At the beginning of the academic year, we were thrilled to welcome our first Head of Junior School Sport.
Miss Massey, who is already known to the children from her previous role in the Senior School PE department, takes up her role at the same time as a dedicated Junior School sports coach, Miss Williams.
The appointment of a Head of Junior School Sport will increase sporting opportunities for all pupils, provide specialist coaching, and give more pupils a chance to represent the school in a variety of sports at all levels.
Miss Massey explained how her new role will impact the provision of PE and Games for our younger pupils.
She said: “The King’s Junior School has a long tradition of sporting excellence, regularly winning trophies at local and national level. My job is to ensure that success continues whilst offering more sporting opportunities to children of all ages and abilities.
“We have already implemented some changes. For example, the PE curriculum has been updated to focus on developing the whole child; each session will be fun and engaging and will promote a growth mindset – mistakes are inevitable and we will use those as opportunities to learn.
“Most importantly, each session will incorporate differentiation, making lessons accessible to everyone whilst challenging the most able and always celebrating achievement.
“In addition, our Directors of Hockey, Football, Cricket and Netball from Senior School are now leading games lessons for all J3 and J4 classes, meaning that the children are benefitting from the experience and expertise of top class coaches, many of whom have played and coached at club level and higher.”
Head of King’s Juniors, Mrs Ainsworth explained how the appointment of Miss Massey and Miss Williams will benefit the Junior School.
She said: “We are committed to ensuring that every child is happy and healthy, and we know that children who have a positive experience of PE in school are more likely to enjoy physical activity as they grow up.
“The new curriculum makes PE accessible and fun for everyone, and using specialist coaches in J3 and J4 games lessons open up these sports to even more children, giving everyone an opportunity to represent the school and, more importantly, discover their sporting passion.”