PE
The Curriculum
In the Physical Education department, we equip students with the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, both within school and outside of the classroom. Our broad and balanced curriculum not only develops students’ physical literacy, but enhances their interpersonal skills, from teamwork to leadership as well as building areas of self-esteem, well-being and confidence.
Engagement, enjoyment and opportunity for all is at the very heart of our curriculum. Students are exposed to a wide range of activities and experiences which challenges their physical, mental and social abilities. At Key Stage three all students study:
- Team Games such as Football, Netball, Rugby, Handball and Volleyball
- Gymnastics
- Fitness including the use of the school Fitness Suite
- Outdoor and Adventurous Activities such as team building and orienteering
- Net Games such as Badminton and Tennis
- Striking and Fielding activities such as Cricket, Softball and Rounders
- Athletics, both Track and Field
Alongside promoting lifelong engagement in sport and physical activity, we believe in the value of fair and healthy competition. All students belong to a P.E house and at the end of every half-term, students join together to participate in inter-house competitions.
At Key Stage 4 all students continue to study Physical Education as part of their curriculum. Through the exposure of a wide range of activities and experiences within Key Stage 3, we hope that by Key Stage 4 students have found areas of study they thrive upon and enjoy and so are given the opportunity to select which activities they study each term. We believe this opportunity enhances students’ likelihood of achieving lifelong engagement in physical activity and sport. Students are not set homework or given assessment grades at Key Stage 4; having gained a vast amount of fundamental knowledge and skills at Key Stage 3, we believe Physical Education at Key Stage 4 serves a very different purpose. Students come to P.E not only to continue to develop their knowledge, skills and interests, but to have a time and space in which they can escape the stress and pressures of everyday life; a key lesson, we hope all students can take away from their experience of Physical Education at Towers.
Students are also given the opportunity to study Physical Education as one of their option subjects. By doing so, students receive an additional three lessons of P.E a week. All students who select P.E as an option study the Cambridge National in Sport Science qualification. This is a vocational qualification which is the equivalent to one GCSE and is recognised by all providers of further education. It provides students with the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to progress into the world of sport and physical activity. Areas of study include the Principles of Training, Sporting Injuries, Physiology and the role of technology in Sport. Most students who study this qualification go on successfully studying it further within our Sixth Form at Key Stage five.
At Key Stage 5 students have the opportunity to study the Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate in Sport and Physical Activity; the equivalent of one A-Level or the Cambridge Technical Diploma in Sport and Physical Activity; the equivalent of two A-Levels.
We pride ourselves on our extensive list of extra-curricular activities available to all students. These change termly, in line with the different sporting seasons. We also enter a vast amount and range of tournaments and fixtures within the Ashford and Shepway District. To learn more about our extra-curricular opportunities, please click here.
Extra-Curricular
At Towers we provide an extensive range of extra-curricular opportunities for all students. Whether students want to try something new, meet new people or develop an existing interest, we encourage all students to attend at least one extra-curricular activity a week. For every activity that is offered on the curriculum, we provide an opportunity for students to enrich their knowledge, develop their talent and nurture their interest through our extra-curricular provision. Activities are offered to all year groups, but some are split per year group and others by key stage, depending on the activity or sport.
Alongside our extra-curricular activities, we provide students with the opportunity to represent Towers at sporting fixtures and events. Some of the sporting fixtures we offer include; Football, Netball, Basketball, Rugby, Badminton, Cross Country, Athletics, Tennis, Rounders and Cricket. Fixtures in these sports are offered to all year groups, for both male and female students depending on the uptake, interest and demand.
One of our most highly attended and successful extra-curricular provision is Cheerleading. This is run by one of the Dance teachers and Cheerleading coach Mrs Murray. For more information about Cheerleading at Towers please see below.
Lastly, we believe in building strong links within the community and so frequently use our fantastic facilities to host a range of Primary School sporting events and tournaments. We hope this provides young students with the opportunity to experience high quality sport and physical activity in inspiring environments. At Towers, we are blessed with fantastic facilities, consisting of:
- Sports hall (4 x badminton courts)
- Gymnasium (3 x badminton courts) equipped with a full Cheerleading floor and air track
- 2 x Dance studios
- Fitness suite equipped with both cardiovascular and weight machines
- 2 x outdoor Netball courts which double up as 6 x Tennis courts
- Full-sized Rugby pitch
- Extensive field space used for Football pitches and Athletics track
- FA approved and floodlit 3G
For more information regarding Physical Education at Towers, please contact the Faculty Lead Mrs Giles at p.giles@towers.school
To view the PE and Dance kit policy, please click here.
Curriculum Journey