As the saying goes “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”, certainly rings true with games lessons.  Whilst online learning continued for all subjects, there comes a point where virtual sports have their limits. So it is great to see the children back in school and positive about participating in physical exercise. 

The Senior School have taken the Mill Run in their stride, completing the runs in good time. The ability to do something with friends is a welcome break from the extended lockdown restrictions, which has seen amateur sport come to a halt.  We have incorporated several adapted warm-up activities to get all the children active, engaged and having fun without them necessarily realising that they are working hard and improving fitness.  This can be a global problem for PE teachers, how to get older pupils active without them realising that they are working hard!  

The Junior School has been very similar with year one’s even setting a fast pace.  There has been no emphasis on how fast pupils can do this event. I am pleased to say that they have all approached it in a very positive, proactive manner.  

As the vaccination programme continues to be rolled out, we hope that eventually there will be a full return to sport. We cannot wait for fixtures and tournaments to resume with pupils testing themselves against their peers, both physically and mentally.  It really is true . . . “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. Until then our focus will remain on keeping pupils active and ensuring that they want to participate in sporting activities.

Marcus Coates, Head of Physical Education