by Lee Deller, Senior Leader (Curriculum & Co-Curricular)
At Abingdon House School, we offer an accessible and aspirational qualification pathway, ensuring every pupil can succeed at a pace that suits them. Our vocational courses are carefully chosen to remove barriers and provide practical, meaningful learning that builds confidence, independence, and real-world skills. By tailoring pathways to each learner’s strengths and interests, we create opportunities for genuine achievement and positive post-16 outcomes, empowering pupils to reach their best both in school and beyond.
The barriers: Why traditional GCSE pathways create barriers for our learners
For many pupils with learning differences, success in GCSE PE is hindered by the courses’ reliance on high-pressure components, which do not align with their learning profiles.
- High practical weighting GCSE PE dedicates a substantial portion of the overall grade – typically between 30% and 40% – to the assessment of practical performance.
- Rigorous assessment criteria performance must be demonstrated through the application of skills in “increasingly demanding and progressive drills.”
- Mastery & competitive environment The assessment demands a high level of athletic mastery, requiring proficiency in a competitive environment. This focus on direct competition often creates further barriers for our students.
Focusing strictly on traditional athletic performance disadvantages students with motor difficulties like dyspraxia, while achievements in adapted or therapeutic activities often go unrecognised. Combined with inaccessible facilities and the pressure of being assessed in front of peers, many pupils feel discouraged before they even begin. This anxiety creates a cycle of disengagement, ruling out many students who love sport and are interested in the industry, simply because they do not fit the ‘athlete’ mould.
The exam hurdle
Exams present another significant barrier. GCSE PE is 60% theoretical, assessed through high-stakes written exams requiring extensive memorisation and technical knowledge. For pupils with learning differences, especially those with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia and dyscalculia, this creates extreme anxiety and unfairly penalises them for their literacy challenges rather than testing their subject knowledge. Consequently, students often underperform both academically and physically, which impacts their wellbeing and future engagement.
The vocational solution: Assessment that works for our pupils
The NCFE Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications are recognised vocational alternatives to GCSEs that flips this assessment model on its head. They make achievement genuinely accessible while providing rich subject knowledge and the opportunity to grow transferable skills valued by employers, such as independent learning, problem-solving and professional communication.
The power of non-exam assessment (NEA)
The core structural advantage is that the course is 100% assessed via project-based Non-Exam Assessment (NEA). This removal of traditional, timed written exams immediately mitigates the pressure that hinders many with learning differences. Projects are marked regularly with feedback and then internally and externally verified to ensure the process is professional, fair and robust.
The NEA relies on developing a portfolio of evidence through continuous assessment. This allows students to demonstrate knowledge and vocational competence using multiple formats:
- Written reports
- Practical demonstrations
- Photographic and annotated evidence
- Professional discussions
The AHS approach
At AHS, we organise each student’s portfolio as a single, ongoing digital document that brings together all units and learning objectives in one central place that are easily accessible. Each unit is colour-coded for ease of navigation and work is marked via Google comments, allowing students to rectify errors in real-time, both in and out of lessons. This holistic approach measures student work in a meaningful, sustained manner, focusing on the grasp of concepts rather than a single performance under duress.
Crucially, our structure ensures students can utilise their preferred accessibility features. Whether using speech-to-text, increased font sizes, audio feedback or text highlighting, we treat these tools as non-negotiables. This bespoke setup ensures every student is placed in the best possible learning environment with the necessary tools to succeed.
What students say
“I like the structure and layout of the work. Having all the slides in one place and colour coding them helps me access the work and identify what we are working on with ease.” – Level 1 & 2 student
“I like the portfolio style learning. It allows me to use my accessibility features which supports me to produce better work and takes pressure off exams.” (Level 1 student)
“The way the work is set out and broken down really supports me to engage with the content. The questions help break down the learning point and are put in a way I can understand.” – Level 2 student
Opportunities and outcomes
The NCFE sport curriculum is designed to build competence incrementally, leading directly to employment opportunities or further study. Students at AHS pursue either the Level 1 or Level 2 course depending on their specific needs and academic profile.
Level 1 units include:
- Taking part in sport
- Sports coaching
- Strength & conditioning
- Health & nutrition
- Assist at a sports event
Level 2 units include:
- Preparing to work in the sports and leisure industry
- Understanding business in sport
- Participating in sport
- Performance analysis
Every unit and learning objective is broken down using strategic questioning. This allows our students to not only access the curriculum content but also supports them in framing and producing high-quality and quantity work.
Since restructuring our delivery and infrastructure of the NCFE sport qualifications last academic year, we have achieved a 100% Distinction rate on the Level 1 course to date – the highest possible grade. We have also launched our very first Level 2 cohort alongside the Level 1 programme.
While the sample size is currently small, these results highlight the effectiveness of the infrastructure we have built. It reinforces our rationale for opting for vocational studies and validates the way we have scaffolded the portfolio to maximise accessibility. Ultimately, this pathway is building genuine student success.
