Trips and visits include a highly popular and established hockey and basketball tour to Spain, a trip to the Brecon Beacons for Kayaking and Climbing (GCSE PE - Optional). 

We have also arranged trips to see football matches at Wembley Stadium, the tennis championships at Wimbledon and the O2, two cricket trips (Twenty Twenty and Test Match) and the BBL Basketball final.

Regular whole school events are held by the department.  These include a fitness challenge (The Turkey Buster) where record attendance saw over 420 staff and pupils participated in a 30-day voluntary training programme.

In all KS3 classes, the emphasis is on skill acquisition, the breakdown of sports with high energy, fun and enthusiastic involvement from all.   Sports covered include: Hockey, Netball, Football, Basketball, Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA), Health Related Fitness, Table Tennis, Trampoline, Handball, Athletics, Tennis, Kwik Cricket and Rounders.

In KS4 lessons, the pupils pick which sports they study from a choice of 4 per half term.  This allows the individual pupil to map their own way through the curriculum.  This helps pupils invest and immerse themselves in their own physical learning and gives them a sense of ownership.  The emphasis on lessons is based upon pacey, high-energy output with maximum enthusiasm, as they have chosen their activity.  Sports covered are Mixed Hockey, Mixed Netball, Mixed Football, Mixed Basketball, Aerobics, Celebrity Fitness, Circuit Training, Boxercise, Table Tennis, Handball, Badminton, Ultimate Frisbee, Athletics, Trampolining, Kwik Cricket, Tennis with everyone competing in a Rounders competition in half term 6.  This means that all pupils will have studied a key invasion game, a health-related fitness, a net/wall game, a field striking game and an aesthetic-based activity, whilst all have been immersed in a competitive situation (league Rounders).

The PE GCSE course follows the EDEXCEL level 2 (9-1) exam board.  Units of theory work followed are:

• Component 1 – Applied anatomy and physiology, health fitness and wellbeing, movement analysis, physical training and the use of data (interpretation)
• Component 2 – Socio-cultural influences, sports psychology and the use of data (Interpretation)

The course is heavily linked to the core subject of Science.  The GCSE PE course is 30% practical, 60% theory (two exams) and a 10% piece of written coursework project (PEP – Personal Exercise Plan) – a 1,500 word assignment.  Literacy skills are of paramount importance, such is the extent of the specific terminology.

The Marshland PED ‘Sports Ambassador’ scheme is a well-established recognition of our young sports leaders.  A selection of pupils who are good role models and love their sports can get recognised and be awarded a badge to wear on their school tie stating that they are sports ambassadors.  This leadership role involves being at specialised meetings, officiating primary school events, staffing a school parents' evening in their sports kit, and representing student voice.

Students’ need to refrain from getting fresh piercings until the start of the six-week holiday.  If a student gets a fresh piercing during school time, they will still be instructed to remove it for PE lessons. They should practice removing them at home so that at school it will not be a problem.

Students should remove all personal effects (which include piercings) for every practical PE lesson for health and safety reasons.  Placing tape over earrings is not appropriate, nor allowed as this would not stop the stud penetrating the bone (fractured skull) behind the ear should an unintentional blow be received. Indemnities from parents are not lawful and cannot be adhered to. Students who will not remove items will be isolated.

All long hair needs to be secured (hairbands, clips, grips, hat, elastic bands, etc). Hair longer than eyebrows is long enough to obscure a child’s view and therefore needs securing.

If a pupil is present at school then they are expected to take an active role in all lessons – this includes PE – the only exemption relates to injuries – if a child is injured, we still require them to bring their PE kit and take an active part in the warm-up if possible, then peer coach and become immersed in the PE lesson.  Pupils without kit will be issued with some from the PE department – all kit is clean and laundered on site.  

Trainers (footwear) need to be appropriate for the venue and weather.  Laces/velcro straps need to be tied/secure.  If trainers are to be used for indoor PE lessons, they must be clean and free of mud/grass.