‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games (& PE at Birkdale) is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. All sports for all people. All sports must be treated on the basis of equality’ – Pierre de Coubertin, Founder of The Modern Olympic Games

The Physical Education Department at Birkdale High School believes that all children should be provided with many opportunities to experience an extensive range of curricular and extra-curricular activities in order to develop their all-round health (physical, social and emotional), practical skills and abilities and a passion for physical activity and sport that they can carry with them throughout their lives beyond school and into adulthood. 

From the outset in Year 7, our students are encouraged to foster and develop a collaborative approach towards learning in PE and they are taught and encouraged to work increasingly more autonomously to develop their own and others’ ability levels. Pupils are encouraged to give of their best at all times and constantly reflect on their performances to ensure that they strive for self-betterment through continued practice. Leadership training is given to all students within both foundation and examination stages in order to prepare them well for the ‘world of work’ and to facilitate their development within the PE curriculum.

Inclusion is very much at the heart of everything we do and it is our priority to ensure that as many pupils as possible get involved in extra-curricular sporting opportunity. To this end, all of our many clubs and practices are ‘open-access’ to enable attendance from any boy within school. As a department, it is vitally important that we nurture all students’ sporting interests and enable them to develop active lifestyles which will pave the way for healthy and positive futures. Every member of each foundation stage form group is encouraged to engage in our lunchtime Sporting extra-curricular competition programme and we endeavour to ensure the highest possible participation rates at all time. Our commitment towards our access for all philosophy does not detract from our pursuit of excellence on an inter-school level. We  are also committed towards ensuring that our most talented sports performers are provided with many opportunities to compete at local, regional and national levels and historically we have achieved many major successes in a wide range of activity areas.

Our varied curriculum in Years 7 & 8 provides the building blocks for students who then choose to opt for our subjects at the examination stage. We ensure that all of our pupils receive a broad and balanced curricular during the foundation stage which prepares them well for the pursuit of courses in OCR GCSE Physical Education and Cambridge National Diploma in Sports Studies in the examination phase of  their development which will ultimately prepare them well in the pursuit of future potential careers within the Sport and Leisure Industry.

1. Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities.
2. Be physically active for sustained periods of time.
3. Engage in competitive sports and activities.
4. Lead healthy, active lives.

Across both Foundation and Examination Stages students will…

• Use a range of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in direct competition through team and individual games (for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, handball, table tennis, softball, rugby, cricket and tennis)
• Develop their techniques and improve their performances in other competitive sports (for example, athletics)
• Analyse their performances compared to previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal bests
• Take part in competitive sports and activities outside school through community links or sports clubs

Throughout both our curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities we aim to provide students with a wide range of experiences to experience the wider world in order to enhance their cultural capital…. 

• Sporting Fixtures (Local, Regional and National Levels and Locations (Football, Basketball, Badminton, Rugby, Athletics, Cross Country, Cricket, Tennis, Table Tennis, Handball)
• Whole School Sports Day – Olympic Ideology