Academic : Physical Education

Given that our Headmistress is an Olympic rower and qualified mountaineer and given that our Games Department is highly successful with both our Prep and Senior school teams winning County titles galore as well as individual places in the West of England and indeed National squads, it is no surprise that Mrs Pascoe's thoughts on the importance of sport at Truro High School is clear and passionate:

"Schools in general need to do a lot more than one Sports Day per yearto change attitudes and make a real difference to young people's lives. We all know that obesity is on the rise and that televisions, computers, ipods and all the rest of the technological wizardry available today have, to a large extent, replaced physical exercise as the leisure activity of choice. Most children are driven to school instead of walking and, thanks to our target and league-driven society, more importance is attached to classroom lessons than those that take place outdoors or in a gym. I would argue, however, that PE should be just as much a priority in schools as more cerebral activity. Our children should grow up appreciating the many benefits of exercise, understanding that if you have a healthy body you are far more likely to have a healthy mind.

I know how reluctant girls, in particular, can be when it comes to donning sports kit. Research carried out by the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation has found that young women between the ages of 16 and 24 are half as active as young men, that 40% of girls feel self conscious about their bodies in PE lessons and that those lessons put as many as 25% of women off sport for life. That is why at Truro High we work hard to ensure that physical activity is seen as both essential and enjoyable. Our girls are encouraged to try out a wide range of sports - including trampolining, volleyball and fencing - as well as dance classes and yoga. They don't have to worry about looking good in front of boys and out of just over 400 pupils we have one girl who is currently the UK's number one high jumper for her age group, another who is playing netball for England, another who is ranked as the UK's fourth best pentathlete and we also have an international fencer to boot! As a school, we have also achieved the best sports AS level results for girls in the country.

In my view, far from detracting from academic study, sport improves the ability to learn. It also helps build self-esteem and selfconfidence, develops an individual's attention span, helps with time-management and encourages aspiration. Of course I'm not saying that everyone can be good at competitive sport. Whilst we encourage our pupils to set their own goals and go for them, what we really want is to develop a lifelong appreciation of exercise that equates physical effort with enjoyment and fun. The fact that the vast majority of our girls regularly volunteer themselves for some form of physical activity strongly suggests that we are succeeding. And I might add that our emphasis on health and fitness seems to have a very positive impact on our academic results, too!"