Subject Information

Mission statement from the Head of Physical Education, Mr Hayes

"Our vision is to inspire every student to build the skills, knowledge and confidence to stay active for life. We aim to empower all students to enjoy physical activity, embrace a healthy lifestyle and discover the joy of movement that will keep them healthy and physical active for years to come.”

The Twickenham School PE Department was awarded a Gold School Games Mark at the begining of the 2024-2025 academic year for their commitment to raising participation, competition, leadership and community links.

National Curriculum Aims:

• Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities.
• Be physically active for a sustained period of time.
• Engage in competitive sports and activities.
• Lead healthy, active lives.

Key Stage 3 (KS3) Intent:

By the end of Year 7, all students will have built upon fundamental movement skills from Year 6, enhancing their technique and performance of basic skills across a range of physical activities. Students will start with a unit of Athletic Development – whereby students focus on 5 fundamental areas to being physical literate. Running, Sprinting, Jumping, Balance, Coordination, Throwing and Catching. Students will then progress to taking part in a range of physical activities which is outlined below.

By the end of Year 8, all students will have built upon technical skills and developed a greater use of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in various physical activities. 

By the end of Year 9, all students will have built upon advanced skills, gained a greater tactical understanding, and enhanced their ability to analyse their own and others' performances.

Assessment:

Assessment in KS3 is categorised into three pillars of progress: Social (social/coaching skills), Cognitive (rules and regulations, tactics, and strategies), and Physical (physical skill and technique application).

At the end of each unit, each student will be graded from Beginner to Expert, reflecting the GCSE 1-9 model in each strand. Students will record progress in their assessment journal and set targets for the next term based on the strand that scored the lowest in the previous unit.

Key Stage 4 (KS4) Intention:

By the end of Year 11, students will continue to participate in regular physical activity during lessons and through extra-curricular provision.

Students will be able to apply advanced technical and tactical skills across a range of physical activities and demonstrate progress in various sports by reflecting upon previous performances.

In Year 10, students have the option to study Physical Education at GCSE level as part of their options process. Twickenham School teaches the Edexcel qualification, where students study Anatomy and Physiology, Movement Analysis, Physical Training, Health and Wellbeing, Sports Psychology, and Socio-cultural influences and their impact on sports participation.

Students who do not opt for the GCSE PE course participate in the PE Life Skills Award. This accreditation acknowledges their progress in PE over the course of KS4. The focus on developing key life skills enhances transferability across disciplines, contributing to engaging in life-long physical activity and leading a healthy, active lifestyle.

Alongside practical lessons, we incorporate concepts related to leading a healthy active lifestyle to further enhance our students' declarative knowledge of how to live a healthy life. These are taught through practical lessons and supported when needed with classroom-based activities.

Concept Overview

KS3 Curriculum Overview

Students will spend a term covering the following physical activities in lessons. Students will be informed by their class teacher which physical activity they will be rotating on to.

Extra-curricular activities

Here at Twickenham School, we see extracurricular sport as an extension of the curriculum. We provide a broad range of activities, including rock climbing, for students to attend to extend their knowledge from the classroom. Students are also encouraged to represent the school across a range of sports. Additionally, we work to support our high-performing athletes to achieve their full potential. Currently, we collaborate with outstanding agencies including Brentford FC, Middlesex Cricket, and FC Judo Academy.

The PE department follows the Edexcel specification, which can be found here:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/physical-education-2016.html