The Physical Education Department at Windsor School is a very successful innovative department whose work is recognised on a local, regional and national level. The Department consists of 12 members of full time staff and has a number of positions of responsibility including Director of Sport, Faculty Head, Faculty Deputy and Curriculum leader of Dance.
At Key Stage 3, students in Years 7 and 8 have one double lesson (100 minutes) and one single lesson (50 minutes) of PE per week. During these lessons students follow a broad balanced curriculum including activities from all national curriculum areas. In year 9 the students have one double lesson a week where they follow an innovative personalised pathway curriculum in which students follow one the following routes:
- Games activities
- Aesthetic activities
- Health and Fitness
- Games and Fitness
All Key Stage 3 PE lessons are taught in single gender groups. At Key Stage 4 students have two double lessons of PE, Year 10 students follow their personalised pathway and Year 11 students opt from a variety of activities. GCSE Short Course and Level One leadership awards are offered to students through these core lessons. In addition students may opt to follow GCSE PE (full course) GCSE Dance or BTEC First Diploma in Sport as part of an wide ranging options programme that the school offers. The results in the Key Stage 4 courses offered are outstanding with pass rates exceeding national averages by up to 30%.
Windsor has extensive PE facilities. There are 2 gymnasiums, a dance studio, a fitness suite, a field accommodating a soccer pitch and a rugby pitch, an Astroturf, 3 tennis courts, all weather cricket wicket, 2 netball courts and an outdoor basketball court. We also have a dedicated PE teaching room, which has access to 20 wireless laptops and Kandle software to develop the analysis of performance. There are plans to build a four badminton court sports hall and a human performance lab to be opened in 2010.
There are a wide variety of PE clubs and teams to which members of staff outside the PE department also contribute. On average there are 46 extra-curricular clubs a week and over 50% of the school cohort attend clubs on a regular basis. There is an annual Festival of Dance and also an Easter celebration of Dance which incorporates performers from primary and secondary schools across the borough of Dudley. The school is invited to perform at Birmingham Arts Fest every year and has also performed at the School Sports Partnership Conference and the National Dance Leaders Conference.
Windsor School has held the Sportsmark Award for a number of years in recognition of the schools outstanding commitment to promoting the benefits of Physical Education and School Sport. In addition the school holds the FA Charter Development Status.
There are a wide range of opportunity for students to engage in competitive sport, the department has been very successful over a number of years and currently hold the following titles:
- U12 Football - 5 a-side Tournament Winners
- U14 Football - HSSFA League Cup Winners
- U16 Football - HSSFA League Cup Winners
- U14 Rugby - District champions
- U13 Girls’ Tennis - Dudley League Winners
- U13 Girls’ Hockey - Dudley Tournament Winners
- U14 Girls’ Hockey - Dudley League Winners
- U15 Girls’ Hockey - Dudley League and Tournament Winners
- U16 Girls’ Hockey - Dudley League Winners
- U14 Girls’ Basketball - District Champions
- Artistic Gymnastics - Dudley Champions
- Rhythmic Gymnastics - National Champions
The school runs a successful Pastoral House System; a key facet of which is the House Sports Programme where students compete in a range of different sports throughout the year for their house team. Year 10 House seniors receive leadership training and manage and run the house teams under the guidance of a member of the department.
The department has a nationally recognised stage not age leadership and volunteering programme which is accessible to all students via Physical Education lessons. Through an extensive training programme students have opportunities to gain recognition for their abilities as leaders through the departments leadership ladder that incorporates Young Leaders Award, Level One leadership awards in dance and sport, National Governing Body Awards, Top Link Festivals and Step into Sport. Students utilise their leadership skills through Physical Education lessons, extra curricular clubs, Partnership festivals, working in primary schools and through the House Senior system.
The department has recently become one of only 14 schools in the country to be part of a gifted and talented programme with the Youth Sport Trust. The STARS scheme (Supporting Talented Athletes on the Road to Success) is a programme which enables us to extend our current offer to our elite athletes to assist them in managing their school and sporting commitments. Alongside this we run a very successful Junior Athlete Education Programme where staff from within and outside the department mentor gifted and talented sports people and provide a link between school and home.
The department received a subject specific OFSTED inspection in October 2007, we are extremely proud of the outcome of this inspection where we were graded outstanding, the inspector made the following comments:
"The personal development of students is outstanding. They work hard, persevere with tasks and take responsibility when it is given. Levels of participation in and beyond the curriculum are high. There is a culture of mutual respect between staff and students. Contributions the students themselves make helps build high self-esteem and this in turn creates the industrious atmosphere that permeates the department." - H Todd, Ofsted Inspector 2007
