The overarching aim of the PE Curriculum is to instil in ALL of our students a lifelong love of being physically active and an understanding of the physical, social and emotional benefits that this will provide for them. Physical literacy has been defined as ‘the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life’ and this is the foundation that our curriculum has been built upon.

The curriculum is designed to provide experiences, opportunities, knowledge and skills that enrich and challenge our students. We understand that the curriculum is crucial to determining the life chances and choices for our students and therefore we will not compromise on ensuring the very best provision possible.

A powerful, knowledge-rich curriculum incorporates both declarative knowledge (facts; knowing that something is the case) and procedural knowledge (skills and processes; knowing how to do something). We weave different strands through our curriculum to incorporate the knowledge of the skills/abilities, the knowledge of PE theory, the knowledge of structures and knowledge of the 5 Abilities, in order to develop the whole child.

By the end of their education in Physical Education at Callington Community College, all students of Physical Education will:

• Understand the physical, social and emotional benefits that physical activity provides.
• Have developed the confidence and interest to get involved in exercise, sports and activities outside of school and in later life.
• Demonstrate confidence and competence in their techniques and apply them across different sports and physical activities. 
• Develop evaluative skills which will enable them to become reflective learners and undertake effective performance analysis.

In order to fully appreciate Physical Education and develop a deep schema, topics in Physical Education have been developed using the following rationale:

PE is a knowledge-rich subject and students require a defined body of knowledge to be truly physically educated. This includes aspects such as sport, physiology, psychology, sociology and biomechanics. The theory of PE is largely declarative knowledge, while the physical skills and abilities are almost entirely procedural. This has implications for curriculum design; the development of these strands has been informed by these differences and components of progression planned and mapped accordingly. We employ the spiral curriculum model in order to carefully sequence learning from simple to complex in terms of vertical progression from year to year. We have ambitious end points and cover content that is carefully selected to honour the community that we serve. Delivering Units of work based on the 5 Abilities allows us to shift the primary focus away from purely the physical performance element of the subject, and ensure that our students know and understand the Social, Creative, Cognitive and Personal Abilities that are fundamental to being a physically educated individual. 

The Physical Education Curriculum at Callington Community College has been influenced by:

• Student voice and consideration of our students' needs.
• Involvement in Sport England-funded programmes that focus on curriculum innovation.
• Membership of PE specific organisations including AfPE and YST.
• Online communities of Physical Education teachers and discussion boards which focus on curriculum.
• CPD opportunities undertaken by the teachers within the team to broaden our expertise.
• Collaboration with Physical Education departments within the trust.
• OfSted’s PE Research Review (2022).

Our subject addresses disadvantage through:

• Sharing clear Learning Outcomes at the start of each lesson to direct and frame students’ thinking.
• Mixed gender and mixed ability classes to promote a level playing field that reinforces the notion of PE being accessible to ALL.
• Provision of spare kit should students have issues with bringing their own. This ensures that there is no lost learning for any student regardless of background and availability of appropriate clothing/equipment. We also link with the PP lead for more permanent provision and support. 

We believe that Physical Education contributes to the personal development of all of our students through:

A constant consideration of the emotional learning taking place. We encourage students to show a willingness to consistently make changes. We teach students the importance of commiting to self-reflection and self-improvement. Students learn to maintain performance under pressure, to take risks and to seek opportunities to work on weaknesses. Our curriculum promotes independent learning, provides copious opportunities for leadership and the development of effective communication skills, and promotes resilience and self-belief.

Opportunities to build an understanding of Social, Moral and Ethical issues are developed alongside links to the wider world, including careers through:

Where the opportunity arises, students are encouraged to explore issues relating to sexism, racism and discrimination through discussion of sport on a local, national and international stage; students are always encouraged to express their own opinions and explore their feelings within a sporting context, developing empathy and compassion and considering the beliefs, and values of others.  We use opportunities such as the football or rugby World Cup or the Olympics to evaluate, comment on and discuss moral issues relating to sport; students will consider moral and ethical dilemmas and apply them to their own learning.