Throughout Years 7 – 9, the students will have an opportunity to participate in a number of sports, allowing them to develop a range of skills and appreciation of a variety of sports. Recently, the programs have focused on Health and Fitness, giving the students the opportunity to grow their understanding of how to measure fitness, develop training programs and improve sporting performance.
The major focus of Physical Education lessons in younger year groups is on core skill development. There is an emphasis on participation regardless of natural ability, which extends to the College’s sporting programme. Skills and abilities covered during lessons transfer positively to multiple sports to improve pupils’ confidence and aptitude.
GCSE Physical Education is a dynamic and challenging course which continues to grow in popularity at Shiplake College. Pupils are provided with the opportunity to participate in numerous sports as well as learning the values of an active and healthy lifestyle. Teaching involves a blend of theory and practical lessons, allowing pupils to use their full range of intellectual and sporting talents to achieve their potential.
The course encourages creativity and decision-making skills to enable the students to plan effectively for performances and respond to changing situations. It also helps pupils to make informed decisions about further learning opportunities and career choices.
Physical Education is currently offered as a BTEC option in the Sixth Form. However, in order to extend and tailor our provision of the subject, the College has introduced a BTEC Sport course. The BTEC course is for learners who enjoy sport and are keen to investigate how the human mind and body excel in the sporting environment. For those pupils with at least 4 GCSEs at Grade C or above, the course provides an opportunity for practical, hands-on-learning. There are fewer examinations in BTEC courses, meaning that pupils are predominantly assessed through a series of coursework tasks. Whilst the course specification is currently under review, it is highly likely that pupils will study the physiology of fitness, assessing risk in sport and the principles of anatomy in sport amongst other topics. Typical methods of assessment would measure a pupil's ability to design a personal exercise programme, give a verbal briefing on risk assessment or administer various sport performance and fitness tests.
Pupils require a lively and enquiring mind, a willingness to explore new ideas and an ability to communicate effectively. The subject has a high academic content which requires a great deal of independent research and study to master the scientific elements of the course. Pupils will learn about concepts relating to anatomy, exercise physiology, skill acquisition, psychology and sociology in sport. Whilst practical elements will be built into the course to assist learning, the majority of the assessment will be coursework and assignment based.
Pupils who enjoy sport would find the subject both interesting and stimulating. A strong performance in the A Level will allow the pupil to credibly apply for a wide range of sport-related courses at leading institutions. People taking these courses often move on to physiotherapy, teaching, coaching, analysis, management, marketing or personal training.