Physical Education
Why Study PE?
GCSE PE is an opportunity for those that are sport minded, and are playing regular sport, to extend their knowledge and gain an extra GCSE. The beauty of studying it is that you are assessed in activities you would be taking part in anyway. There are also a number of elements in the GCSE PE course that are also covered in Biology, so you will find you get taught some similar content in both subjects – excellent reinforcement!
The GCSE PE course will appeal to you if you:
- have a keen interest in sport and always look forward to your PE lessons
- want to follow a course that develops knowledge and understanding through practical involvement
- are interested in knowing more about the benefits of sport and exercise
- would like to study a course that is active and one that you will enjoy
- are considering a sports related career
- are already demonstrating a commitment to a regular sporting activity outside of school
- have a keen interest in sport, and how the body responds to exercise
You will learn about
- Movement Analysis Sports Psychology
- Anatomy and Physiology and the use of data
- Physical Training
- Socio Cultural Influences
- Health, Fitness and Well-being
Students will receive a well-rounded and full introduction to the world of PE, Sport and Sport Science by developing an understanding of how the mind and body work in relation to performance in physical activity.
GCSE Physical Education Curriculum
| Year 10 | Year 11 | |
|---|---|---|
| Aut.1 | Paper 2: Health, Fitness and Wellbeing | Paper 1: The Cardio-respiratory system |
| Aut.2 | Paper 2: Health, Fitness and Wellbeing | Paper 1: Movement Analysis |
| Spr.1 | Paper 2: Sport Psychology | Paper 1: Physical training |
| Spr.2 | Paper 2: Socio-Cultural Influences | Paper 1: Physical training |
| Sum.1 | Paper 2: Socio-Cultural Influences | |
| Sum.2 | Paper 1:- The Musculo-Skeletal System |
There are four components in the course
- Fitness and Body systems: written examination – 1 hour, 45 mins
- Health and Performance: written examination – 1 hour, 15 mins
- Practical Performance: assessment – you will need to be assessed in 3 different activity areas.
- Personal Exercise Programme: assessment – Coursework
Core PE Curriculum
Core PE will allow students to take part in a range of activities across the two years as we look at maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. We will also focus on teaching lifelong enjoyment of physical activity.
It is clear that active students learn better in class. Core PE offers two hours of physical activity a week, where we aim to help provide students with a happy, healthy lifestyle through physical activity. The course will be very similar to the PE lessons that the students experience in year 9, although some new activities will be introduced.
Young people should:
- aim for an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a day across the week
- take part in a variety of types and intensities of physical activity across the week to develop movement skills, muscles and bones
- reduce the time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity. Aim to spread activity throughout the day. All activities should make you breathe faster and feel warmer.
We will attempt to deliver a wide breadth of activities, examples of which may include:
- Football
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Fitness
- Aerobics
- Netball
- Hockey
- Badminton
- Cricket
Career Pathways
What does it lead to?
Physical education teaches life skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving – all skills that employers are looking for. It can lead to careers in Physiotherapy, Coaching, Sport Science, Performance Analysis (every professional sports team has one!) and many more.
For more information click on our A Level PE Course.
For advice on apprenticeship courses, click here.
Career Options
You can watch a great series of videos of young people who are working in jobs that use PE on the BBC Bitesize website.
For examples of careers leading from this subject, click here.
THINK PE and Sport THINK Apprenticeships from Amazing Apprenticeships on Vimeo.