Physical Education

EdExcel

Sport in all its forms is now an important part of our economy, with a broad range of varied employment opportunities. This will grow because of the Government’s push to increase the health and fitness of the nation, through encouraging participation in physical activity and the heightened interest in sport flowing from the 2012 London Olympics. This then is an excellent time to consider studying PE at AS/A-level. PE students achieve good grades at Paston and many go on to universities with outstanding sports facilities.

The AS/A-level course mixes academic study with assignments and practical work. The theory you learn covers everything from how sport originated to the organisation of the Olympic Games. You will learn how the body adapts to exercise and how you can use that information to improve your own performance and fitness. You will also study in detail a sport of your choice, examining local and national provision and how performance can be analysed and improved.

For those with a strong interest in sport, Paston has a great deal to offer. On Wednesday afternoons there is a wide range of sports activities, team games with regular fixtures against other schools and colleges and a chance to compete in the British Colleges’ Championships. We also promote minority sports, such as climbing and martial arts, and provide opportunities for you to gain the qualifications needed to coach or referee a variety of sports.

AS Physical Education

In AS PE you will study:
• The development of sport from the ‘gentleman amateur‘ of the 18th century to the ‘win at all costs’ athlete of today.
• Pathways of sporting development from the playground to the Olympics.
• How to design a fitness and training programme.
• Research how the body adapts to training.
• Modern lifestyles and how they impact on the nation’s health. Your coursework, which contributes 50% of your marks, focuses on a sport of your choice, how it is organized and developed both locally and nationally. There is also practical assessment of your participation, coaching or officiating in a sport.

Assessment

Coursework and written and practical examinations.

Entry requirements

A minimum of BBCCC at GCSE including English/English Language and Mathematics or a science.

A2 Physical Education

At A2 you will build on what you learned in AS. The course focuses on the development of élite performers. This encompasses some really interesting and cutting edge topics including the use of human performance laboratories, psychology, IT and video analysis and poses questions such as: is the use of hypoxic chambers in training fair?, how effective is the Speedo ‘shark’ swimsuit? Or by creating sporting academies are we becoming more like the former East Germans in our desire for gold medals?

Like the AS course it comprises a mix of theory, assignments and practical work, keeping it interesting, varied and relevant. You will study:
• How top athletes prepare physically and psychologically for competitions.
• The role technology plays in sport and performance today.
• How the body fatigues and recovers. Coursework assignments focus on a sport of your choice, how it is organised and promoted internationally and how training can improve your own personal performance. The practical component is based on participation, coaching or officiating (refereeing) in the sport.

Assessment

Examinations, assignments and practical assessment.