To apply for a place at our Sixth Form for September 2025, please click here.
Through the study of PE we aim to enable students:
Physical activity plays a significant role in the lives of students at Holcombe Grammar School and, in addition to weekly PE lessons, there are regular opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities in a range of activities, including football, rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics to name but a few. Extra-curricular activities are open to students of all experiences and abilities, with selected students being given the opportunity to engage in a range of inter-school fixtures and competitions.
Pupils receive 1 x 120 minute lesson per week covering a range of sporting activities from table tennis to softball over the course of each year. Emphasis is on improvement & enjoyment and pupils are encouraged to become analytical thinkers as well as accomplished performers. Students are given the opportunity to work both independently and interdependently and are encouraged to develop a range of inter-personal skills, including leadership and communication.
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Gymnastics OAA (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Gymnastics OAA (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Gymnastics OAA (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Gymnastics OAA (group dependent) | Athletics Short Tennis (group dependent) | Short Tennis Cricket Athletics (group dependent) |
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Gymnastics OAA (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Gymnastics OAA (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Gymnastics OAA (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Gymnastics OAA (group dependent) | Short Tennis Cricket Athletics Softball (group dependent) | Short Tennis Cricket Athletics Softball (group dependent) |
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Sport Education Football (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Sport Education Football (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Sport Education Football (group dependent) | Rugby Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Sport Education Football (group dependent) | Short Tennis Cricket Athletics Softball (group dependent) | Short Tennis Cricket Athletics Softball (group dependent) |
Please see attached Key Stage 3 Learning Journey for Physical Education.
What makes Usain Bolt the fastest man on the planet? How does what you eat for breakfast influence your sporting performance? Why might playing on my X Box all day be bad for my health? These are the sorts of issues that are tackled on the GCSE PE course, which has been updated to reflect the ever-evolving world of sport.
High expectations are set of pupils as we aim for you to become familiar with many of the complex terminology and issues related with PE and sporting activity. Throughout the two year AQA course students will receive 5 x 1 hour lessons per fortnight, with a combination of classroom and practical based lessons. Assessment in GCSE PE is comprised of 40% non-exam assessment (NEA) and 60% theory.
If students choose not to study GCSE PE they will continue to receive three hours per fortnight of core PE lessons, with the emphasis on physical activity and application of core skills & decision making into competitive situations.
Theory
This unit is externally assessed through two written examinations, each lasting 75 minutes. Topics assessed include Anatomy and Physiology, Movement Analysis, Sport Psychology, and Physical Training.
NEA
Pupils undertake a range of practical activities, offering three for assessment in the role of either performer or coach. In doing so it is an expectation that pupils taking this course will be participating on a regular basis in competitive sporting activity, either inside or outside of school. One piece of written coursework will involve an analysis of students’ own performance in one practical activity, as well as the identification of the weaknesses in their performance and the planning of appropriate strategies to improve upon these areas.
Taking GCSE Physical Education will be your initial building block to an ever increasing range of degree and sporting career possibilities and the reformed structure facilitates a smooth transition for those students who choose to progress on to study the subject at A-Level.
“Lessons were always engaging and helpful. All topics were covered thoroughly.” (2020 GCSE PE student)
“The teacher was always available to support us and focused on how to answer questions in detail to reach our target grade.” (2020 GCSE PE student)
GCSE
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The components of fitness Fitness testing Methods of training Calculating intensities Health and fitness Sedentary lifestyles Obesity | The principles of training Seasonal Aspects Warm up and cooling down Somatotypes Nutrition and hydration | Skill and ability Skill classification Goal setting Engagement patterns of different social groups and commercialisation Types of sponsorship and ompacts | Basic information procession model Guidance Feedback Types of media and impacts Types of technology and impacts Conduct of performers | Arousal Aggression Personality Motivation PEDs Hooliganism | NEA (written coursework) Prelims
|
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rugby
Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Sport Education Football (group dependent) | Rugby
Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Sport Education Football (group dependent) | Rugby
Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Sport Education Football (group dependent) | Rugby
Fitness Table Tennis Hockey Badminton Handball Sport Education Football (group dependent) | Athletics Softball Cricket | Athletics Softball Cricket |
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardio - Respiratory System : the pathway of air Written NEA (continued) Muscular system Skeletal system Gaseous exchange Synovial Joints | Heart/ Cardiac system Blood vessels Aerobic and anaerobic Pathways of blood Lifestyle choices Effects of exercise (during exercise), short term (24-36 hours), long term (months) Mechanics of breathing The recovery process Interpretation of a spirometer trace | Levers Planes & Axes Practical NEA Assessment | Exam Preparation | Examination Preparation | GCSE Examinations |
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 |
---|---|---|---|
Futsal Basketball Handball Table Tennis Fitness | Futsal Basketball Handball Table Tennis Fitness | Futsal Basketball Handball Table Tennis Fitness | Futsal Basketball Handball Table Tennis Fitness |
Please see attached Key Stage 4 Learning Journey for Physical Education.
Students will explore contemporary issues in modern sport and recreation as well as examining the effects of exercise and the relationships between training and performance. Students will enhance their understanding of how elite performers prepare for sports competition as well as finding ways to improve their own performance in selected roles through their greater understanding of the subject.
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Skill characteristics Skill classification Impacts of skill classification Methods of presenting practice Type of practice Pre-industrial Britain: popular recreation Rational recreation The British empire Cardiovascular system Impact of physical activity The vascular system The redistribution of blood The respiratory system Mechanics of breathing Gaseous exchange | Stages of learning Learning plateaus Amateur & professionalism The emergence of elite female footballers Impacts of lifestyle choices The neuromuscular system PNF Agonists & antagonists Types of muscle contraction Types of muscle fibres The motor unit | Theories of learning - operant conditioning, positive & negative reinforcement, observational learning Social development theory Insight learning/ Gestaltist theories Rationalisation & development of lawn tennis Rationalisation & development of track & field Types of joint Planes & axes Energy transfer Energy systems: ATP-PC | Methods of guidance Purpose & types of feedback Sociological theory applied to equal opportunities Energy systems: Anaerobic glycolytic Energy systems: Aerobic system Energy continuum EPOC OBLA | Information processing Memory systems Schema theory The emergence of elite female athletes Periodisation Measurement of energy expenditure Impact of specialist training methods on energy systems Factors effecting lactate threshold & VO2 max
| NEA: analysis Prelim preparation and assessment |
Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 |
---|---|---|---|
Personality Attitudes Arousal Anxiety Stress management Concepts of physical activity & sport Development of elite performers Ethics in sport Balanced diet Diet manipulation Supplements Warm up & cool down Principles of training Training methods Types of injury | Aggression Motivation Social facilitation Group dynamics Violence in sport Drugs in sport Sport & the law Injury prevention Recovery & rehabilitation methods Newton's laws Levers | NEA: Evaluation | Goal setting Attributions Self efficacy & confidence Leadership Impact of commercialisation Sport & the media The role of technology Linear motion, Scalars & vectors Angular motion Projectile motion Fluid mechanics |
Please see attached Key Stage 5 Learning Journey for Physical Education.
There are a range of on-line resources that students can access in order to further their understanding and interest in the subject, including:
Students have progressed onto careers in teaching, sports coaching, sport development, leisure management, physiotherapy and sports psychology, among other things. The GCSE and A-level specifications have an emphasis on the application of knowledge to contemporary sport, as well as the requirement for students to be able to analyse & evaluate ideas. These are skills that prepare students well for Further Education and the wider word of work. The diverse nature of these courses also equip students with skills and knowledge that are transferable to a variety of contexts and job opportunities.
The study of physical education supports and encourages a range of British Values:
Democracy – Pupils are taught about the need for different roles and different responsibilities, including team work and decision making. Pupils know how to behave in PE in a way that is acceptable socially.
Pupils understand and accept the roles of the captain and team players.
Pupils can work individually and in teams and make informed choices.
Pupils are fully engaged in all lessons.
The extra-curricular programme is inclusive and activities are well attended.