Jon Varey, Physical Education and Sport Subject Advisor

How fast did the summer go? Welcome back and I trust you had a well-earned break and are now fully recharged and ready for the school year ahead. 

To help ease you back into the new school year I have put together a list of useful tips that should help you organise and plan a smooth return for your new cohort of students or those returning for their final year. 

Let me know if you think I have missed anything in the comments, and please feel free to add your own top tips which may help other colleagues as we all move through the next academic year together.

Familiarise or refamiliarise yourself with the specifications and guides to NEA

GCSE: 

GCSE PE specification
Guide to NEA 

AS and A Level: 

AS and A Level PE specification
Guide to NEA 

I agree it isn’t the most exciting thing to do but, in many ways, this is vital in your understanding and delivery of the course. 

Before you do this, please make sure that you are using the most up to date versions. The website will always have the most recent versions so if you have previously downloaded a copy just check. 

Here’s some key things you may want to focus on in these documents: 

• In the specification, the content that must be taught in relation to all written exams.
  Keep in mind you should teach what is on the specification as it is the definitive and exhaustive list of what students can be examined on. If it’s not in the specification, then a direct question won’t be asked about it. 
• The assessment criteria for all NEA components, including guidance on the Analysis and Evaluation of Performance (AEP) and Evaluating and analysing performance for improvement (EAPI).
  For the practical performance component make sure that if you have sports that you haven’t assessed before, that you try and familiarise yourself with the criteria and requirements early in the course as this will save you time later in the year. Remember candidates can only be assessed in activities that are listed in the guide to NEA. The activities that candidates can be assessed in are not determined by OCR, they are governed by the Department for Education (DfE) and all of the awarding bodies can only offer activities that are included on the DfE’s approved activity list. 
• Be aware of the access arrangements for learners and the activity adjustment process for learners with disabilities.
  Getting to grips with any issues in this area will avoid a last-minute rush to put things in place for learners and make it a much easier experience for all involved.

Be aware of key dates for your qualification

The timelines for NEA for GCSE and AS/A Level are a great resource. Why not download them and put them up on the PE office noticeboard to highlight the important dates and deadlines?

Hopefully this will avoid any last minute panic and allow you and your students to plan and prepare for effective collection and submission of marks.

Understand filming requirements

A clear understanding of the filming requirements will make your life so much easier, especially if you can start and keep on top of this process as early as possible in the course. The guides provide you with the information you will need including sport specific advice: 

Guidance on filming for AS and A Level PE
Guidance on filming for GCSE PE 

Make sure you’re clear which sports are classified as ‘off-site’ activities as this will have a real impact on what does and doesn’t require filming. You can find the full list of off-site activities in the Guides to NEA. Although it seems a long way off, it’s good to start thinking about the moderation day filming requirements and how you are going to approach this.

Check out OCR Train

OCR Train is a fantastic online resource that will help you familiarise yourself with the NEA standards and requirements. Have a go at marking practical performances and the AEP and EAPI in a range of activities at both GSCE and AS/A Level, and then read a commentary from the principal moderator to see how this matches up with your assessment. This will give you a real sense of how to apply the marking criteria and use the best fit approach when assessing your own learners. 

You can also check out our full range of resources for GCSE and AS/A Level in the planning and teaching section of our website.

Keep in touch

Sign up for our subject updates, so you’ll be able to keep up to date with the latest information, including OCR news, CPD events, teacher networks and teaching and assessment resources. 

Sign up for a CPD course to help maintain, update, and develop your subject knowledge and qualification understanding. We have a wide range of courses that run throughout the year and cover different aspects of the qualifications. 

Follow us on our Twitter account for all the latest from OCR PE and Sport.

Stay connected

If you have any questions, you can email us at pe@ocr.org.uk, call us on 01223 553998 or tweet us @OCR_PhysEd.

About the author

Jon joined OCR as a PE and sport subject advisor in September 2021 having taught in a variety of secondary schools across the country for over 20 years gaining a wealth of experience and subject knowledge. During this time, he has set up, delivered, and assessed a wide range of courses within physical education and sport. In his spare time, he is a keen runner and enthusiastic mountain biker, enjoys attending sporting and music events when possible and walking his two whippets.