Physical Education
Physical Education at St Catherine’s is an important and well-regarded aspect of school life. Physical Education does not only help girls to develop their talents, but also to promote a healthy lifestyle, but the values of commitment, resilience, discipline, dedication, teamwork, leadership, challenge, respect, perseverance, balance and time management, friendships and memories are all developed over time.
Our aim is to involve every girl in sport, fostering a love of physical activity that will stay with her for life. We encourage participation, enjoyment, and the development of fitness, skills, and confidence.
Our curriculum includes Lacrosse, Netball, Swimming, Gymnastics, Cricket, Tennis, Athletics, Badminton, Volleyball, and a range of alternative activities. In the 5th and 6th Form, opportunities broaden further, with additional activities on offer as well as GCSE, AS, and A Level Sport.
Staff List
Mrs Nancy Moore - Director of Sport
email: nancy.moore@stcatherines.info
Nancy completed BA Hons in Sport and Human Movement Studies at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff. She then went onto her PGCE at the University of Southampton. Nancy joined St Catherine’s in September 2000. In the past she has been involved in tutoring as part of Merriman House but now focuses on being the Director of Sport at St Catherine's specialising in the individual sports, as well as teaching A-Level PE and being the Australian Exchange Co-ordinator. Outside school, Nancy spends her time with her two children and walking her two cockapoos. She also loves to travel, ski and has completed the London Classics - Marathon, Ride London, and Swim Serpentine.
Miss Arabella Pearson, Assistant Director of Sport
email: arabella.pearson@stcatherines.info
Arabella (Arie) Pearson studied Sports Science and Coaching (BSc) at Loughborough University, where she was a member of the 1st Lacrosse team and represented Wales at the U19 Lacrosse World Cup. Arie gained her QTS while working at St Catherine's and specialises in lacrosse, though she also enjoys teaching athletics, gymnastics, and a range of other sports. She is an Assistant Tutor for Stoner House. Outside of school, Arie enjoys a variety of sports, including waterskiing and running, and she is aiming to complete the Seven Marathon World Majors.
Miss Joanna Paish, Assistant Director of Sport
email: joanna.paish@stcatherines.info
Jo studied Physical Education with QTS at the University of Brighton (Chelsea PE College). She enjoys teaching a wide range of team and individual sports at St Catherine’s, including badminton, gymnastics, trampolining, cross-country, and swimming, and also teaches GCSE PE. Jo is the Assistant Housemistress and L5 Tutor in Midleton House, where she enjoys being an active member of the house team. Jo enjoys challenging herself physically and mentally through sporting endurance events, having completed half, full, and ultra marathons. Her accomplishments include a 100km run, swimming Lake Windermere and a 70.3 Ironman, and she is always looking forward to her next crazy challenge. Outside of sport, Jo enjoys spending time with her family and friends and walking her dog.
Miss Natasha Dale, Head of Lacrosse
email: natasha.dale@stcatherines.info
Natasha (Tash) is Head of Lacrosse in the PE department at St Catherine's. She has a BSc in Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences from the University of Birmingham, where she also captained the 1st Lacrosse Team. Tash gained her QTS whilst working at St Catherine’s and specialises in lacrosse, though she also enjoys teaching netball, athletics and a wide range of other sports. She is the U3 and L4 Ashcombe tutor and values being part of the house team. Alongside her teaching, Tash has also made her mark on the international stage as Head Coach of the Italy U20 National Lacrosse Team, taking them to both the European Championships and the World Championships, where they achieved an impressive 8th-place world ranking. Outside of teaching, Tash continues to play and captain Guildford Gators 1st Team, enjoys playing social netball, and loves spending time with family and friends.
Miss Ellie Curtis, Head of Netball
email: ellie.curtis@stcatherines.info
Ellie studied Physical Education BA (Hons) and her PGCE at the University of Brighton. Ellie has recently returned from a year of travelling in which she spent a lot of time in Australia and New Zealand. Ellie has always had a passion for Netball and was fortunate enough to play and coach Netball whilst in Australia. In her free time, Ellie enjoys playing Netball and Cricket, spending time exploring different countries and watching football.
Mrs Emily McWilliam, Head of Swimming
email: emily.mcwilliam@stcatherines.info
Emily holds a BA (Hons) in Secondary Physical Education with Qualified Teacher Status from the University of Chichester. She is passionate about all sports both team and individual, and has a particular interest in swimming. Emily plays an active role in the English Schools’ Swimming Association, serving as Awards Secretary and a member of both the main committee and the South East region. Emily organises local, regional, and national galas, and coaches both the prep and senior school teams for competitions. In addition, she is the team manager for both the England Schools team and the Southeast schools' squads, coaching and managing top swimmers to compete at national and international events. Outside of her professional commitments, Emily enjoys spending time with her family and is an enthusiastic supporter of the Guildford Flames ice hockey team. Her other interests include swimming, tennis, skiing, cricket, travelling, and volunteering as a Duke of Edinburgh Award leader and assessor.
Mr Alan Mezzetti, Head of Tennis
email: alan.mezzetti@stcatherines.info
Alan completed a BA (Hons) in Sport and Leisure Management at New Buckinghamshire University. He holds a Level 4 LTA coaching qualification and spent eight years at The Harbour Club Chelsea, where he ran the tennis programme for 1,000 juniors and 500 adults, coordinated a team of 25 tennis professionals, and delivered coaching himself. He then spent a further six years at the LTA in a range of roles, including product development and coach training. Outside of tennis, Alan holds a Level 3 Personal Training qualification, as well as FA and UEFA football coaching qualifications. He coaches three local football teams and contributes to the development of football at St Catherine’s. Beyond work, Alan enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, whether locally or at the beach, where he works on improving his surfing. Locally, he also tries to squeeze in as much golf as possible.
Mrs Vic Alexander, PE Teacher, Lacrosse specialist
email: vic.alexander@stcatherines.info
Vic studied Physical Education and Mathematics at the University of Brighton (Chelsea PE College). She specialises in lacrosse, having represented England for over ten years and winning a bronze medal in the 2001 World Cup. Beyond lacrosse, Vic enjoys playing netball, tennis, hockey and cricket, as well as coaching our National rounders teams. She teaches A-Level PE and also serves as the school’s Deputy DSL and Attendance Champion. Vic is proficient in sign language and, outside of sport, enjoys reading, socialising and spending time with humorous people.
Miss Lucy Halliday, PE Teacher, Lacrosse Specialist
email: lucy.halliday@stcatherines.info
Lucy studied Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences (BSc) at Brunel University and later completed her PGCE in Secondary PE at the University of Brighton. She was captain of the Brunel Lacrosse 1st team and continues to play for Guildford Gators Lacrosse Club. At St Catherine’s, Lucy teaches GCSE PE and primarily coaches lacrosse, while also enjoying teaching a variety of other sports. Lucy is the Assistant School Housemistress of Merriman House and the L5 Merriman Tutor. She also runs the St Cat’s Sport Instagram page (@stcats_sport) and pursues a keen interest in sports photography. Outside of school, she enjoys playing cricket and watching football. Lucy’s coaching experience extends beyond St Catherine’s, serving as Head Coach of the England Lacrosse London Central Regional Academy and coaching the National Academy with England U20 athletes.
Mrs Lorraine Kowalewska, PE Teacher, Netball specialist
email: lorraine.kowalewska@stcatherines.info
Lorraine studied Primary Education with PE at Roehampton University. Her main sporting specialism is netball, having played for Celtic Dragons and Surrey Storm in the Netball Super League for over 10 years. Lorraine also enjoys running, strength training, spin classes, and yoga. Alongside teaching, Lorraine is part of the Russell Baker House tutor team. She is currently studying for a Master’s in Psychology, and she has two children who attend the Prep School, which makes being part of the St Catherine’s community even more special.
Miss Tamsyn White, PE Teacher, Netball specialist
email: tamsyn.white@stcatherines.info
Tamsyn studied Physical Education and Teaching with QTS at University of Chichester. Tamsyn played netball for her University 1st Team throughout her degree and currently plays for Sussex NRG in the Regional League and the un-defeated Staff Netball Team! Tamsyn is the Assistant Housemistress and L5 Tutor in Russell Baker House. In her spare time Tamsyn enjoys snowboarding, travelling and spending time with friends and family.
Mrs Krystyna Miller, PE Teacher, Netball specialist
email: krystyna.miller@stcatherines.info
Krystyna completed her BSc (Hons) in Physical Education in the Secondary Years at the University of Chichester. Krystyna specialises in netball and currently plays for the Downs Regional Netball team, however, is taking a short break to start a family this Autumn. Alongside playing netball, Krystyna regularly enjoys going to the gym and walking her dog, Reggie. Krystyna is an U4 Tutor in Stoner House. She is a keen baker, enjoys watching bake off and runs her own baking business in her spare time.
Miss Gayle Vickers, PE Teacher
email: gayle.vickers@stcatherines.info
Gayle primarily teaches swimming for both Senior and Prep School students. With a background in music from the University of Warwick (BA QTS), Gayle has also trained as a personal trainer and conducts various exercise classes, along with sports-specific strength and conditioning, swim coaching, Barre and sports massage. Gayle has a wealth of sporting experience. She represented England in lacrosse at the U18, U21, and senior levels for over 12 years, earning both Junior and Full Caps. In triathlon, she represented GB in her age group at various European and World Championships, and she has competed in the 70.3 Ironman World Championships. Her accomplishments include completing a full Ironman, cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats and participating in the television competition Gladiators in 2008, making it to the semi-finals out of over 80,000 contenders. In her spare time, Gayle enjoys practising the drums and playing the trumpet in the school jazz band.
Mr Brucie Morris, PE Teacher, Lacrosse Specialist
email: brucie.morris@stcatherines.info
Brucie studied Biomedical Sciences at University College London, where he was the President of the UCLU Lacrosse Club and began the men’s team whilst there. He began his girls’ school coaching career in 2015 and was the head coach at Oxford University 2017-2019. Brucie is an internationally rated women’s lacrosse official and has officiated at 3 European Championships and 2 World Championships. Alongside teaching he is the assistant Chemistry lab technician. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing and trying any sport his friends also enjoy, including netball!
Mr Alex Fox, Tennis Specialist
email: alex.fox@stcatherines.info
Alex is the current Sussex Men’s County Captain playing in and managing the team. He used to play full time nationally and internationally as a junior before turning his attention to coaching since 2018 and he hasn’t looked back since! He holds a level 3 tennis coaching qualification, as well as being a LTA R4 referee running local-regional level competitions. In his coaching career he has coached at numerous clubs in Sussex, with his most recent role being the head coach at Billingshurst Lawn Tennis Club. He also has coached at Dorset House and Windlesham House schools, and has played an active role in county training for juniors being the vice captain for various junior teams.
As well as his role at St Catherine’s he currently coaches at Roedean School, Bluecoat Sports and primary schools and houses in the area as well as running tournament programmes at Surrey Sports Park and Portsmouth Grammar School. Outside of work he loves spending time with his partner and 2 children, mainly running around local petting zoos with their love of animals!
Curriculum - AS/A Level
Examination Board: OCR
Why study Physical Education?
Studying PE gives you an insight into the theoretical concepts of the sports you play. It covers the physiology, psychology, biomechanics and sociology aspects of sport and provides an in depth understanding of how to improve your own, and others’ performance. It is a well-respected subject, combining positively with other Science and Arts A Levels.
Topics covered include:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Biomechanics
- Social issues in sport
- The use of technology in sport
- Skill acquisition
- Sports psychology
Assessment
- AS: The course is divided into 2 x 1 hour 15 minute written papers totalling 70% of the final grade. The remaining 30% is scored through a single practical assessment and a piece of coursework.
- A Level: The course is divided into 1 x 2 hour written paper and 2 x 1 hour written papers totalling 70% of the final grade. The remaining 30% is scored through a practical assessment in one sport and a piece of coursework.
Curriculum - GCSE
Examination Board: AQA
Topics covered include:
- The musculoskeletal system
- The cardiovascular system
- The use of performance enhancing drugs in sport
- How sponsorship and the media effect sport
- Injury prevention
- Barriers to participation
For June 2021, the GCSE practical option will be for two sports only.
NEA details include:
- Students must demonstrate performance in three different activities (one team, one individual, and the third either) drawn from the AQA activity list.
- They are assessed in progressive drills (core skills) and full context (game/competition) for each activity.
- They must submit a written analysis & evaluation of one chosen performance to identify strengths/weaknesses and propose improvement.
Assessment:
The course is divided into two theory exam papers, worth 30% each plus a non-exam assessment (NEA, practical work & analysis), worth 40%.