Our aim is that every student leaves William Ellis with the knowledge and understanding required to live a healthy and active lifestyle long into adulthood.

Key Stage 3

Students will have 4 or 5 hours of PE every fortnight and will be taught in mixed ability groups.

Students should build on and embed the physical development and skills learned in key stages 1 and 2, become more competent, confident and expert in their techniques, and apply them across different sports and physical activities. They should understand what makes a performance effective and how to apply these principles to their own and others’ work. They should develop the confidence and interest to get involved in exercise, sports and activities out of school and in later life.

Students will have the opportunity to:

• Learn a range of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in direct competition through team and individual games [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, rugby, trampolining, athletics and table tennis]
• Perform dances using advanced dance techniques within a range of dance styles and forms.
• Take part in outdoor and adventurous activities which present intellectual and physical challenges and be encouraged to work in a team, building on trust and developing skills to solve problems, either individually or as a group. They will apply these skills during their residential trip to The Mill.
• Analyse their performances compared to previous ones and demonstrate an understanding of how to improve.
• Take part in competitive sports and activities outside school through community links or sports clubs 

Key Stage 4 – Core PE

Students will have 2 hours of PE every fortnight and will be taught in mixed ability groups.

• Students should build on and embed the physical development and skills learnt in key stage 3. They will apply these skills across different sports and physical activities. They will be taught a range of team and individual activities 'through the game' to further develop tactical knowledge and performance. They will be introduced to personal fitness and how to use a fitness gym. This should help continue to develop the confidence and interest to get involved in exercise, sports and activities out of school and in later life.
• Evaluate their performance compared to previous ones and demonstrate improvement across a range of physical activities.
• Continue to take part regularly in competitive sports.

Key Stage 4 - GCSE PE

• Students study the following topics as part of preparation for written exams, worth a total of 70%.
• Health, fitness and wellbeing
• Movement analysis
• Physical training
• Socio-cultural influences
• Sports psychology

The full specification can be found here on the AQA website.