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Original poster

GCSE PE - girls performances vs boys?

33 replies

Bumbleboar · 17/05/2018 11:56

My DD is doing GCSE PE, and is taking sports which are more typically played by boys (so for example, rubgy). She says her PE teacher has told her that she will never get a high score for the performance element, as the boys will always be better than her so he has to score them higher. She plays this sport for the County, so for a girl, is really good. But obviously, if you put her on a boy's team, she could not compete.

So, how does this work? In sports like football, rugby, tennis, athletics, women's performance is measured against other women. Is this not the case with GSCE PE? Or has the teacher (or my DD) got it wrong? I can see how this is tricky - as on the other side of the argument, why should a boy at a similar standard to my DD get scored lower than she does, if he is by comparison to his male peers, less good.

Can anyone advise me how this works!

OP posts:
Ariela · 24/05/2018 14:21

My daughter did PE, and this was the case . The teacher explained this as in most sports they can not physically do as well as the boys so are scored lower. We were not told this when choosing options. SO unfair. Luckily my daughter competed in riding to a fairly high level so was still able to get a B

Baroquehavoc · 24/05/2018 13:59

Again, I know nothing about GCSE PE, but what happens about non team games like running and swimming? Do girls need to be as fast as boys to get the top grade?

Just bumping for you, really. Smile

TeenTimesTwo · 24/05/2018 13:48

I don't see how they could say 'not as good due to lack of opportunity'.

However, I also don't see how they can compare a girl v a boy on things like strength and speed.

Original poster
Bumbleboar · 24/05/2018 13:22

Thanks for the replies. It's interesting that I've not been able to find an answer yet. DD's PE teacher is obviously tied up at the moment with the year 11 students, and I've not found any answers online.

Is there anyone here who's daughter has got high marks for the performance part of PE in traditionally 'boy' sports? Does anyone know if the marking criteria are different for girls and boys? Is any allowance made for girls often having fewer opportunities to do some sports (ie lack of girls football/rugby teams), so recognising their ability may be behind those of boys of a similar age?

This is all becoming quite interesting - how does GCSE PE marking mitigate for socially constructured gender expectations? Smile

Also relevant perhaps to English students who have chosen Gaelic football as one of their sports, so not just gendered - what if you are really good at it but don't have the opportunity to play because your nearest league is 300 miles away?

Hmm

Back on topic - can anyone help wth how this works?!

OP posts:
Have3kids · 19/05/2018 08:06

Hi

My daughter did GCSE PE two years ago and also played rugby at the time she played for her county and for her divional area London & South East. Rugby was one of her main sports and her PE teacher assessed her against certain criteria that needed to be reached she also provided video evidence. I don't think she was ever assessed against alongside the boys I can ask her later on today when we meet up.

Boys county rugby is different to girls as most of the boys will have been playing rugby from the age of six years the level of rugby will be higher in most cases. Whereas a large number of girls don't start until secondary school however you usually find girls pick up the skills very quickly.

You can also use outside sports for gcse.

Hope this helps

TeenTimesTwo · 18/05/2018 16:50

As you are still waiting someone who knows, I'm bumping this so it gets above the idiot who spammed the board.

Baroquehavoc · 18/05/2018 15:17

Sorry, I can't help, I'm really just bumping for you.

But I think this point is relevant:
She plays this sport for the County, so for a girl, is really good. But obviously, if you put her on a boy's team, she could not compete.

Surely playing for the county does put her above the boys she is playing with who don't make the county team? I don't know anything about GCSE PE, but can outside school activities be used as evidence of performance? I'm sure I've seen threads where swimming and cycling were recorded out of school to support their gcse grade.

TeenTimesTwo · 18/05/2018 10:27

To me judging e.g. speed or strength or kick/throw distance against boys sounds daft and therefore I presume is not what should happen.

Whereas accuracy of passing I can see could be judged.

I would query, though no idea who with.

Note, I know next to nothing about PE, being the parent of two DC with motor skills in bottom 1%. Smile

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