‘My sporting experience at St Dunstan’s College has been amazing so far. I have learned and developed skills in the many sports on offer at the school. No matter how good you are sport you always are given the opportunity to represent the school or take part in a variety of different activities’
Year 8 student
Through sport, we have a unique opportunity to influence and inspire the young people at the College. Sport gives them the opportunity to learn about themselves: how they respond to challenges and pressure; how to work with team-mates and opponents; and about the culture that they perform within. Our sporting environment inspires all to enjoy and achieve their potential not just in sport, but when they go back into the classroom and on into their chosen careers.
Our Sport & Exercise Science (SES) curriculum is diverse and inclusive, to ensure that every child can benefit from positive early experiences. We recognise that the true value of sport is that way it supports the development of character, and this is the focus of lessons.
Our subject specialists utilise their expertise to ensure the curriculum is supplemented with knowledge from all SES disciplines, so that students understand how their bodies work. This understanding creates a sense of purpose, whilst equipping students with the skills and knowledge to build active, healthy lifestyles.
Our co-curriculum offers further breadth and diversity of opportunity so that every student is given the chance to find the sports that they love. The department is a constant
hive of activity with students of all ages working alongside each other to pursue their passions. Our gender-neutral approach to sport means that where gender is still often a barrier to participation in certain sports in schools, at St Dunstan’s, every child has equal access to opportunity across the full spectrum of sports.
We believe that we offer something for everyone. At St Dunstan’s, we provide every child with the best possible start to their unique sporting journey, regardless of where it leads.
Mr Danny Gower Assistant Head Co-curricular
The Sport and Exercise Science (SES) curriculum at St Dun stan’s is broad, diverse, and inclusive. Whilst physical development is important, the real value of the subject is the impact it has on the development of character and values. We take a ‘multi-ability’ approach to our curriculum, prioritising personal, social, cognitive, and creative development, as well as physical.
Objectives might relate to responding to failure or taking risks with your learning (personal), giving sensitive feedback that improves performance or inspiring and enthusing peers (social), evaluating personal weaknesses and developing strategies to
improve (cognitive), or responding to a challenge in way that is unique and different (creative). With this approach, sport becomes relevant to all and no longer just a subject for those well suited to competition.
As part of the physical strand, we integrate sport & exercise science principles so that students become curious about health and performance. Our curriculum team have special isms in physiology, psychology, and biomechanics, and use this knowledge and experience to ensure students understand why physical activity matters.
‘My personal sporting experience at the College has been great. My favourite experience is having the Tottenham football coaches come to do sessions with us. I was also surprised that there is a team for everyone to join so nobody is excluded and everyone has a chance to play, with the opportunity to reach the A or B teams if possible’
Year 7 student
Our students develop a love of subject during curriculum time and our co-curriculum provides the next step. Students at St Dunstan’s have a wealth of opportunities to explore their sporting passions further as a part of the Forder Programme. They are encouraged and supported in bringing the school motto to life, by embracing the broad and diverse array of opportunities they have in front of them.
Having a timetabled Forder ‘lesson’ in the middle of the school day provides every child with additional opportunities to get active and find new sports that they love. We deliberately use this time to focus on sports that students may not access through the curriculum, supporting the development of physical
literacy. Popular options in recent years have included taekwondo, cheerfit, fencing, crossfit, volleyball, spikeball and waterpolo. We want every child to benefit from positive early experiences with sport and physical activity, which traditional, narrow, ‘games-dominated’ models fail to achieve.
Alongside this breadth of experience, there are plenty of opportunities before and afterschool to keep students busy! From Swim Squad and Strength and Conditioning at 0700 on Monday morning, right through to Senior Basketball finishing at 1745 on Friday evening, the department is a hive of activity throughout the week.
‘I love sport at St Dunstan’s so much. Before I joined in Year 9 I had never played hockey and now it is up there with netball as one of my favourite sports’ Year 10 student
We believe the key to delivering the best possible competitive experiences to students is high quality coaching. For each of our Core Sports (Swimming & Endurance, Football, and Hockey), our size gives us the opportunity to provide excellent coach to student ratios.
Our young athletes get the individual attention and support that they need to accelerate their development. To ensure feedback and support is of the highest quality, we work closely with carefully selected partners who share our sporting philosophy.
Whether it is during Games or at training afterschool, all year groups work with Tottenham Hotspurs coaches with the technical expertise to prepare our students for
competition. Our early morning swim session are shared with high performing swimmers from local club Saxon Crowns. Our Head of Swimming and senior coaches from the club have vast experience with regional and national competition which they can pass on to our students.
Each of these partnerships add value to school provision, but they also create additional opportunities for our top performing athletes to access high quality competitive experiences away from us. A key challenge for schools has always been balancing students school and club commitments. Our partnerships give us the best chance possible of delivering on this, with school, club coaches and parents in regular dialogue to ensure training and playing loads are balanced with other commitments.
‘Throughout my time at St Dunstan’s, I’ve competed in six sports, all offering a unique experience. The sports department also offers various trips and I have been lucky to go most recently on a hockey tour to Valencia’
The sporting landscape has changed, and schools have a responsibility to take the lead. Too often competitive sporting programmes have been split, with girls and boys following completely different sporting pathways. The stigma that this creates around certain sports is difficult to overcome. Schools find themselves creating barriers rather than equal access and opportunity.
Our gender-neutral approach to sport ensures boys and girls at St Dunstan’s get access to the same opportunities. It doesn’t matter what your sporting passion is, every child at St Dunstan’s will benefit from the same level of support regardless of gender.
‘I had the opportunity to play netball with the above age group. I loved this and it really challenged me. I also got to go to Valencia to improve my hockey which will be a memory that sticks with me forever. I am surprised at how much time and how many opportunities we get to train and play. At my old school we would only get sport once a week whereas at St Dunstan’s I can play sport every day’
We are passionate about our vibrant and diverse community. Whether it be the students and their families, the organisations with whom we share spaces and ideas or one of our links and connections across London and beyond, the sporting landscape at St Dunstan’s reflects the community that we are a part of.
We know that classroom teaching and learning forms only one part of the educational experience. Engaging with community partners is of equal importance in shaping compassionate and confident young people who can make a positive contribution.
Through our commitment to supporting local children and schools, local and national organisations and international
businesses, each year we provide over 13,000 hours of sport, deliver over 12 weeks of free sporting provision and play a key role in the College’s drive to support charitable partners.
It is important to ensure that all of our partnerships are mutually beneficial, sustainable and leave a lasting impact. Our students develop as performers and leader, whilst our partners benefit from our students, facilities and resources. For example, our well-established link with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club not only provides our students with top class coaching, it provides a base for the Club’s academies to run successfully. Aside from that, we have links with clubs such as Beacon’s Netball, Catford Cyphers Cricket, Panthers Hockey and Marylebone Cricket Club.
‘At St Dunstan’s College I have been given many sporting opportunities when it comes to leadership. I have been given the chance to revive, and run, an old sport that St Dunstan’s has a deep history in, called Fives. This has provided me with invaluable life skills and a chance to inspire a younger generation through sport. I have been able to build a community around a sport, as well as being part of a bigger sporting community through my involvement with swimming, football and rugby’
