PE GCSE options

They are normally asked to do a team sport an individual sport and another one. What does he do (if anything) at the moment?

DS is doing GCSe PE and is planning on doing it at A level next year. He plays football out of school but certainly not at a high level.

Just to be aware (I’m sure you are) but a huge amount of the course is actually science/theory based so if he’s not going to enjoy that then I’d steer clear of it.

It's a lot easier for example to be county level at athletics, say. In our city, if you throw the second best effort at discus on the day at a schools event in the summer, you get to compete for your county (I assume this is "county level" tho in fact it's national level as you compete against people from across England).

Not denigrating the effort involved btw but there are certainly fewer ppl trying to get there than there are trying to do well at footy (bit like playing the oboe as opposed to the flute). So if you commit to training and don't pick sprinting (= flute) but do discus or high jump or pole vault, you can do very well. Hence me suggestng athletics to op - also bc you can legitimately and successfully take it up age 13 (unlike things like gymnastics, as I understand it).

No guidance re home sports or “county level” received from my DDs school. The county level thing has to be made up (not denying you were told that, just that it can’t be enforceable or even ethical). How many kids play football v how many are ‘county level’? Such an exclusionary approach.

haha sorry ds not dad!!

Op has your dad thought about a different sport? Athletics is great and has many strands, or how about a martial art, or swimming if he doesn't like team sports?

Hmmmm I don’t think it’s an admission of failure by the school, just useful advice.

My ds2 had to offer three sports, one solo, one team and one either (don’t know if this varies from board to board). He plays football for a local club (not county level) and does athletics where he does compete for his county. Hi third sport was something he did in school (badminton I think). A mate of his only does sprinting out of school so he offered two things from school. Other people offered things like swimming, footy, horse riding. Some of these things cannot be offered in school anyway.

It just makes it easier if you have a sport from outside school because it’s one less thing to have to cover in school.

It's very unusual IME to do PE GCSE without offering at least one sport out of school. After all, if you love your sport, surely you would do some outside school? It’s a bit like doing art GSCE and expecting to get all the work you need done in your lessons.

So to sum up – IME of course – county level sport is not needed, but sport competition outside school is a good idea.

My Yr 9 DD has just opted to do GCSE PE. She does a variety of sports inside and outside of school but is not County standard in any of them, nor are most of the other students at her (state) school who have opted for GCSE PE. Her third sport she does not have time to do outside school but the Head of PE advised this does not matter if she is prepared to attend lunchtime and after school practices which she is willing to do. Many of the others are in the same situation.

We were told GCSE PE wasn't available unless you played at county level sport. So DS isn't doing it.

It's only a recommendation. Extracurricular activities would be great for most subjects where possible, but still the vast majority of kids don't choose to do them.

He will be fine without sport outside of school.