Physical Education
St Gabriel’s provides a holistic sporting programme and offers a multi-dimensional approach towards sport, health and fitness; we endeavour to prepare our pupils for an active and healthy life.
We guide our pupils to be gracious in victory and dignified in defeat. Teamwork, leadership, resilience, competition and respect are important values for their future lives and lie at the heart of all that we do. Sport thrives through a diverse sporting provision, at the heart of which is the promotion of physical health, social interaction, excellence and lifelong participation.
Girls make full use of our on-site sporting facilities, which include hockey pitches, netball courts, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, a fully equipped sports hall, climbing wall, football and rugby pitches and a cross country course.
Year 7-9 Physical Education
In the Autumn Term, all pupils follow a programme of games, including netball and hockey, complemented by dance, gymnastics and health related exercise. In the Spring Term, pupils continue with their major games and dance and also have the opportunity to learn racket skills and train in outdoor education. The Summer Term provision includes athletics, tennis, swimming and rounders. As pupils progress through the Senior School they are offered additional options such as yoga, body balance and trampolining.
Challenge & Extension: There are many opportunities for co-curricular participation with over 30 different clubs offered throughout the year. We have a very busy fixtures diary with every pupil. The necessary enthusiasm to represent the school at many levels is evident.
We have excellent links with local clubs, such as athletics, netball, hockey, rugby, football and equestrian, with many of our pupils training and representing at county level and beyond. A team of external coaches offers a variety of additional professional coaching sessions, including cross country, tennis, gym, judo, ballet, climbing, trampolining and rugby.
Year 10-11 Physical Education GCSE
Girls can choose to take GCSE PE as an examination subject, which is split 60% theory and 40% practical with pupils assessed in three practical areas. During this varied and balanced course, girls develop the ability to analyse, evaluate and improve performance in physical activity and sport. They gain a greater understanding of the contribution that physical activity and sport make to health, fitness and wellbeing. In addition, pupils develop theoretical knowledge and understanding of the factors that underpin physical activity and sport and learn to recognise how the physiological and psychological state affects performance.
By developing skills and techniques and by selecting and using tactics, strategies and compositional ideas, girls increase the effectiveness of their performance in a wide range of physical activities, both as individuals and as part of a team.
Additionally, all pupils have two one-hour physical education sessions per week. In Year 10, pupils are taught in mixed ability groups. This will allow them to continue to develop skills acquired in Year 7 – Year 9. Lesson choices offered include, dance, netball, fitness, hockey, badminton, sports leadership, volleyball, rounders, athletics, swimming and tennis. In Year 11, pupils select from an elective, option-based programme, the activities on offer include the traditional sports and alternative activities such as volleyball and use of the Nuffield Health Club. The options run in half-term blocks and different activities are offered throughout the year. Pupils are guided towards selecting a balanced option programme that runs in conjunction with national curriculum guidelines.
Challenge & Extension: There are a wide range of co-curricular activities and clubs on offer, which are designed to inspire and challenge pupils. Sports Scholars and girls on our Challenge & Extension programme take part in additional training and activities, most recently they went to Bath University for coaching with international netball players and were also able to explore the university's first-class sports facilities.
