Social structures/stratification (eg schools/ sports clubs).

The idea

Social structures are the patterned relationships and institutions through which people organise activity, such as schools, sports clubs, families and governing bodies. Stratification describes how those structures rank people into unequal layers by factors like class, gender, ethnicity, wealth and ability. In physical education, schools can widen participation through compulsory core PE, extra-curricular clubs and school games competitions, yet they can also reproduce inequality when kit costs, travel, selective teams or limited facilities exclude some pupils. Sports clubs similarly offer coaching, fixtures and social belonging, but membership fees, waiting lists, single-sex provision or location can restrict access. The key idea is that structures are not neutral: they distribute opportunities, resources and status unevenly, shaping who plays, who excels and who drops out.

What earns the marks

• Defines social structures as patterned institutions and relationships, such as schools, sports clubs, families and governing bodies, that organise participation.
• Defines stratification as the ranking of groups into unequal layers by class, gender, ethnicity, wealth or ability.
• Explains how schools can both widen access, for example through compulsory PE and extra-curricular clubs, and restrict it through costs, selection or facility limits.
• Explains how sports clubs can both enable participation, for example through coaching and fixtures, and exclude through fees, waiting lists, single-sex provision or location.
• Links structures and stratification to unequal patterns of participation, achievement and dropout in physical activity and sport.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating social structure as only a school building or a club site.

  Put it right: Structure means the patterned relationships and institutions that organise activity, not just physical premises.

• Assuming stratification simply means ability grouping in a PE lesson.

  Put it right: Stratification is broader ranking by class, gender, ethnicity, wealth and similar factors across society.

• Claiming schools always increase equality.

  Put it right: Schools can widen or restrict access depending on costs, selection, facilities and provision.

• Confusing participation with achievement.

  Put it right: A structure may allow someone to take part yet still limit their chance to progress or be recognised.

Exam tips

• Read the stem carefully and identify whether it asks about a structure, a stratification factor or an effect on participation.
• Eliminate options that describe individual choice only, because the question targets social patterns and institutions.
• Check each remaining option against a concrete example such as a club membership fee or a school extra-curricular club before selecting.