Learning and undertaking activities in physical education contribute to
achievement of the curriculum aims for all young people to become:
- successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
- confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling
lives
- responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
The importance of physical education
PE develops students' competence and confidence to take part in a range
of physical activities that become a central part of their lives, both in
and out of school.
A high-quality PE curriculum enables all students to enjoy and succeed
in many kinds of physical activity. They develop a wide range of skills
and the ability to use tactics, strategies and compositional ideas to perform
successfully. When they are performing they think about what they are doing,
analyse the situation and make decisions. They also reflect on their own
and others' performances and find ways to improve them. As a result, they
develop the confidence to take part in different physical activities and
learn about the value of healthy, active lifestyles. Discovering what they
like to do and what their aptitudes are at school helps them make informed
choices about lifelong physical activity.
PE helps students develop personally and socially. They work as individuals,
in groups and in teams, developing concepts of fairness and of personal
and social responsibility. They take on different roles and responsibilities,
including leadership, coaching and officiating. Through the range of experiences
that PE offers, they learn how to be effective in competitive, creative
and challenging situations.
Key concepts
There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of PE. Students
need to understand these concepts in order to deepen and broaden their knowledge,
skills and understanding.
Competence
- Developing control in whole-body
and fine
manipulation skills.
- Selecting
and using skills, tactics and compositional ideas effectively
in different types of physical activity.
- Responding with body and mind to the demands of an activity.
- Being adaptable to a widening range of familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
Competence
This is the relationship between skill, the selection and application
of skills, tactics, strategies and compositional ideas, and the readiness
of the body and mind to cope with the activity. It requires an understanding
of how these combine to produce effective performances.
Whole-body skills
These enable the body to move and be agile, for example walking, throwing,
balancing, rolling, bending or twisting.
Fine manipulation skills
These enable handling of equipment, use of gesture or writing.
Selecting and using skills
This includes:
- tactics - specific approaches to tackling a task or challenge, such
as changing speed in a game or producing a safe jump in an athletic
competition
- strategies - broad approaches to tackling a task or challenge, such
as ensuring there are sufficient technically demanding techniques
in a gymnastic sequence or using a specific formation in a game
- compositional ideas - the design principles that inform the composition
of a sequence or the choreographing of a dance. They include the use
of space, height, speed, dynamics, shape, relationships or direction.
Body and mind
This includes:
- stamina, strength, suppleness and speed
- confidence, determination to succeed and mental alertness.
Performance
- Understanding how to be
successful in different types of activity.
- Carrying out actions, roles
and responsibilities to bring about successful outcomes.
- Developing awareness of other
participants and audiences that affect performers.
Performance
This includes:
- applying physical competence
- knowing and understanding what they are trying to achieve and how
to go about doing it
- having a desire to achieve and improve
- being willing to take part in a range of competitive, creative and
challenge-type activities, both as individuals and as part of a team
or group.
Be successful
This includes being able to use their knowledge, skills and competence
to:
- outwit opponents
- accurately repeat actions, phrases and sequences
- explore and communicate ideas, concepts and emotions
- perform at maximum levels in relation to speed, height, distance,
strength or accuracy
- identify and solve problems to overcome challenges
- exercise safely and effectively to improve health and well-being.
Roles and responsibilities
This includes acting as solo performer, group performer and team member.
Other participants and audiences
Participants include group members, team members and opponents. Audiences
include judges, referees, umpires and spectators.
Creativity
- Using imaginative ways to solve problems and overcome challenges.
- Exploring and experimenting with techniques, tactics and compositional
ideas.
Healthy, active lifestyles
- Understanding that physical activity contributes to the healthy functioning
of the body and mind and is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle.
- Recognising that regular physical activity that is fit for purpose,
safe and enjoyable has the greatest impact on physical, mental and social
well-being.
Key processes
These are the essential
skills and processes in PE that students need to learn to make
progress.
Essential skills and processes in PE
Progress in students' knowledge, skills understanding and application
of the key processes in different contexts contributes to their achievement
of the high quality outcomes for PE and school sport.
Developing skills in physical activity
Students should be able to:
- improve the range, difficulty and quality of their skills and techniques
- develop the consistency with which they use and perform skills with
precision, control and fluency.
Techniques
This includes whole-body and fine manipulation skills that need refining
and adapting for:
- dynamically challenging environments, such as adjusting body position
in the air in response to a poor bounce, or adjusting a move at the
very last minute to compensate for an error in timing, speed or use
of space
- sport-specific techniques defined by the rules of the sport and
its equipment, such as how to strike a ball when using a tennis racket,
cricket bat, rounders bat, golf club
- different purposes, such as running in a sprint race, for a vault
or in a dance.
Being creative and making decisions
Students should be able to:
- select and use tactics, strategies and compositional ideas imaginatively
in complex and demanding situations
- design original and effective plans that improve their own and others'
performance
- design original and effective plans that improve the quality of their
own and others' involvement in healthy, active lifestyles
- respond effectively and imaginatively to changing circumstances as they
arise during a performance.
Developing physical and mental capacity
Students should be able to:
- analyse how mental and physical capacity affects performance
- maintain and develop their physical strength, stamina, speed and flexibility to cope with
the demands of different activities and active lifestyles
- prepare mentally for successful involvement in physical activity,
performance and engagement in healthy, active lifestyles.
Physical strength, stamina, speed and flexibility
This includes:
- strength to deal with the efforts and loads placed on them
- stamina to maintain effort (both cardiovascular and muscular)
- speed to contract muscles quickly and slowly
- flexibility to move joints through their full range
- using aerobic and anaerobic body systems
- understanding what their bodies can and cannot do as they go through
periods of change and development
- understanding the benefits of training and preparing for activity
and the types of general and specific training methods.
Prepare mentally
This includes:
- the place of motivation, anxiety, arousal and tension in effective
performance
- the confidence to get involved
- determination to face up to challenges and keep going
- the desire to achieve success for oneself and others.
Evaluating and improving
Students should be able to:
- critically analyse and judge the quality and effectiveness
of performances
- make informed decisions about how to improve the quality and effectiveness
of their own and others' performances
- develop and implement imaginative action plans to improve the quality
and effectiveness of performances.
Effectiveness of performances
This includes critically analysing:
- the quality of a performance in relation to the range and quality
of skills and the range and effectiveness of tactics, strategies or
compositional ideas used
- how effectively the body and mind respond to the challenges.
It also includes identifying what actions are needed and either communicating
these to others or carrying them out in order to improve their own performance.
Making informed choices about healthy,
active lifestyles
Students should be able to:
- identify the types of physical activity available to them and the roles
they would like to take on
- link physical activity with diet, work and rest for personal health
and well-being
- make informed decisions about getting involved in a lifetime of healthy
physical activities that suit their needs.
Healthy, active lifestyles
This includes maintaining and increasing their involvement in PE, sport,
dance and healthy physical activity to meet government targets for PE,
school sport and club links.
Roles
Types of roles include performer, leader and official. They also include
different performance roles within an activity, for example an attacking
role rather than a defending role, supporter rather than supported in
gymnastic or dance activity.
Range and content
This section outlines the breadth of the subject on which teachers should
draw when teaching the key concepts and key processes.
The study of PE should include activities that cover at least two of the
following:
- outwitting opponents, as in games activities
- accurate
replication of actions, phrases and sequences, as in gymnastic
activities
- exploring
and communicating ideas, concepts and emotions, as in dance
activities
- performing
at maximum levels in relation to speed, height, distance, strength
or accuracy, as in athletic activities
- identifying
and solving problems to overcome challenges of an adventurous
nature, as in life saving and personal survival in swimming and outdoor
activities
- exercising
safely and effectively to improve health and well-being, as
in fitness and health activities.
Outwitting opponents
This includes activities in which the concept of success is to overcome
an opponent in a face-to-face competition where each opponent can directly
affect the other's performance and the key is to outwit the opponent(s).
For example:
- invasion games (such as water polo, netball, football, rugby, Gaelic football, American football, polo and hockey)
- net/wall games (such as volleyball, tennis, table tennis and squash)
- striking/fielding games (such as rounders, softball, stoolball, cricket, table cricket)
- combat activities (such as fencing, judo and karate).
Accurate replication
This includes activities in which success is judged on the ability to
repeat actions, phrases and sequences of movement as perfectly as possible.
In competition, the winner is the one who meets the definition of perfect
most closely. Examples include: synchronised swimming, diving, rebound
tumbling, competition ballroom dancing, gymnastics and skateboarding.
Exploring and communicating ideas, concepts
and emotions
This includes activities in which success is judged on the degree to which
the performer makes contact with the audience and communicates their ideas,
feelings and emotions, such as capoeira, contemporary dance, country dancing,
ballet, Indian hand dance and street dance.
Performing at maximum levels
This includes activities in which success is measured by personal best
scores or times, and in competition by direct comparison with others'
scores or times such as racing in the swimming pool or on a skateboard
or having a low score in golf or a high score in archery.
Identifying and solving problems
This includes activities in which success is judged on how efficiently
and safely the challenges were overcome, such as orienteering, personal
survival, lifesaving and expeditions involving walking or using transport
such as boats and canoes.
Exercising safely and effectively
This includes activities such as aqua aerobics, weight training, jogging
and power walking in which success is related to improving feelings of
health, fitness and well-being, including such things as weight loss or
gain, better heart health, better body tone, healthier skin.
Curriculum opportunities
During the key stage students should be offered the following opportunities
that are integral to their learning and enhance their engagement with the
concepts processes and content of the subject.
The curriculum should provide opportunities for students to:
- get involved in a range
of activities that develop the whole body
- experience a range of roles
within a physical activity
- specialise
in specific activities and roles
taking accredited courses and qualifications where appropriate
- follow pathways to other activities in and beyond school
- perform as an individual, in a group or as part of a team in formal
competitions or performances to audiences beyond the class
- make links between PE and other subjects and areas of the curriculum
- use ICT to assist in planning for improvement and involvement in
physical activity
- work with others to organise, manage, officiate and run festivals, tournaments,
competitions and events both in school and the local community.
Range of activities
This includes activities that develop the strength, stamina, suppleness
and speed of the upper body and arms, and lower body and legs. This can
be achieved through focused weekly activities lasting at least two hours
of curriculum time.
Roles within a physical activity
This includes an attacking role rather than a defending role, supporter
rather than supported in gymnastic or dance activity.
Specialise in specific activities
This includes activities that reflect local, national and international
cultures and traditions.
Specialise in roles
This includes the full range of performance, leader and official roles,
including coaching, judging, refereeing, mentoring, choreographing.
Follow pathways
This may involve:
- getting involved in PE, sport, dance and healthy physical activity
regularly to meet government aspirations for involvement in PE, school
sport and club links. This should include at last two hours of high-quality
PE and school sport delivered within the curriculum and an additional
two hours beyond the school day delivered by a range of school, community
and club providers
- taking part in school and community sport and dance opportunities
- deciding to become a performer, leader or official and working towards
accreditation
- being involved with increasingly complex and challenging tasks and
activities
- reaching the highest possible standards of involvement in physical
activity and following career and volunteering pathways
- pursuing routes into sport through volunteering.
ICT
This includes:
- use of performance analysis programmes and software
- recording and analysing performance
- tracking participation, involvement and improvement in physical
activity
- the creation of multimedia films and productions in conjunction
with other curriculum areas.
