Teacher of Physical Education

Currently, the Physical Education Department consists of four full-time members of staff, two Sport Coaches and a dedicated member of support staff. 

In the Lower School (Years 7-9), pupils are taught within their Form groups and receive five 50-minute periods of PE per fortnight. We cover a wide range of sporting activities including rugby, football, cross country, badminton, health-related exercise, basketball, gymnastics, tennis, athletics and cricket.   

In the Middle School (Years 10 and 11), all pupils receive a Games afternoon and a single PE lesson as part of our core offer. A significant number of pupils elect to study Physical Education at GCSE Level.  These pupils increase their allocation to eight periods. 

An extensive programme of extra-curricular activities exists including before school, lunchtime and after school practices. Competitive fixtures take place after school and on Saturdays. We are proud to offer such a wide range of sport for pupils wishing to represent the School or participate recreationally. 

SPORTING FACILITIES 

The School has excellent sporting facilities which are used by the pupils before school, at lunchtimes, after school and at weekends. These include a four-court, multi-purpose Sports Hall with four-lane cricket nets, full-size basketball court with a spectator gallery. The Sports Hall complex also contains dedicated classroom accommodation, a departmental office and two squash courts. 

The School also has a modern, well-equipped Fitness Suite which contains four treadmills, four rowing machines, 15 spin bikes along with a machine and free weights area. This facility is used extensively by pupils and staff alike. There is also a separate area where gymnastics, high jump and table tennis, and many other activities take place. 

There is an all-weather athletics area with a six-lane jumping pit and three rugby pitches, four football pitches and two cricket squares.  

CURRICULUM AND RESULTS 

The Physical Education Department has produced exceptionally strong examination results at GCSE and Advanced Level during recent years with a number of our students going on to study Sport Sciences at some of the top sporting universities in the country, including Loughborough, Bath and Exeter. 

In Summer 2023, 50% of candidates at A Level were awarded A* or A grades. These figures are considerably above the national average. 

GCSE numbers in Physical Education are consistently high with almost one third of the cohort regularly opting to study the subject. In Summer 2023, 69% of pupils received 7-9 grades. 

The Examination Board used for both GCSE and Advanced Level is EDUQAS.  

EXTRA-CURRICULAR SPORT 

Sport is an important part of life at WHSB. There is immense potential within our community which we actively strive to facilitate. We are passionate about sport and value the role it plays in promoting healthy lifestyles, instilling discipline, fostering effective communication, enhancing leadership qualities and developing character. All of which contribute to the overall ethos of WHSB. 

We are proud of our sporting values and results in both fixtures and examinations. The successful candidate must seek to build on this success. The School is strong in athletics regularly reaching the National Track & Field Cup Finals and finishing in 2nd place in the Intermediate Boys in 2023. Regionally, we have had great recent success in basketball regularly reaching the knockout stages of the Essex Cup and Borough Champions in both year 8 and year 10. Basketball is an area we are keen to grow. We have enjoyed success in rugby and football at both local and regional level. Our Saturday fixture programme is continuing to grow with regular rugby matches on Saturdays.