KS4 - Physical Education
All students will continue Physical Education at Key Stage 4. If the students select an option qualification in either Sports Studies or GCSE Physical Education it is likely that they will have 7 lessons over two weeks allocated to studying this course. However, if a student does not select an option course they will continue to participate in Physical Education to develop their physical and mental wellbeing for two hours over the course of our two week timetable. These two hours are referred to as Core PE at Key Stage 4 and a range of activities and sports will be available.
GCSE PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Examination Course: AQA Course Code: 8582
The Physical Education GCSE is assessed both practically and theoretically. The teaching of the course is more weighted towards theory learning to support students’ preparation for the final exams, which are taken in the summer of Year 11.
Non – Exam Assessment (NEA) (40% of overall course)
There are two sections to this: the practical assessment of sport and a written task where the students have to analyse sports performance.
Practical Assessments (30% of overall qualification)
Students must be highly competent in a range of sports for them to achieve in this section. The final assessments will be in three sports in which the student performs to the highest level. The students need to perform in both team and individual activities.
Written analysis of performance (10% of overall qualification)
Students analyse their own or another’s performance. This is predominantly completed through a written assignment. However, some individuals can do this task verbally to support their progress.
Exam Assessment (60% of overall course)
Students’ learning will cover six main topics which are assessed in two papers which will be taken on two different days in the summer of Year 11. The students will be encouraged to purchase a revision guide in the first half term, as this will support them with class and home learning and ongoing revision over the course. Students will have summative progress tests ahead of each assessment review to allow teachers to accurately project each student’s grade. Below is a table which shows what the topics are and how the exams are structured.
What will the course allow me to progress to in the future?
The course forms a good base for careers in sports and active leisure such as sports science, sports journalism, performance analysis, physiotherapy, sports coaching, fitness, instructor, and teacher. It can also lead to other physical education qualifications such as A Level Physical Education, BTEC Sport and the Diploma in Sport and Active Leisure.
CERTIFICATE IN SPORTS STUDIES
Examination Course: OCR Course: J813
Sports Studies is a very practical course where only 25% of the assessed work is completed via a written exam. Below shows the 4 units which we currently deliver, however, we sometimes change the final two for individual students to support their learning:
Unit 1 – Contemporary issues in sport (External exam)
This exam is 1 hour and is taken in January on their first year of study (Year 10). We have plenty of teaching and revision material which fully prepares the students for the exam.
Unit 2 Developing Sports Skills (Internally assessed)
Students are assessed in both team and individual sports during their lessons. Students will also need to keep an officiating log for one sport and be assessed by a course teacher officiating a fixture. They will need to evaluate their sports performance. Finally, they will plan and complete a training programme logging their performance over time. As students are assessed in their practical ability in a range of sports, it is essential that they have a positive history of participation and engagement in PE lessons.
Unit 3 Sports Leadership (Internally assessed)
This unit focuses on qualities, responsibilities and leadership styles. Students will plan and deliver safe and successful activity sessions whilst being assessed by the class teacher. To achieve the top grades they will need to effectively evaluate their leadership performance identifying strengths and areas to improve.
Unit 4 Developing Knowledge and skills in Outdoor Activities (Internally assessed)
Students will experience a variety of outdoor activities during which they will be assessed on their performance. They will plan how an activity would be taught to children as well as take part in and demonstrate their knowledge and skill in outdoor activities.
How students are assessed
For each learning objective in each unit, there are three marking bands with specific marks in each band. Each learning objective is normally out of 15 marks and each unit is out of 60 marks (total of 240 marks for the course). The students will achieve grades for each learning aim and build up their marks over each unit. Their final grade is the sum of all their marks added together.
Below is a table showing how the students achieve the grades.
A L2 Merit grade is equivalent to a 5
A L2 Distinction is equivalent to a 6 and 7
A L2 Distinction* is equivalent to an 8