Garry Sapsford

About Me

I joined Shenfield High School 23 years ago in 1995 as a PE Teacher before assuming the role of Head of PE in 2003. Shenfield became the lead school in the Shenfield School Sports Partnership in 2004 providing a huge range of sporting opportunities for the schools in Brentwood. I am an enthusiastic advocate of sport for all philosophy and as a Department we are always reviewing ways to Maximise Participation for all of the students in the Shenfield Sports Partnership. I initiated the setting up of a post-16 Football Academy programme in 2010 and a Cricket Academy programme in 2013. These programmes are amongst many systems used to support the drive for Developing Excellence through PE. The School Sport Magazine has identified Shenfield as a Top 50 State School for Sport in each of the last 3 years based on achievements in extra-curricular sport.

Examination results in GCSE and A Level PE have been consistently amongst the highest grades achieved in the school over the last 15 years. Staff in the PE team are given support to ensure the quality of Teaching and Learning is consistently high. I encourage the team to develop their teaching understanding through engagement with other professionals by use of Twitter as well as through attending teaching and coaching courses.

I am also responsible for driving cross-curricular learning through whole school Inter-House competitions. This is a powerful tool for promoting a positive school ethos. In 2014 I led a review of the school’s behaviour management policy and the subsequent adaptions to the rewards and sanctions policies has led to a significant improvement across the school in terms of behaviour. I became a part of the Extended Senior Leadership Team in 2015 and enjoyed the opportunity to lend my experience to support the drive of the school from ‘Good to Outstanding’.