Year 7 – 9

Physical Education

Key Stage: KS3

PE at Hammersmith Academy aims to inspire students to develop their physical, emotional and social wellbeing through challenging and meaningful experiences. Our curriculum motivates pupils to be active for life, nurturing healthy habits, confidence and enjoyment through a wide variety of sports and physical activities.

The Key Stage 3 PE curriculum provides students with the opportunity to participate in a broad range of sporting activities, fostering a lifelong love of physical activity. We encourage students to adopt a competitive mindset, striving for their personal best while also valuing participation for enjoyment and wellbeing.

Alongside developing physical competence, our curriculum emphasises the holistic development of every student. Lessons nurture communication, teamwork, leadership, reflection and resilience. Students learn to analyse performance, use data to inform improvement and demonstrate positive sporting values.

The curriculum is framed around four strands that underpin the holistic aims of PE:

  • Healthy Me – understanding fitness, wellbeing and personal health
  • Competitive Me – striving for excellence and applying skills under pressure
  • Social Me – collaboration, communication and respect
  • Reflective Me – analysis, evaluation and self-improvement

In addition to weekly PE lessons, Year 7 and Year 8 receive an additional games lesson every other half term, exceeding national expectations. These sessions allow students to deepen their enjoyment of physical activity, develop teamwork and strengthen positive attitudes towards exercise and wellbeing.

Year-by-Year Curriculum

Year 7

Students experience six different sports throughout the year: Netball, Dance, Fitness, Badminton, Athletics and a combined Basketball/Handball unit.
The focus is on mastery of fundamental skills, ensuring students develop secure foundations across team sports, individual sports, creative movement and physical conditioning.

Year 8

Students apply the skills mastered in Year 7 in competitive game situations, learning to use rules, tactics and strategies effectively. They study the same six sports to ensure clear progression: Netball, Dance, Badminton, Basketball/Handball, Athletics and Fitness.

Year 9

Students focus on tactical awareness, using strategies to outwit opponents. They revisit Netball, Fitness and Athletics, while Table Tennis replaces Badminton to extend their net/wall performance skills. Handball and Basketball are taught as separate modules to deepen technical and tactical understanding.

Module Overview

Sequence may vary depending on facilities and timetabling, but all classes cover the same content across the year.

Year 7 Modules

  • Module 1: Netball
  • Module 2: Dance
  • Module 3: Badminton
  • Module 4: Basketball / Handball
  • Module 5: Athletics
  • Module 6: Fitness

Year 8 Modules

  • Module 1: Netball
  • Module 2: Dance
  • Module 3: Badminton
  • Module 4: Basketball / Handball
  • Module 5: Athletics
  • Module 6: Fitness

Year 9 Modules

  • Module 1: Netball
  • Module 2: Dance
  • Module 3: Badminton / Table Tennis*
  • Module 4: Basketball / Handball
  • Module 5: Athletics
  • Module 6: Fitness

*Table Tennis replaces Badminton in Year 9.

Skills Gained

Through PE, students develop a wide range of transferable skills that benefit them both in school and beyond, including:

  • Physical competence and movement skills
  • Teamwork, collaboration and communication
  • Leadership and resilience
  • Confidence and self-efficacy
  • Data analysis and performance evaluation
  • Understanding of health, fitness and wellbeing

These skills support the holistic development of students and contribute to long-term physical and mental health.

Partnerships & Enrichment

Students benefit from a rich programme of extracurricular and competitive opportunities, including:

  • Inter-house and inter-school fixtures
  • Borough and regional competitions
  • Dance, fitness and sports clubs
  • Opportunities to represent the school in multiple sports

These activities enforce teamwork, team spirit and a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity.

Potential Careers

PE provides a strong foundation for many careers linked to health, sport and physical development, such as:

Sports Coaching  |  Physiotherapy  |  Personal Training & Fitness Instruction |  Sports Psychology |  PE TeachingNutrition & Health Sciences |  Officiating and Sports Administration