Physical Education aims to help young people find a healthy orientation in the world through physical bodily activities.  In teaching this subject we use enticing skills and techniques.  Through a range of indoor and outdoor activities, games, Bothmer gymnastics, archery, team and interschool sports, we introduce children to a wide range of activities in the hope that they’ll find something of interest that suits their body type.  The diversity of activities encourages full participation of all students.

We cater for all levels of skill or talent, by creating an atmosphere within each class where every member to be challenged.  It is possible to make even ‘simple’ skills challenging.  How high?  How fast? … are just as relevant to the novice as they are to the Olympian!  Where possible and when necessary, better students are pitted against each other and can therefore still compete at their best.  At all levels of competency we encourage support and teamwork.

Games play a particularly large part in the P.E. program.  Providing the game is appropriate to the group, and the structure and atmosphere is such that all can participate in a meaningful manner, then playing the game is a joy to all.  In such an environment skills can develop more rapidly than in the most well planned skills session.

We are not overly concerned with competition or with comparisons of students.  Whether it be through gymnastics, games skills, social sports or outdoor activities, students meet the challenges of facing their own physical limitations, improving themselves through striving, learning to work with the will of others, and enjoying a growing sense of self reliance coupled with responsibility for those around them.

Knowledge of the human body and how to care for it comprise an important part of the curriculum, as does an examination of the many different approaches to physical health.

The teacher strives to provide the framework for a game in which the whole class participates with enthusiasm, empathy for team mates and opponents alike, an instinctive sense of fair play and above all, enjoyment.  Also part of the curriculum are compensatory postural activities, non competitive skill development sessions and fitness training.

All classes in the school are co-ed for P.E. and as a result the teacher must be constantly on guard against any gender based misconceptions.  It would be fair to say that the most common of these misconceptions has been that boys are naturally much better at sport than girls.  Overcoming this is a matter of creating the right class atmosphere so that nobody feels inadequate, educating the less skilled, making use of role models both within and without of school and modifying games to make them more compatible to mixed sex participation.  In some instances it may be desirable to separate the sexes for some games and a teacher may use this option if appropriate.