PE
Department Overview
The high-quality Physical Education curriculum at Oak Wood inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physically-demanding activities as well as enjoying the social aspect that PE provides. Students are encouraged to learn how to excel in a broad range of physical activities, be physically active for sustained periods of time, engage in competitive sports and activities and realise the health benefits exercise has on the mind and body and lead healthy, active lives.
The opportunity to enjoy individual and team sport is widely available, we as a department provide a vast array of sporting option for each student to experience during PE lessons, lunch times and after school to ensure the physical progress of all students.
Extra-Curricular
The sporting experiences we offer at Oak Wood School goes much further than high quality PE lessons. The extra-curricular programme is a truly inclusive one with all students encouraged to get involved, we run extra-curricular activities at lunch times and after school. These may be leisure or inter-house activities, practices or team training for matches, clubs currently running in school include football, netball, rugby, basketball, table tennis, badminton, gymnastics and dance. These clubs offer the opportunity to practise skills learnt in lessons with an emphasis on game play. We have established links with several outside clubs and agencies in recent years, working alongside Hillingdon Table Tennis Club and Hillingdon Abbots Rugby Football Club and Hillingdon Manor Cricket Club as well as several others, to help provide our students with experiences outside of school to further aid their development. The school has recently been awarded the Sainsbury’s School Games Mark, recognising the work we do with extra-curricular clubs, teams and events.
School Teams
We have a fine tradition of sporting excellence at Oak Wood School. We currently have teams and individuals representing district, county and professional teams, in a variety of different sports. Over the past year the school has competed in football, basketball, rugby, cricket, hockey and this year netball, as well as participating in a wide range of competitions and events throughout the borough. The Emerging Schools rugby tournament is an annual competition for Years 7-10, offering students the chance to play competitive rugby in small sided matches, learning the skills and rules of the game. We compete in the inter schools athletics, gymnastics, dance and table tennis competitions across all age groups, allowing those students for whom individual activities are their preference the chance to excel. Our year 11 basketball team qualified to represent the borough in the London Youth Games this year, which was a fantastic achievement and have retained the title for last two years. While competition is of course a key element of sporting fixtures, we also aim to instil the core principles of teamwork, sportsmanship, resilience and respect in all students during lessons and when competing for the school, in the hope that they will continue to show these attributes in their sporting endeavours in the future.
Key Stage 3
PE in years 7 and 8 builds on the knowledge, skills and understanding of our students' Key Stage 2 experience. Students will build on and embed the skills learned becoming more competent, confident and expert in their techniques, and apply them across different sports and physical activities. Students will be taught to use a range of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in direct competition through team and individual games, for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, netball, hockey, rugby and table tennis. Students will also be given the opportunity to develop their technique and improve their performance in other competitive sports, for example, athletics, dance and gymnastics. Building trust and developing skills to solve problems, both individually and in groups, will be encouraged through outdoor and adventurous activities which present intellectual and physical challenges. Throughout years 7, 8 and 9 students will be taught to understand apply the long-term health benefits of physical activity, with a particular emphasis on fitness development as well as analysing their performances compared to previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.
Key Stage 4
PE in years 9, 10 and 11 continues to build on the skills, knowledge and understanding developed from the previous years. Students will tackle more complex and demanding ideas and tactical concepts to maximise each individual's full potential in each activity. Students will be encouraged to get involved in a range of activities that develops personal fitness and promote an active, healthy lifestyle; the concept of ‘life-long’ activity is one which we try to instil as students prepare for life once they have left school. All students will be encouraged to continue to take part regularly in competitive sports and activities outside school through community links or sports clubs.
Qualifications - Key Stage 4 and 5
For key stage 4 students wishing to take a sports-related qualification we offer Edexcel GCSE PE. This is a three year qualification that begins in year 9 and finishes at the end of year 11 they work towards developing the practical and theoretical skills needed for the course. Pupils are assessed on their practical ability in a range of individual and team sports and will be required to sit two exams. The course also offers students the opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding needed should they wish to go on and study a similar course at post-16 level; potentially laying the foundations for a career in the sports industry.
For key stage 5 students the A-Level in Physical Education offers a wide range of components and content to reflect the range of opportunities available within the sporting sector. The course will provide them with the knowledge needed to understand how the mind and body works through topics such as sports psychology and anatomy and physiology, while engaging them with key issues relating to contemporary global influences on physical education. This leads to the application of practical and theoretical skills that can be used to access degree courses or transferred into the work place.