Sports+Program

The philosophy of the Physical Education Department is that every pupil should be given the opportunity and encouragement to achieve their potential in a stimulating, informative and safe environment. **“Sport for All”** **We believe that every pupil should be given the opportunity to achieve their potential and pupils of all abilities are encouraged to achieve the best they possibly can. By this rationale, the department believes that Sport for All and Excellent sporting performance can flourish side by side.**

Core Curriculum

The core Physical Education curriculum allows students to explore a variety of different physical activities. The aims of the core program are as follows:

1) Skill Fundamentals - Developing the core skills required to participate in a wide variety of athletic activities 2) Attitudes - Key values including sportsmanship, fair play and commitment 3) Team Working/Co-operation - Working with others in a team or individual sports to achieve 4) Competition - Performance preparation, competitive spirit and showing sportsmanship on the field of play 5) Fitness - Improving general fitness in preparation for different sports 6) Creating and Designing - Using the core skills to create, refine or extend performance 7) Leadership - Understanding the role of a leader, an official and a coach in relation to games.

The core curriculum will expose students to activities in the following categories: Team Games: Basketball, Netball, Football, Hockey, Lacrosse, Tennis, Badminton, Water Polo Individual: Swimming, Water Safety, Lifesaving, Athletics, Cross Country, Dance, Gymnastics Outdoor: Camping, Climbing, Hiking Students will rotate through a selection of activities each year at BSL, depending on sports seasons, facility availability and the strengths of the academic staff.

Competitive Sports

Competitive sports form a big part of the education at BSL. Students are encouraged to sign up for one of the many school teams which train and compete throughout the year. Each squad has an age requirement, a minimum attendance at practice. From the training squads a competitive team is selected and that team will represent the school in tournaments and in friendly games.

Learning to Train (LT) (recreational)
 * Skill driven practices - improving core skills and basic strategies
 * No requirement to compete - training for enjoyment
 * Attendance, preparedness and punctuality encouraged
 * Regular training sessions
 * Monitoring progress throughout a season
 * Individual and team feedback sessions to help improvement
 * Improving diet and balancing food intake and energy expenditure

Learning to Compete (LC) (Early Competition)
 * Skill and tactical driven practices - advanced skills and in game tactical
 * Requirement of competition at this level - implementation of skills and tactics
 * Still at intermediate level - might not be top string athlete at this stage
 * Regular training is important at this level
 * Progress will be monitored through time, performance or accuracy
 * Travel meets will be encouraged at this level

Learning to Win (LW) (Serious Competition) The teams on offer through the sports program are as follows: Primary: Football LT U14 Football LT U19 Football LT LC LW
 * Refinement of technique
 * Higher expectations of technique during performance of skill
 * Controlling arousal levels during competition
 * Tapering and performance management at this level
 * Competition is required at this level