New activities included among PE GCSE and A-level options

2019-09-24

Water polo and windsurfing are among the new sports that now qualify for assessment in physical education qualifications at secondary level, the government has revealed.


It follows a review into what activities should be eligible for assessment for secondary pupils undertaking GCSE and A-level PE.


Other new activities include figure skating and futsal, while BMX is now a discipline within cycling, joining track and road cycling on the list of potential options.


Cross-country and long-distance running now also qualify as subjects within athletics, providing pupils with greater choice.


Opening the door to more choices

Schools minister Nick Gibb said that increasing the list of options “opens the door” for pupils that are dedicated to certain sports to now consider PE as an option.


“Just as someone who excels at football or rugby has always been able to translate that to school PE, someone with experience in ice hockey or triathlon will now be able to do the same,” he explained.


Numerous activities were considered for the updated government list during the consultation, although the following were all not included: CrossFit, Taichi, parkour, bowls, refereeing and fell running (hill running).


The updated options

The new GCSE list included updated team activities, as well as individual ones. Figure skating and sailing appear on both lists, while windsurfing can be done individually.


Secondary pupils can also be judged on water polo, sculling, inline roller hockey, ice hockey, futsal and acrobatic gymnastics.


Meanwhile, the sprint section of triathlon is now included at A-level, alongside the new sports and activities available for GCSEs.


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