Vision

To provide opportunities for all students to develop a lifelong love of physical activity and sport’

Intent 

Intent 

PE at the Piggott School is at the heart of our community, we promote the school's vision of looking out into the world and ‘Go and do likewise’. We advocate inclusivity to ensure all students have the same opportunities throughout their journey at The Piggott School. Our curriculum is inclusive, invitational & inspiring that models windows, mirrors, doors through learning and reflection. It creates a sense of empathy and compassion that truly accepts students for who they are. In doing so, we draw on best practice, including Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction, to support student learning and development at every stage of their journey. Teachers model everything through visual demonstrations and verbal explanations to ensure students can problem-solve more effectively and approach more challenging tasks and activities. Temporary supports are put in place to aid students with more difficult tasks in both practical and theoretical environments and situations. Our skilled specialists can differentiate depending on an individual’s ability. We prioritise independent practice opportunities, where students can apply what they’ve learned in a range of contexts. This helps them to adopt new knowledge and gain confidence in their abilities.

We adhere to the National Curriculum framework and aim to provide continuity of learning embedding the physical development and skills learned in Key stages 1 and 2. We offer a broad and varied curriculum that will help develop:

• Competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities 
• To ensure students are physically active for sustained periods of time 
• Opportunities to engage in competitive sports and activities 
• Lead healthy, active lives.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities building character and help to embed values such as fairness and respect.

We offer an extensive co-curricular which is both competitive and non-competitive catering for all students' interests. There is a plethora of opportunities to participate in competitive sport to build character and cooperation as well as the schools’ values of Respect, Honesty, Equality, Dedication, Courage and Love.

The PE curriculum is routinely adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND, developing their skills and abilities via an incremental programme suited to individual needs. The emphasis is on confidence, competence, and independence. Rosenshine’s new materials in small steps and scaffolding are helpful in ensuring all students can access the content and experience success.

 

Implementation

KS3

All students in years 7, 9 and 10 receive 5 lessons, with years 8 and 11 receiving 4 lessons of high-quality Physical Education a fortnight from highly qualified and experienced specialists. All students take part in Core PE, including a lifestyle lesson implementing GCSE PE content and Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA).  Students follow a broad and balanced curriculum to support the curriculum intent. Students work on sports specific units lasting no more than 9 weeks at a time. For specific details please see curriculum maps below. The aim of the PE curriculum is to inspire, challenge and create an atmosphere where students of all abilities, backgrounds and faiths have the opportunity to sustain a lifelong love of physical activity and sport. It will also offer students the foundation of knowledge and skills if they wish to opt for GCSE PE in year 9. What we offer is continually reviewed to enhance the development of students at The Piggott School.

Throughout KS3, students are taught in mixed ability groups. Assessment within the department is through Head, Heart & Hands, designed to shape future learning. Through the Head, Heart & Hands Piggott assessment model, we focus on more than the physical skill. We look to underpin physical skills with a variety of concepts (18 across the year) such as resilience, respect & tactical awareness to name a few. This enables students to learn & develop in other key aspect of sport and real-life concepts. Formative and summative assessment is used to gauge how well pupils are learning the content outlined in the curriculum.

We pride ourselves on being able to offer pathways to suit students’ interests. Year 9 students can experience taster sessions for BTEC Dance as well as an opportunity to do the Sports Leaders Course if they so wish.

KS4

Pupils following the Core PE route continue to follow a broad curriculum designed to further encourage participation in Sport and Physical Activity for lifelong physical, social, and emotional well-being. The PE curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced to ensure that every child has access to the statutory areas of the PE National Curriculum regardless of ability or gender. This sequencing is modelled around access to the facilities available.

Students who have chosen the AQA GCSE PE examination course continue to study a variety of theory and practical lessons. In Year 10, students are timetabled 4 lessons a fortnight (2 theory & 2 practical). In year 11, students pick up another theory lesson a fortnight. The course is weighted 60% theory content to 40% practical. 

Students build on key concepts learnt in KS3 through the Head, Heart & Hands Piggott assessment model. They are introduced to the Cognitive, Emotional & Physical Piggott assessment model where 18 new concepts are explored. These concepts look to coincide with current affairs that our KS4 students are experiencing at critical points of their Piggott journey.

Students who have a passion for dance can opt to do the BTEC Dance course where students have the option of performing in the yearly Dance display. Those who chose to do GCSE PE will continue this pathway as well as core PE in YR10 and YR11.

KS5

For those students wishing to continue the academic PE pathway we offer OCR A level PE and Level 3 Cambridge Activity in Sport course. From following this pathway many students have gone on to university to study sport further.

As a school we recognise the importance of physical activity and mental well-being and continue our offer of PE into YR12.  On a Wednesday afternoon YR12 can participate in a form of physical activity. We have tailored this to students interests and it ranges from the more traditional sports to Pilates where we have an external instructor who comes in to lead the sessions. Fixtures also take place at this time for those who are representing the school senior teams both girls and boys.

 

Curriculum Impact

The department’s consistently high examination results support the impact that PE has on pupils at The Piggott School as well as the number of students attending clubs and representing the school in fixtures. GCSE results have been consistently significantly above National averages.

As a department we compete at District, County and National level in several sports. This involvement is celebrated at an annual Sports Awards afternoon which is one of the highlights of the year. We are lucky to have staff from outside of the department also eager to contribute to the ever-developing co-curricular programme.

The KS3 Head, Heart & Hands and KS4 Cognitive, Emotional & Physical assessment models complement each other to ensure maximum progress is made in a variety of domains. Both models accompany the students present time of their lives with the strategical concepts chosen. All concepts are transferable to relevant real-life scenarios that prepare students for later in life.      

Student voice is always very positive regarding PE and we listen to suggestions by students to improve what we offer further.

Students are consistently taught the skills and knowledge to enjoy and succeed in Physical Education and this can be seen in the delivery of all lessons throughout the department. By embedding Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction into our teaching practices, we ensure that students are provided with a structured, supportive environment that maximises their learning potential.

We strive for every student to leave The Piggott School not only with excellent academic results but also to prepare students to lead a healthy activity lifestyle and have a lifelong involvement in physical activity. 

GCSE Physical Education 

A Level Physical Education 

 

Cambridge Technical Sport (CTEC)

 

 

Journey