Physical Education develops the learners’ skills and abilities in a wide range of physical activities. The Course concentrates on Mental, Emotional, Social, and Physical factors of physical education, physical activity, and sport.

National 4 / 5 / Higher PE

Entry – Pupils must be proficient in at least 2 different practical activities.

During the course pupils will have a choice of Badminton or Football as their first practical activity.  All pupils will then participate in Volleyball and Basketball respectively.  Three sessions will be practical and two sessions will be theory each week.  

Assessment – Performance

Pupils will be assessed in two one off performance situations. Normally the activity will be selected from one of the course activities, however if a candidate has a particular strength in another area, every effort will be made to use this.

This will make up 50% of the final grade at N5 and Higher. (100% at National 4)

Assessment – Written

National 5 – Portfolio

Pupils will complete a portfolio. This is a project covering the factors that impact on performance which will be sent to SQA for marking.  The portfolio is 50% of the overall grade

Higher – Exam

Pupils will have an SQA exam in May.  The exam is two and a half hours long and has three sections.   The first two sections look at factors impacting on a performance and the final section is a scenario based question.  The exam is worth 50% of the overall grade.  

Progression

Future career paths include a wide range of opportunities within the creative industries and beyond such as; Teacher of Physical Education, Sports Development, Sports Management, Active Schools Co-ordinator, Sports Coach, Fitness Instructor, Swimming Teacher, Youth Play Worker. Physical Education is also sought after by employers such as the Police, Army and various Trades as it demonstrates to employers that pupils know how to stay fit and healthy.

Community Sports Leader Award (CSLA) Levels 4, 5 and 6

The level 4, 5 and 6 Community Sports Leader awards are nationally recognised qualifications. The main aims of the courses are to develop and enhance leadership skills, particularly within a sporting environment.

During the course you will learn to plan and lead safe, enjoyable and purposeful activity sessions while demonstrating all the key leadership skills. Pupils will have the opportunity to participate and lead these sessions through a variety of sporting activities.  In Level 4 there will be a lot of leadership in small groups with lots of teacher support.  As we progress through the levels young people become more and more independent in the delivery of their activity sessions.

As part of the qualification Level 5 pupils are responsible for organising and delivering a sports event.  They also have to lead two activity session and an extra session designed to raise the heart rate of the participants.  Volunteering hours must also be completed and this is done through the organising of lunch time clubs within the PE department.

Level 6 candidates will be assessed in their ability to plan, organise and deliver three lessons independently.   Candidates are also responsible for planning and delivering activity sessions within Primary Schools and leading sessions for our Integration Centre pupils as part of their community

Expectations for all candidates are to have a keen interest in sport, participating in all activities with enthusiasm and being organised with PE kit for every lesson.   Candidates at all levels have a learner log that must be completed in full to be able to pass the course.

NPA Exercise and Fitness Leadership – Level 6

To get into this course you must be in S5 or S6 and have either passed your National 5 PE, Higher PE or have a keen interest in PE and physical fitness. The course will be made up of 3 units of work that are all internally assessed.

Unit 1 – Cardiovascular training

Unit 2 – Free Weight training

Unit 3 – Circuit training

There will be lots of learning about the human body and how to train specific aspects of fitness. There are a large number of internal outcomes for each unit that are mixed with some practical assessments that are completed under exam conditions.

Outcomes will be sat regularly so good attendance is vital so that you can keep up with the pace of learning. Outcomes are a pass or fail, and you are required one resit if you fail an outcome. There will be 3 practical periods per week and 2 classroom periods.

This course is ideal for people who have a keen interest in PE and fitness, and see themselves working in the fitness industry as a personal trainer or a coach.