Physical Education

CURRICULUM ETHOS

Our Physical Education curriculum provides all students with a broad, balanced, and inclusive programme that inspires a lifelong love/ passion for physical activity and sport, promotes health and wellbeing, and develops the knowledge, skills, and character needed to lead active, healthy lives.

The curriculum develops competence and confidence across a wide range of physical activities, fostering enjoyment and a sense of achievement. We aim to ensure that every student:

Understands the importance of physical activity for physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and makes informed choices to sustain a healthy, active lifestyle.
Experiences a balanced curriculum that follows the national curriculum within lessons and an extensive extra-curricular programme that provides ample opportunities for students to represent their school.
Engages in sequenced learning, where fundamental movement skills and tactical understanding in Key Stage 3 provide the foundation for more specialised, advanced, focused pathways in Key Stage 4 and beyond.
Builds character and resilience, developing leadership, teamwork, communication, and respect through a variety of individual and team-based contexts.
Has access to clear progression pathways, encouraging continued participation and excellence through school sport, community links, examination courses, and lifelong activity.

The Physical Education Curriculum in Summary

At Key Stage 3, our aims are to build on the skills and knowledge developed at Key Stage 2 and to foster physical literacy - the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activity for life. Our core aims are:

To develop students’ competence in a broad range of physical activities. Provide students with theoretical understanding of key concepts in preparation for a GCSE pathway at key stage 4.
To ensure students are physically active for sustained periods of time.
To encourage students to engage in competitive and cooperative activities.
To promote understanding of healthy, active lifestyles and lifelong participation in physical activity.

At Key Stage 4 we offer AQA GCSE PE as an option for students who would like to develop their theoretical understanding of key concepts related to sport. 6 modules are taught over two years while practical lessons are strategically planned to meet the practical requirements of the course. Students study Anatomy and Physiology, Analysis of Movement, Physical Training, Sports Psychology, Socio-issues with Sport, Health and Wellbeing. Students can also opt for solely Core PE which focuses on the enjoyment of sport promoting a lifelong passion beyond their school experience.

At Key Stage 5 students can further continue their PE experience through the CTEC national course. The CTEC Sport course is a Level 3 vocational qualification aimed at students aged 16–19 who are interested in sport, physical activity, fitness, coaching, sports development or related fields. It is designed to develop both theoretical knowledge and practical/leadership skills. Students study how the body responds to exercise, how sport is organised, how to coach and lead activity, and often pick optional units in specialist areas (injuries, biomechanics, psychology, event organisation).

An All-Through Curriculum

Our All-Through Physical Education curriculum is designed to ensure a smooth and purposeful progression of knowledge, skills, and understanding from the end of primary education into secondary school. It builds on the foundations laid in Key Stages 1 and 2, developing pupils into physically literate, confident, and motivated young people who value physical activity and lifelong participation.

The transitions from Key Stage 2 into 3 builds on:

Core movement competence, developing these into sport-specific and performance skills.
Extends students’ understanding of tactics, strategy, and decision-making across a wider variety of sports and physical activities.
Deepens knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and fitness—introducing concepts such as training methods, components of fitness, and the effects of exercise on the body.
Develops leadership and analytical skills, including planning, officiating, and evaluating performance.
Reinforces and expands the concept of physical literacy—focusing on motivation, confidence, and understanding to sustain participation throughout life.

Diversity and Inclusion in the Physical Education Curriculum

We intentionally embed diverse voices, stories, and achievements throughout our PE curriculum to ensure representation across gender, ethnicity, ability, and social background. Examples include:

Students study and discuss the achievements of influential Black athletes in celebration of Black History Month.
In dance, students explore a range of cultural styles such as Afrobeat, Street Dance, and Capoeira, appreciating their cultural roots and creative significance.
In games and invasion sports, the curriculum highlights diverse role models
Lessons and discussions address gender bias (e.g. representation of women in sport), disability in sport (e.g. Paralympic athletes like Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock), and inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities in sport (e.g. Tom Daley’s advocacy for equality).

Inclusive Curriculum Design:

The range of activities offered ensures that all students, regardless of background or ability, can access success and enjoyment. Adapted and non-traditional sports such as Boccia, Goalball, and table tennis are experienced through all students during our Panathlon week.

Cultural Capital and Enrichment in the Physical Education Curriculum

The PE curriculum develops Cultural Capital by:

Exposing students to a wide variety of sports and physical activities, including those beyond traditional team games (e.g. yoga, fitness, orienteering, and dance from different cultures).
Teaching the values of fair play, respect, teamwork, and resilience, linking sport to character education and life skills.

PE enrichment opportunities extend learning beyond the classroom and help students to discover their passions, build confidence, and experience new challenges. Examples include:

Extra-curricular clubs and fixtures across a wide range of sports, enabling all pupils to represent the school or take part recreationally.
Leadership programmes such as Sports Leaders, where students plan and deliver sessions to younger students or primary schools.
Outdoor and adventurous residentials in Year 8/9, encouraging teamwork, independence, and resilience.
Links with local sports clubs, leisure centres, and universities, promoting pathways into community sport and future careers.
Involvement in whole-school events such as Sports Day, inter-house competitions, and health and wellbeing weeks.

Literacy and Oracy in the Physical Education Curriculum

In PE we embed literacy through the teaching of key terminology, reading and written expression. With the use of Knowledge Organisers at Key Stage 3 each term focuses on a different theoretical understanding developing students’ knowledge of key terms relating theory to practical. For example, in Year 7 students will grasp the importance that sport/ physical activity has on health and wellbeing. Subject specific vocabulary is taught to reinforce understanding. Oracy is central to performance, teamwork, and leadership.

Students are encouraged to speak with confidence, clarity, and purpose in both practical and theory contexts. Discussion and debate occur regularly in lessons where students discuss tactics, performance analysis, and contemporary issues in sport, developing reasoning and evaluative language. Peer feedback is a key aspect of a PE lesson providing regular opportunities for verbal feedback to help students practise giving constructive criticism and using technical vocabulary accurately.

Through Leadership and Coaching roles such as team captain, coach, or official, students develop communication, instruction-giving, and active listening skills—vital for confidence and leadership development. At the end of each term students will perform their VIVA focusing on their strength/ weakness providing a verbal presentation to develop confidence and oracy skills.

Ramadan - Fasting and Physical Education

Our policy at Eastbrook School fully recognises that fasting during the month of Ramadan is the fourth Pillar of Islam; an act of worship of great spiritual, moral and social significance for Muslims.

This policy guidance has been devised with reference to the following two publications:

Towards Greater Understanding – Meeting the needs of Muslim pupils in state schools, Information & Guidance for Schools: The Muslim Council of Britain (www.mcb.org.uk).
Safe Practice in Physical Education, Sport & Physical Activity: Association for Physical Education (www.afpe.org.uk).

It has also been written in collaboration with parent representatives of Muslim students at Eastbrook School.

During Ramadan, all students will be expected to still take part in Physical Education, for the following three key reasons:

Muslims are encouraged not to use Ramadan as an opportunity to avoid aspects of normal life but rather to cope with normal life under a different set of guidelines.
All children have an entitlement to access a meaningful PE programme that meets the requirements of the National Curriculum, while seeking to respect any religious or cultural sensitivities involved wherever possible.
The Muslim Council of Britain states that “the majority of pupils who are fasting are able to take part in most physical activities during Ramadan without putting themselves at risk or danger.”.

PE department staff appreciate that during fasting, normal energy resources may become depleted, and the risk of dehydration is increased. As a result:

PE staff will be aware that intensity levels in activities may need to be lowered to a point where fasting students may continue to participate safely and will remain responsive to students’ needs during Ramadan.
PE staff and parents should encourage students who are fasting to speak to their PE teacher as soon as possible if they feel that the intensity level in their lesson needs reducing.
Parents of fasting pupils are encouraged to speak to their child’s PE teacher, or the Head of Physical Education, at the earliest opportunity if they have any concerns regarding fasting and Physical Education at Eastbrook School.