Physical Education

Physical Education plays a critical role in educating the whole student by promoting physical, social, co-operative and problem solving competencies. It helps pupils develop motor skills, physical fitness and an understanding of the concepts that foster lifelong healthy lifestyles.

Furthermore, it has been shown that children engaged in daily Physical Education show superior motor fitness, academic performance, and attitude towards school versus their counterparts who did not participate in daily Physical Education.

In their teaching, the well qualified staff in the PE department draw on their significant experiences, both academic and from within the professional sporting environment, as well as continuing to demonstrate active and healthy lifestyles.

Curriculum

Years 7 - 9

PE and swimming are compulsory throughout Key Stage 3 at Monmouth School for Boys. The broad PE curriculum provides ample opportunities for the boys to enhance their fundamental movement skills through undertaking skill acquisition, body management and health related fitness modules.

The activities offered include: gymnastics, badminton, basketball, athletics, tennis, hockey and health related fitness; each activity usually being undertaken for one half –term.

At this early developmental stage the emphasis is on enjoyment and breadth of experience in the role of ‘critical performer’. Boys are developing their appreciation of accurate and controlled movement patterns. Other roles such as ‘official’ and ‘organiser’ are introduced in Year 9 to aid the development of pupil cognitive processes in the sporting context and the use of inter-personal skills and communication. There are however, performance criteria for each activity against which boys are measured and specifically we aim to teach every pupil to swim 25m unaided.

The emphasis at Key stage 3 is to enable the pupils to make informed ‘life-style’ choices regarding diet, health and exercise. As such, all boys are inducted in how to use the school’s state of the art fitness suite and their fitness is monitored and recorded at least once every year

In addition to this, all boys play sport for two afternoons each week.

GCSE/IGCSE

The department does not offer GCSE PE although all boys have two afternoons of sport per week as part of their core curriculum.

Physical Education A level
Why study Physical Education?

Physical Education helps students to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies to live healthy and physically active lives at school and for the rest of their life. By learning ‘through and about’ movement, they will gain an understanding that movement is integral to human expression and can contribute to people’s pleasure and enhance their lives. Physical Education teaches students to critically inquire into the social and cultural significance of movement, so that they can better understand what influences people to engage and participate in physical activity and it provides authentic contexts in which to learn. Pupils challenge themselves to develop their physical and interpersonal skills required for working with and relating to others; this subject provides the learning opportunities to develop these skills. The specification offers breadth and balance – giving students the chance to study a wide array of theoretical areas that underpin physical education, whilst also getting the chance to experience and develop an interest in a variety of roles and activities. Under the three main titles of Physiology, Psychology and Sport and Society, the theoretical aspects of the AQA specification allow students to build on their knowledge from previous study and learn about factors that optimise performance.

Studying Physical Education facilitates a variety of career pathways and recent pupils have progressed to such careers as PE teaching, physiotherapy and sports journalism as well as less directly related careers such as engineering and military officer.

Pupils will study the following topics in class using a variety of up to date resources: text books, video clips and e-resources.

Head of Department: Mr A Jones


Course content

Board: AQA   A level Syllabus Code: 7582

  • Applied anatomy and physiology – Energy systems
  • Skill acquisition – Memory models
  • Exercise physiology – injury prevention and the rehabilitation of injury
  • Biomechanical movement – linear motion, angular motion, projectile motion, fluid mechanics
  • Sports psychology – Achievement motivation theory, attribution theory, self-efficacy and confidence, leadership, stress management
  • Sport and society and the role of technology in physical activity and sport – concepts of physical activity and sport, development of elite performers in sport, ethics in sport, violence in sport, drugs in sport, sport and the law, impact of commercialisation on physical activity and sport and the relationship between sport and the media.

Method of assessment

Component 1 – Paper 1:  Written exam paper (2 hours) worth 35% of A level.

  • Factors affecting participation in physical activity and sport
  • Applied anatomy and physiology
  • Skill acquisition
  • Sport and society

Component 2 – Paper 2: Written exam paper (2 hours) worth 35% of A level.

  • Factors affecting optimal performance in physical activity and sport
  • Exercise physiology and biomechanics
  • Sports psychology
  • Sport and society and technology in sport

In addition, pupils will be assessed as a performer or coach in the full sided version of one activity and produce a written analysis and evaluation of performance which equates to 30% of A level marks.

In recent years several pupils who studied A level PE, have progressed to study Sports Science or Physical Education degrees at university. Some have combined their studies with playing professional sport such as Huw Waters at Glamorgan CC and Luc Jones at Newport Gwent Dragons.  Others have foregone university to become successful Olympic athletes such as Tom Lucy who secured an Olympic silver medal in the mens’ rowing eight, before joining ex Head boy and former A level PE student Douglas Spencer as an officer in the Royal Marines.