EDUCATION
Sport ‘develops fundamental skills’, confirms Carla Rudd, director of sport at The Leys School, where pupils have at least three sessions of sport and exercise each week. Take its transformative effect on new pupils. As their confidence in games and PE lessons grows, they start to blossom in other subjects, too. Witnessing their progress is ‘very rewarding’, she says. Louise Powell, director of sport at St Mary’s School, Cambridge, describes the way that sports encourage pupils to set and achieve goals, or deal with setbacks and success, including that exhilarating sensation when everything comes together. “One of our elite rowers described the joy when things go well; the sheer physicality of feeling the boat balance correctly and the water running underneath,” she says. “Others described the wonderful sensation of winning a match or a tournament after hours of preparation. Conversely, our pupils also understand it’s a great life lesson when things don’t go their way, if there is a disappointing or frustrating sporting result.” At St Faith’s, developing the character and physical potential of each student through engaging in sport is central to the school’s whole ethos. “We believe that offering all individuals an opportunity to access a wide range of sport is crucial not only to their sporting development, but to the holistic development of their lives,” explains John Welch. TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK Team-based sports like hockey, netball and cricket grant students the opportunity to develop their communication skills, togetherness and leadership
Sports provide a time and place to develop skills that you wouldn’t be able to in a classroom
60 JUNE 2023 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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