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Why reading a specification is crucial when teaching a PE and sport qualification 10 June 2024

Jon Varey, PE and Sport Subject Advisor

Jon Varley

Teachers often discuss the importance of preparation with students but sometimes they can forget the importance of their own preparation. Whether you have years of experience or are an early career teacher, one fundamental practice stands out above all: thoroughly reading and understanding the specification of the qualification you’re teaching. 

In fact, it shouldn’t just be a routine task; I believe it’s a critical step toward ensuring effective teaching and learning outcomes. In this blog, I’ll delve into key reasons why you should embracing the specifications before even stepping into the classroom to deliver the content.

Providing clarity

All the PE and sport specifications are available on the OCR website: 

  • A Level PE
  • GCSE PE
  • Cambridge National Sport Science
  • Cambridge National Sport Studies
  • Entry Level 

Specifications serve as a roadmap, outlining the learning objectives, content coverage, and assessment criteria. If you can familiarise yourself with these details, you gain a clear understanding of what students need to know and how their knowledge will be evaluated. 

This clarity enables you to align your teaching methods, materials, and assessments perfectly with the intended outcomes. For example, it will help you understand the terminal assessment requirements in our Cambridge Nationals in Sport Studies and Sport Science.

Modifying delivery

Every PE and sport qualification has its unique requirements and areas to focus on. Becoming familiar with the specification helps you gain insights into the specific skills, concepts, and competencies students are expected to acquire. With this knowledge, you can tailor your teaching to address these specific needs, making your teaching even more targeted and effective. 

A good example of this would be understanding the use of the data requirement and practical example symbols in the GCSE and A Level PE specifications.

Effective planning

Teaching without a thorough understanding of the specification is like starting a journey without a map. It’s vital to plan your lessons thoroughly, ensuring that you cover all the essential topics and allocate adequate time for each. By reading the specification in detail, you can create a well-structured curriculum that progresses logically and comprehensively, hopefully leaving no gaps in students’ understanding. 

This would help when planning when to complete the EAPI component in the A Level PE qualification.

Quality assessment practices

Assessments play a key role in evaluating learning and achievement. All our PE qualifications have different assessment criteria and by familiarising yourself with the assessment criteria outlined in the specifications and guide to NEAs, you can make assessments that are valid, reliable, and aligned with the specific criteria. 

This is particularly important when it comes to understanding the marking criteria for different units and tasks in our Cambridge National qualifications.

Professional accountability

As you are well aware, as teachers you have a professional responsibility to ensure that your teaching practices align with established standards and guidelines. Reading and then following the specification you are teaching is a fundamental aspect of this accountability. It clearly demonstrates teachers’ commitment to delivering high-quality education and upholding the integrity of the qualification.

In summary

I know that making time in a busy school year is difficult, but I firmly believe that reading the specification before teaching any qualification is not simply a recommended practice, it’s an essential prerequisite for effective teaching and learning. 

By familiarising yourself with the objectives, content, assessment criteria, and other important details outlined in the specification, you can adapt your teaching, plan your lessons, design and deliver your assessments, and engage students more effectively, hopefully creating a positive learning environment where students can succeed. 

So, before you step into the classroom, gym, or sports field, take the time to immerse yourself in the specification. It’s a small investment that massively helps you and your students when delivering an OCR PE and sport qualification.

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. You can also sign up to subject updates to receive information about resources and support.

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.

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