Pupils are enjoying the precious last few weeks of the school holidays and a fresh new term is fast approaching for Dartmouth Academy and its 32 teachers. By The Dart spoke to members of staff about their roles and routines.
What age range do you teach?
Rebecca Darke - Dartmouth Academy
Year 2 right up to year 11 – so 6 to 16 year olds. The older ones, who are studying PE, do more theory-based work in the classroom. We concentrate on movement skills with the younger ones.
What time do you get into work each day?
At seven thirty. I get up at six as I live in South Huish, so it takes me a good half an hour to drive in. Luckily I’m an early bird and like to get well on top of my lesson plans before the day starts.
Do you have sports clubs after school?
Yes, various clubs for different ages – football, netball, rounders. I also organise the fixtures for after school tournaments against other schools in the South Hams.
How do the pupils react to a female PE teacher?
Very well. We have mixed gender classes and I think it’s good that boys learn to take instruction from females at a young age when it comes to sports/physical-based activities. There is a great deal of respect from pupils towards teachers across the whole school, which I think is really important. There is a male teacher, he takes the lead with male-based sports like football and rugby and I take the lead with netball and hockey.
Is this your first job?
No - second. I trained in Exeter and then taught in Bath for three years, and now I’ve done one full year here.
Are you from Bath?
No I grew up in Kingsbridge. In fact Tina Graham was my Head of Sixth Form when I was at Kingsbridge Community College – now she is my boss!
What is the hardest part of the job?
Well, we are a PE team for all weathers – so I would say trying to encourage students to go outside in the rain!
What is the trick?
Just a lot of praise and encouragement. We have great indoor facilities if we need them and a gym with a set of rowing machines. A rowing coach from Dartmouth comes up every week to mentor our indoor rowing team who are very successful in countywide competitions.
What new initiatives have you introduced in your first year at the Academy?
I joined the Academy just after the 2016 Olympics, so there was a real buzz amongst the students. As we won a gold in hockey I decided to start a hockey club. I also created a dodgeball tournament back in the winter. It was great fun - I showed the students Dodgeball the film, with Ben Stiller and everyone wore headbands and took it very seriously!
Why did you want to be a teacher?
It all started with my inspirational primary school teacher who showed me sport and learning can be fun. I was very sporty as a child and was always outside. As I grew up I knew I wanted to work with children. I love making a difference to their lives. Some don’t have the opportunities to do any sport or physical activity at home so they really appreciate the lessons. It still makes me smile when a child comes up to me and says, “Miss, I really enjoyed your lesson today.”
What sport did you do when you were young?
I played underwater hockey for Great Britain. I was Captain of GB Under 19s. We used to train at Dawlish. I played in the European Championships in France and was the youngest member of the Female Elite Team when we played in the World Championships in South Africa. Now I play field hockey with the Kingsbridge Cougars! When I’m not doing that I get out on the water paddleboarding.
What would you have done if you hadn’t been a teacher?
Farming I think, as I was brought up on a farm... or a policewoman.
Describe yourself in three words…
Keen, organised and resilient.
What three items would you take to a desert island?
Suncream, a bikini and a ball to play with.
First published in By The Dart magazine August 2017
