure situations.

Regular participation in all lessons is essential, with students wearing the recognised school kit for all sessions.

Enrichment Opportunities

Offering a variety of enrichment opportunities in Physical Education (PE) and Drama can greatly enhance students’ physical, social, and emotional development encouraging them to become ambitious, healthy, confident individuals ready to lead fulfilling lives. Our PE/Drama programme aims to:

Cultivate Leadership opportunities
Enhance teamwork experiences
Develop time management
Promote social skills
Foster confidence
Increase academic performance
Develop communication skills

Our sports staff provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities. These are timetabled before school, at lunchtime and after school. They allow recreational, training, and competitive sporting opportunities. An Active Wrexham officer works closely with the school on initiatives that have been developed to encourage active lifestyles and to supplement the PE curriculum.

Some activities included within our extra-curricular programme are Netball, Football, Badminton, KS3 Dodgeball, Multi skills- breakfast club, Rounders, Basketball, Trampolining, Athletics, and Table Tennis.

Alongside weekly organised activities, Ysgol y Grango participate in several inter-school competitions. Below are some of the competitions entered throughout this year.

Weekly Netball/ Football fixture in place which runs through September, October, and March.
Year 11 Ann Smart Tournament- Netball
Wrexham Schools Cross Country- Year 7, Year 8/9, Year 10/11
Year 9/10 Wrexham Schools Netball Tournament
Year 7/8 Wrexham Schools Netball Tournament
Year 7 Wrexham Schools Football Tournament
Year 8 Wrexham Schools Football Tournament
U13/U15 Athletics Shield
Year 9/10 Rounders
Year 7/8 Rounders
Year 7/8 Athletics Championships
U14/U16 Athletics Area Championships
Football Welsh Cup- selected age groups
Indoor Athletics competition- Year 7, Year 8/9, Year 10/11
Girls Football Tournament- Year 7/8, Year 9/10

Homework

Homework can take a variety of forms including written tasks, revision exercises, online tasks and preparation for coursework or practical examinations. The aim of homework is to supplement the learning that takes place in the classroom and instil independent learning, a crucial lifelong skill. Staff aim to give ample time to complete homework tasks so learners should plan their own time carefully in order to meet deadlines. The frequency of homework can vary depending on the number of lessons offered over a fortnight.

The majority of subject areas make use of Google Classroom to communicate any homework requirements to the learners. I would encourage learners and parents/carers to check Google Classrooms regularly.

Parents/Carers should endeavour to provide a quiet space for their children to complete homework tasks. Where this is not possible, the school does provide such places for learners to access in their lunchtime or afterschool hours. Please encourage learners to discuss this with their tutors or progress leaders in the first instance.

At KS4 students will receive timely theoretical homework tasks when specific content of the course is covered. They will also be encouraged to participate in some form of physical activity or fitness at least once a week to support their practical performances.

Feedback

Following assessments students will engage in DIRT to review answers, correct SPAG errors, address misconceptions, reflect on targets and make improvements.

Topic booklets will include various exam questions to support students to access ‘application’ success criteria of the lesson. These will see a combination of teacher marking, peer marking and self-assessment using a mark scheme provided.

There will be an extended written task at the start and end of each topic covered. These will be marked by the teacher using WWW/EBI. Marking will focus on knowledge and skills, providing diagnostic feedback to help them improve.

Assessment

Assessment is an important aspect of a learner’s learning journey. Apart from indicating the current performance of an individual, assessments also inform learners and staff which areas they need to develop. At Ysgol y Grango, staff continuously assess a learner’s progress through a variety of methods. This could include informal assessment, such as quizzes or observations, or formal assessments, such as written tests or coursework.

Ysgol y Grango use an online system called Go4Schools to track and monitor individual learners. Learners and parents/carers can also access information such as reports and subject progress through their own Go4schools login.

Throughout Key stage 4, learners will sit various external assessments. The timing of these assessments varies depending on the subject. Some of these assessment timings are controlled by the school but many are put in place by the examination board. As such it is important that learners are present for these assessments as missing elements of a course can significantly affect the overall grade for a learner.