Physical Education at Somercotes Academy provides pupils with the opportunity to develop their physical capabilities in a wide range of sports and physical activities. As well as honing physical talents pupils are encouraged to develop personal skills such as communication and teamwork. At Somercotes Academy we offer those with a keen interest in sport to study the GCSE Physical Education qualification which allows them to enhance their knowledge.
Please take the time to explore these pages, to learn more about what our Physical Education department has to offer.
The Physical Education department strives to enhance the development of students at Somercotes Academy by "educating through the physical". We encourage students to express themselves both individually and collectively in a variety of sporting activities. Students are not only taught about physical development but enhance inter-personal skills and their ability to work alongside others.
All pupils are taught Physical Education in all 5 years at Somercotes Academy and will develop the following skills:
Those who choose GCSE Physical Education will also acquire knowledge in the following areas:
Somercotes Academy strives to meet the curriculum area demands of Physical Education. Currently we have a multi-purpose gymnasium which holds 3 badminton courts and houses a basketball court. It also allows activities such as fitness, table tennis, gymnastics and dance to be taught on the curriculum.
Our outdoor facilities are also of a high standard and allow pupils to experience all areas of the curriculum. Our field area is vast and allows for a number of groups to use it at one time. Other outdoor facilities available are:
Our plans going forward include the building of a fitness suite to enable pupils to understand the benefits of exercise in order to achieve a healthy lifestyle. The fitness suite will cater for all users allowing pupils to carry out their own personal fitness programme whatever their gender, sporting background or fitness goals are. We also plan to enhance the changing facilities to enable pupils to have a specific area for changing.
With plans to further improve the sporting facilities available at Somercotes Academy it is clearly exciting times which promise to benefit the pupils who will have access to them.
Key Stage 3
Students follow the national curriculum in Physical Education. This involves covering a wide range of activities which includes football; rugby; tennis; gymnastics; dance; health related fitness; hockey; netball; rounders; badminton; basketball; athletics; cricket; softball, cheerleading, aerobics, outdoor and adventurous activities and cross-country.
Key Stage 4 (CORE)
Pupils continue to follow the curriculum and cover the activities from Key Stage 3 at a more advanced level.
Key Stage 4 (GCSE)
Those who choose Physical Education at GCSE will be timetabled 3 additional lessons per week. Pupils will have the opportunity to achieve a GCSE in Physical Education (AQA).
At Somercotes Academy, participation in sport is on the rise. It allows students to experience competitive sport in a fun environment. We have teams in a variety of sports which compete in local competitions. As well as offering the traditional school sports such as football, rugby and netball we are diversifying the after-school clubs we offer in order to cater for all. All pupils are encouraged to attend after-school clubs regardless of their ability or experience and it is an excellent opportunity to meet new friends.
In addition to the range of school teams and practices there are also numerous inter-house sport competitions in which students can enter. These competitions allow students to experience competitive sport by representing their house group in an organised competition. For those who enjoy team sports there are inter-house competitions in football, netball, basketball, badminton and rounders. Other inter-house events include cross-country and dance. One of the highlights of the school sporting calendar is the school sports day. This is again run as an inter-house event where students represent their house with all competitors contributing to their overall house total.
We pride ourselves in not only developing the physical skills of our students but developing personal qualities that will aid them when they leave Somercotes Academy. They experience working with others to achieve a common goal while learning about the body and the importance of exercise. The skills and knowledge we hope to develop are:
By offering nationally recognised qualifications in Physical Education and Sport to students we also give them the first step to a variety of higher education courses and possible careers. Having completed a GCSE in Physical Education students can go on to: