PE and Sport practical assessments – additional activities on the DfE approved list
17 July 2020
Hints and Tips - 9 minute read
Mark Johnson, OCR Subject Advisor
As many of you will be aware in 2018 the DfE announced plans to increase the number of approved activities for practical assessments for General Qualifications (Entry Level, GCSE and A Level) for first teaching in the Summer of 2020.
Following an online public consultation, it was agreed that 13 additional activities would be added to the DfE approved list for first teach Summer 2020 (please note Triathlon is only included on the A/S and A Level list, it is not accessible to candidates taking Entry Level or GCSE).
How was it decided which activities were added to the list?
The consultation ran from 24 October to 20 December 2018 in collaboration with the DfE, Ofqual and the awarding boards (AQA, OCR, Pearson and WJEC Eduqas) with the aim that all of the proposed activities met the criteria.
You can read the full Government consultation response paper which lists all of the now approved activities and outlines the reasoning behind the decision to consider additional activities, and why certain activities have not been included.
The criteria for general qualifications
As with the original list of activities, all five of the following criteria needed to be met for a proposed activity to be added to the updated list:
- Activities must be comparably rigorous and there must be parity of assessment across practical activities.
- Activities must enable students to understand and implement tactics, strategies, and/or composition.
- Successful performance in activities must require the development of skills over time.
- Activities must have some type of competitive or formal condition in which students can be assessed.
- It must be possible for the level of performance in activities to be realistically assessed by PE practitioners (teachers and moderators).
Activities must also be sports officially recognised by Sport England in addition to the criteria listed above.
Update to OCR Guides to NEA
The newly updated Guides to NEA including the marking criteria for all of the additional activities can be found on the links below:
Entry Level
GCSE
A/S and A Level
The criteria for vocational qualifications
This approved list also applies to our vocational qualifications in Sport. Therefore, where candidates are required to be assessed in practical sporting performances for the Cambridge Nationals (Sports Studies) and Level 2 and 3 (2016) Technicals, they must be assessed participating in the activities included on the DfE Approved list.
Please see the additional guidance relating to vocational qualifications (there are some outdoor adventurous activities included which are not part of the DfE approved list but are a necessary addition for some specific learning outcomes).
Information about each new activity
To get you started and assist with your planning for future assessment I have provided you with a list of all the additional activities, and included some helpful links and some videos all with valuable insight in to each activity.
Team activities
National Governing Body (British Gymnastics) description and video showing what Acrobatic Gymnastics is all about.
British Gymnastics 2019 ACRO English Championships competition handbook which outlines all of the different disciplines and rules of competition.
YouTube channel with a large selection of performances in all 4 Acro disciplines (Pairs, Mixed Pairs, Ladies trio, Mens quad) showing the full range of core and advanced skills included in the guide to NEA.
- Figure skating - Pairs, Ice Dance and Synchronised (8-16 people)
An interesting history of the sport and descriptions of the different disciplines from the national governing body – British Ice Skating.
BIS Resource Centre – in this resource centre you will be able to find all documents and publications relating to ice skating in the UK.
Some excellent videos and descriptions of the various skills and techniques from all of the different disciplines.
Everything you need to know about Futsal – a detailed informative overview of the sport from the FA.
The Laws of the Game – Official FIFA 2020/21 guide.
Videos and detailed explanations of the skills of Futsal from England Head Coach Mike Scubala.
Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association the best places to find the most up to date news and documents from the NGB’s.
The International Ice Hockey Federation 2018-2022 Official Rule Book.
YouTube channel – a large selection of videos, which demonstrate and explain how each of the skills should be performed with some excellent examples of drills and practices that can be used to develop performance.
The British Inline Puck Hockey Association (BIPHA) – the best place to find the most up to date news and documentations from the NGB.
BIPHA Official Rule book – Valid from 1st September 2019
YouTube channel – a large selection of videos, which demonstrate and explain all of the core and advanced skills included in the guide to NEA.
When being assessed as part of a team the candidate must be in the helmsperson role.
Please note that candidates can only be assessed performing in the Royal Yachting Association recognised boat classes.
The Royal Yachting Association homepage which provides links to everything you need to know to get started in sailing including safety guidance, competition rules and events and races.
World sailing official Racing Rules for sailing for 2017-2020.
RYA YouTube channel a selection of excellent videos showing the different skills, safety guidelines and rules of sailing and much more.
- Sculling – already on the individual activities list for all GQ’s but now added as a team activity for GCSE as an alternative to Team Rowing.
British Rowing homepage one stop link for the most u to date news, guidance and documentation for all aspects of rowing and sculling.
British Lockdown Webinar Series – an extremely informative series of videos and presentations on a range of sculling and rowing topics.
The differences between sculling and rowing – an informative blog which identifies the different categories of rowing and sculling and effectively describes the differences between the two.
Guide to sculling – superb video that provides an overview of the relevant skills and techniques.
Swim England – an introduction to Water Polo from the NGB.
FINA 2017-2021 Official Rule book.
YouTube video which provides an excellent overview of the sport covering roles, positions, rules and the skills included in the guide to NEA.
Individual activities
- BMX Cycling (racing only, not tricks)
National governing body website which provides links to Rules and Regulations, how to get involved, rankings and a list of events.
List of BMX track addresses in England, Scotland and Wales.
Racing Rules and Technical Regulations.
- Cross country racing – please note candidates cannot do two Athletics disciplines and Cross Country for GCSE and Park Run does not meet the requirements of any of the specifications.
England athletics description of cross country provides a clear and concise overview of this athletics discipline.
UK Athletics competition rules official guide to rules for all athletics disciplines.
UK Athletics – a collection of useful documents including detailed guidance on organising athletics events.
- Figure skating – see also links above under Team Figure Skating
NGB description of the singles discipline of figure skating.
- Long distance track running – listed as a discipline under Athletics - maximum 5K for GCSE and maximum 10K for A/S and A Level, this must be done on a recognised athletics track and Park Run does not meet the requirements of any of the specifications.
UK Athletics competition rules official athletics guide to rules for all athletics disciplines.
Competitions and events – Information on Area, County and National championships in England (calendar of events, results etc.)
Power of 10 – this national database is used to record athletes’ results and a print screen of your candidate’s data can be used as part of their logbook evidence.
- Sailing – Please see relevant links above under Team Sailing
Candidates must be assessed within full competitive situations using a recognised, age appropriate board class.
World sailing official Racing Rules for sailing – Windsurfing edition for 2017-2020.
Detailed descriptions of how to perform a range of skills and techniques that are included in the guide to NEA.
YouTube channel – some great instructional videos showing how to perform a range of skills and techniques.
- Triathlon (sprint – only for A/S and A Level)
British Triathlon – the best places to find the most up to date news and documents from the NGB.
What is a triathlon? – Informative video and text from the NGB which explain what Triathlon is and how to get involved.
Competition rules – the official rules for all forms of Triathlon governed by British Triathlon including sprint Triathlon.
A beginner’s guide providing information on the different disciplines, equipment, distances techniques.
Training advice and guidance.
I hope you have found the information useful.
Are you aware of any other resources that may provide teachers with further information about the new sports that have been added to the approved list?
Please let us know in the comments below.
Stay connected
If you have any question relating to the new activities let us know in the comments below or email us at PE@ocr.org.uk call us on 01223 553998 or follow us on Twitter @OCR_PhysEd, you can also sign up to receive email updates.
About the author
Mark joined OCR as a PE and Sport Subject advisor in October of 2018. He graduated from Staffordshire University in 1999 with a BSc Degree in Sports Studies, having previously completed a HND in Sports Science and Sports Injuries at Nottingham Trent University. After leaving University he gained employment as a residential social worker, where he also provided the PE provision in the company’s own school for a small group of 11-16 year olds with challenging behaviour. Mark then opted to pursue a career in teaching first spending a year teaching PE at his old Secondary School before then lecturing Sports Studies and Sports Science at an FE College for nearly 15 years. During his time at the college he delivered, assessed and internally verified/moderated a range of OCR, Pearson, NCFE and 1st4Sport qualifications at Levels 1-3. In addition to his full time employment Mark has also been a sports therapist, nutritionist and fitness coach at a number of Rugby clubs for the last 18 years.