Physical Education

The Physical Education curriculum is designed to enable pupils to develop knowledge, understand concepts and acquire key movement and theoretical ideas that underpin performance. Through strategic development, the curriculum gives pupils the ability to be able to choose and apply these in relevant situations in physical activity and sports science.

Our PE curriculum is creative by design and is developed specifically to meet the key aims of the national curriculum so that pupils develop competence in PE, are physically active for sustained periods, engage in competitive sports, and lead healthy and active lives. This is achieved throughout several pathways across key stages 3 and 4 and enables pupils to build strong foundation knowledge in preparation for a more refined and in-depth investigation in GCSE PE and BTEC Sport.

Our curriculum provides pupils with a high-quality education that inspires all to succeed and excel in sport. Pupils are given the opportunity in key stage 3 to become more physically confident in a way that supports health and fitness with many opportunities to build character and develop SMSC values. Specifically in key stage 3, pupils are taught a range of individual and team sports in 6-week blocks that provide pupils with varied and rich experience in a diverse spectrum of sports. Pupils are given the opportunity to analyse their performance and to highlight specific targets for improvement. Additionally, to meet the needs of accurate replication pupils complete a 6-week block of dance in key stage 3 to enable them to use advanced dance techniques with a range of dance styles and forms.

Assessment takes place in the following ways:

20%

Evaluating & Improving

This is the ability to review the sporting performance of themselves and others, and then to highlight strengths and areas for improvement.

40%

Performance

This focuses on pupils ability to perform in a variety of activities throughout the academic year including team and individual sports.

40%

Theoretical Knowledge

This allows pupils to develop their knowledge the PE theory that underpins sporting performance, including anatomy, physiology and nutrition.

Art

The art department aims to enlighten inquisitive minds through the exploration of art and design. We aim to raise students' expectations and increase self-confidence and independence in their learning through active and purposeful, learning.

Our pupils make progress at a pace that provides support and challenge with personalised targets and guidance.

We aim to develop pupils with skills that can be applied to issues, problems, and practical activities. Skills developed within art can be applied in other areas of life, work and encourage a lifelong interest in culture and human endeavour.

Pupils at Dame Elizabeth follow a sequence of lessons and projects designed to challenge and stretch as well as build the confidence and skills to pursue art at a higher level. Pupils are taught to be artists and look at the world as artists do. Skills can be taught, creativity nurtured and exploration encouraged.

We continually aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, taking into account the interests and needs of individual groups and cohorts. Our schemes of work are reviewed and revised regularly to enrich the education of our pupils and ensure relevance and interest from all groups.

We support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by exploring the work of artists and makers from different cultures, countries and time periods, ranging from the inception of ideas and concepts to modern, contemporary work made by today’s leading practitioners.

We promote a positive attitude towards learning through delivering a wide range of projects, skills and activities expertly taught by experienced/knowledgeable teaching staff. Pupils are also given the opportunity to feedback to staff about aspects of the curriculum that work, don’t work and how projects can be improved.

We ensure equal access to learning in art, with high expectations for every pupil and appropriate levels of challenge and support to enable pupils to access the curriculum and succeed. Through experienced and knowledgeable teaching, pupils receive instruction and guidance through the use of 1 to 1 teaching, detail practical resources and high-quality classroom equipment.

We aim to develop pupils’ independent learning skills and resilience, to equip them for further/higher education and employment by encouraging creative thinking to problems and concepts. Pupils look at the world around them and respond in creative and unique ways that allow them to explore ideas, events, concepts and respond to them in their own, personal ways.

In KS3, pupils learn about the elements of art through a series of interesting, challenging and FUN projects.

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Music

Aims: The curriculum for music aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
  • learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others.
  • have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
  • understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Throughout the KS3 curriculum pupils will learn to:

  • play and perform confidently in a range of solo and ensemble contexts using their voice, playing instruments musically, fluently and with accuracy and expression.
  • improvise and compose; extend and develop musical ideas by drawing on a range of musical structures, styles, genres and traditions.
  • use staff and other relevant notations appropriately and accurately in a range of musical styles, genres and traditions.
  • identify and use the interrelated dimensions of music expressively and with increasing sophistication, including use of tonalities, different types of scales and other musical devices.
  • listen with increasing discrimination to a wide range of music from great composers and musicians.
  • develop a deepening understanding of the music that they perform and to which they listen and its history.

This is developed further throughout KS4 for those who opt to study Music.

 

Throughout KS3 and 4 (BTEC Level 2 First Award in Music) The Music Department aims to:

Provide a broad and balanced curriculum, taking into account the interests and needs of individual groups and cohorts. The schemes of work are reviewed and revised regularly to enrich the education of our pupils and ensure relevance and interest from all groups.

Support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by exploring the work of musicians and composers from different cultures, countries and time periods, ranging from the inception of ideas and concepts to modern, contemporary work.

Promote a positive attitude towards learning through delivering a wide range of projects, skills and activities.

Ensure equal access to learning in Music, with high expectations for every pupil and appropriate levels of challenge and support to enable pupils to access the curriculum and succeed. Through experienced and knowledgeable teaching, pupils receive instruction and guidance through the use of 1 to 1 teaching, paired and group work in a specially equipped music suite.

Develop pupils’ independent learning skills and resilience, to equip them for further/higher education and employment by encouraging creative thinking to problems and concepts.

Address social disadvantage through a wide breadth of musical experiences.

Celebrate and explore British Values.