We spoke to Dan about how he combines his passion for sport with pastoral leadership, helping students stay active, motivated, and supported throughout their school journey. From overseeing fixtures to guiding Year 9 students through key academic milestones, his work centres on teamwork, encouragement, and growth both on and off the field.

Q: Tell us about your role..
A: I teach Core PE to Years 7 to11, GCSE PE to our Year 9 to 11 students, and the Cambridge Sport course to our Key Stage 5 students. Alongside that, as Head of Year 9, I’m responsible for the pastoral care of the year group.

Q: Can you give us a flavour of what you’ve been working on recently?
A: From a year group perspective, our Year 9 students have just gone through the Options process, and this term they started their Key Stage 4 courses of study. The Year 9 team worked alongside the brilliant Timetable team to ensure that all students had a tailored timetable from their Option choices. It has been great to see the students take their first steps in selecting subjects that will push them toward their future career aspirations. As a Year group, they have come back to school ready to learn and have hit the ground running.

In terms of my role in PE, this first term is always a busy one when it comes to extra-curricular fixtures. Many of the school teams have had some promising performances and results, with students really embracing the #TeamMaidenErlegh spirit. We look forward to seeing how each of them fair in their various competitions as the year progresses .

Q: What motivates you in your work?
A: I’m a firm believer that sport and physical activity have the power to change lives, and that there’s an activity out there for everyone. My motivation is to see students thriving on the sports-field, whether that be through working collaboratively as part of a team, achieving personal bests and landmarks, or falling in love with being physically active.

If we can encourage our young people to take up something that they stick with beyond their time at Maiden Erlegh, then we have achieved something special.

“I’m a firm believer that sport and physical activity have the power to change lives, and that there’s an activity out there for everyone.”

Q: What have you learned along the way?
A: I learn something new every day. It’s important that students see learning as lifelong. I’m a very different teacher from when I joined Maiden Erlegh School in 2017. Each year brings new experiences that I can share with students to help them see how they can grow and progress.

Q: Which MET value connects most strongly to your work?
A: Work Together. It’s vital in both of my roles. No matter what students go on to do, being able to collaborate and bring out the best in others is key. I’m fortunate to work with great colleagues and students who I learn from every day.

“No matter what students go on to do, being able to collaborate and bring out the best in others is key.”

Q: What advice would you give to colleagues?
A: Don’t ever be afraid of trying something different or to make a mistake. We all learn from mistakes - that’s how we get better.

Q: Any final thoughts?
A: One of my favourite quotes is from an American TV show: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” As cheesy as it sounds, anyone who lives by that mantra will always be a great team player.

We would like to say a big thank you to Dan for taking the time to Team Talk with us.