Physical Education

We provide a broad, balanced and knowledge rich curriculum to enable students to lead a healthy, active lifestyle and promote lifelong participation in physical activity. 

The Physical Education Department strives to deliver and provide outstanding teaching and learning opportunities for all students regardless of ability. The welfare and progress of our students is at the heart of everything we do, and we endeavour to ensure that all our students achieve their full potential. We strive for all our students to experience a broad range of sports and activities as we aspire for our students to go on to maintain lifelong participation in sport and sustain a healthy, active lifestyle.

Every student at Ormiston Chadwick Academy studies two hours of Physical Education per week at key stage 3 (KS3). As students’ progress into key stage 4 (KS4), they will select their options in which GCSE PE and the BTEC Sport Technical Award Level 2 is available. If not selected, students will continue with two hours per week of core PE in year 10 and one hour a week in year 11.  

KS3 PE

Year 7

In year 7, students are provided with induction lessons which act as an initial baseline assessment of what abilities and knowledge students already have from their key stage 2 curriculum. Further to this, it allows students to be grouped accordingly which is then reviewed on an ongoing basis. Students will study a range of different sports and physical activities throughout their foundation year.

With a range of sports and activities as a vehicle for learning, students build upon their fundamental skills to learn basic skills and often, transferable skills. For example, the concept of receiving and movement into space. Our curriculum theme in year 7 is for students to gain a love of learning and a love for PE. We strive to achieve this a broad and balanced curriculum through invasion games, net games, striking and fielding, and performance/competition.   

Year 8

In year 8, students often explore sports and activities that they have studied in their foundation year at the academy. Within this exploration year, students develop their basic activity-specific skills by refining techniques and their ability to utilise them within conditioned practices and competitive situations. This year in PE has a theme of broadening their sport experience as we hope that students engage more in their enrichment activities and take up opportunities we offer for live sport and residentials.  

Year 9

This is the embedding year at OCA. Students will begin to experience more advanced techniques and a greater emphasis is placed on how students implement these with success and effect into competitive situations. There is more emphasis placed on the decision-making, their ability and confidence to evaluate performance and recognise their strengths and areas for improvement. The theme for our year 9 students is to be striving and thriving in PE as we endeavour to offer students relevant career and post 16 advice, aspirational events such as athletes in schools and an opportunity to start their D of E journey.  

KS4 Core PE

Year 10 & Year 11

As students progress into key stage 4, the focus progresses to students developing a healthy and active future. This is delivered through a range of activities and supplying students with a sense of independence to select an activity that is on offer. At KS4 students will delve deeper into ways in which they can achieve a healthy, active lifestyle and to broaden student understanding of different ways they can maintain a lifelong participation in sport or physical activity. For example, alternative sports such as kinball and presenting opportunities to learn about local provision and the possibilities that are out there for them post 16. 

KS4 Options

BTEC Sport Technical Award (Pearson) 

This qualification is an opted course that is split into three components across the two-year course. Below is the outline and overview of each component:  

Component 1: Preparing Participants to Take Part in Sport and Physical Activity 

This component is taught over 36 guided learning hours in Year 1 of the course. Students are assessed in this component through a Pearson Set Assignment that is released on specific timeframes each academic year. At OCA, students will complete this assignment within five allotted hours which is internally assessed and externally moderated.  

Component 2: Taking Part and Improving Other Participants Sporting Performance 

This component is taught over 36 guided learning hours in Year 1 of the course. However, the assignment for this component is completed at the beginning of Year 2 and is assigned four hours to students to complete this. Similarly, to component 1, this assessment is set as a Pearson Set Assignment and students will complete this assignment as an internally assessed piece and is externally moderated.  

Component 3: Developing Fitness to Improve Other Participants Performance in Sport and Physical Activity (External Synoptic)  

This component is an external synoptic which is therefore completed in Year 2, after the completion of component 2. This component is externally assessed in the form of 75-minute exam that is worth 60 marks.  

Below are how students are graded overall at the end of the two-year course.  

For further information in relation to the course content, here is a link to the qualification’s specification; https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-tech-awards/sport-2022.html  

GCSE PE

Students at KS4 have the opportunity to select the GCSE PE qualification. Students on this course will have two lessons each week; often one theory and one practical. This is subject to change over the course of the two years to accommodate for the component the students are studying. The programme is split into four components over the two years. Below is the outline and summary of each of the four components:

Component 1: Fitness and Body Systems

Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes (36% of the qualification); scored out of 90 marks. *Examination is sat in May/June of year 11.

Component 2: Health and Performance

Written examination: 1 hour 15 minutes (24% of the qualification); scored out of 70 marks. *Examination is sat in May/June of year 11.

Component 3: Practical Performance.

Non-examined assessment: Internally marked and externally moderated (30% of the qualification); marked out of 105 marks (35 marks per activity). *Moderations to take place between Jan-March of year 11.

Component 4: Personal Exercise Programme (PEP).

Component 4: Personal Exercise Programme (PEP)

Non-examined assessment: Internally marked and externally moderated (10% of the qualification); scored out of 20 marks.

For further information in relation to the course content, here is a link to the qualification’s specification; https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-tech-awards/sport-2022.html

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a prestigious award that is recognised nationwide and is on offer for our year 9 and year 10 students. The DofE was designed to challenge young people between the ages of 14-24 to attain standards of achievement and endeavour in a wide variety of active interests – to serve their communities, experience adventure and learn outside the classroom.  

In year 9, students will undertake their Bronze Award and year 10 will have the opportunity to complete the Silver Award. For both awards, students are expected to commitment to an activity in each of the sections listed below: 

• Physical  
• Skill 
• Volunteering 
• Expedition 

All students are required to complete their sections outside of curriculum time but are encouraged to use enrichment on offer to support completing regular hours on each section.  

The expedition element of the bronze and silver will be run and completed in the Spring Term 2023 with a small cost to the students and the additional costings being covered by the academy. Both these awards open doors at KS5 to explore either the silver or the gold award to continue their D of E journey.