Physical Education
Curriculum
At Dunottar the girls are taught swimming from Nursery through to Year 9 in our own indoor pool. In swimming we help infant and junior girls to achieve the ASA awards scheme. Our infants also participate in games skills, gymnastics and athletic activities. At Year 3 and beyond our juniors focus on learning to play netball and rounders in their games lessons, as well as gymnastics, dance, athletics, tennis and some pop lacrosse.
In the Senior School our main winter sports are lacrosse, netball and swimming. In the summer we focus on rounders, athletics and tennis. In lessons girls in Year 7 are also taught gymnastics and dance. Year 8 and 9 are also taught health related fitness, dance and personal survival in swimming. In Years 10 and 11 girls continue with our main sports in lessons as well as receiving option lessons, in which we offer a variety of activities such as touch rugby, football, ultimate frisbee, badminton, dance/aerobics, fitness, stoolball, body conditioning, softball and volleyball.
GCSE
In Year 10, girls can choose to follow the AQA GCSE course in which they are examined at the end of Year 11 and assessed practically in four activities.
A Level
In the Sixth Form, girls can study AQA A Level PE which consists of units in the following fields: Historical, Olympic, Skill Acquisitions, Analysis of Performance, Exercise and Training, Energy Systems and Psychology. Students are initially assessed in two activities.
Facilities
Girls have the use of the following facilities: a full size sports hall, tennis/netball courts, indoor 25 metre swimming, outside grass playing field.
Extra-curricular
The PE department runs practices and teams for Years 3 to 6 in netball, swimming, athletics and rounders. For Years 7 to 13 we run teams in netball, lacrosse, swimming, athletics, tennis and rounders. We encourage all girls to participate in sports practices. Every 2 years we run a ski trip which is open to girls in Years 5 to 11. At the end of the autumn, spring and summer terms girls participate in inter-house tournaments, culminating in Sports Day at the end of the academic year. The Junior School additionally participate in an inter-house gymnastics competition. Senior Sports Day is held at K2 Athletics Stadium in Crawley.
We also take part in cross-country, show jumping and biathlon competitions.
Tennis tuition is available for girls from Reception to Sixth Form. The tennis coaches are from a local tennis school and girls who choose to do this have lessons during their lunchtime.
Other options include recreational gym and badminton and volleyball at lunchtimes and a fitness class before school.
There are regular Junior and Senior fixtures with other schools and several girls have been selected to compete at county level and occasionally national level. We are keen to support all girls in activities in which they show potential.