THE start of the summer holidays will be a bittersweet time for students and staff at a Shinfield school as they bid farewell to a long-standing member of staff.
Matt Lappin, head of PE at Shinfield St Mary’s Junior School, departs after 11 years being the driving force behind its thriving sporting provision.
Also in charge of curriculum and Year 6, Mr Lappin has overseen the development of a wide-ranging offer which caters for youngsters looking to compete at county level, as well as those making their first forays into sport.
He explained: “It’s one of those mixed feelings, leaving the village and community. I hope, and know, I’ve given everything I can to the school, and that I’m leaving it in a good position.
“I think I’ve developed a lot as a teacher and leader in that time. At the start of your career you think you know everything, and then you realise you’re never going to know everything.
“I’d like for my legacy to be physical activity being kept high. My teaching style has always been about getting the best out of every pupil that comes through the door. I want to give every child as many opportunities as possible, whether that be in the classroom or on the sports field.
“My ethos is, ‘I’ll back you the whole way through.’”
Arriving at the next-door infant school as a 20-year-old NQT, Mr Lappin has seen the junior school triple in size due to large-scale developments in Shinfield and its surrounding areas.
The school’s initial sports and physical education offerings were minimal; Mr Lappin recalled the first sports club he ran, describing it as “the most demoralising hour of my life” as only three students turned up.
Fast forward a decade, and St Mary’s Junior School now provides high quality physical education in 14 different sports, ranging from traditional football and cricket, to the newer New Age Sports, which are available to both mainstream and special needs students.
The school shares facilities with Shinfield Rangers Football Club and Shinfield Cricket Club, and particularly keen students are encouraged to join and take part in after-school sessions.
Through sport, Mr Lappin has instilled confidence, teamwork and a sense of belonging into generations of pupils, some of whom would had already dismissed themselves as ‘the sporty type’.
“There used to be the culture that you had to be really good to play sports at school, but I don’t feel that any child in this school feels like they can’t participate and get involved,” he explained.
“I’m here to bring those who have never held a tennis racquet, golf club, cricket bat or hockey stick, to take them on a journey through the school and show them that they are good enough.
“I want every child to leave my care being a good human being and a well-rounded person – that has been my goal.
“Yes, we can get good grades and represent the school in sports, but if they leave my care a better and more well-rounded person, that’s my job done.”
Wokingham Today had the opportunity to speak to some of the school’s Year 6 sports leaders, who all said they would miss Mr Lappin’s support next year.
Grace said: “Mr Lappin has really helped us. When we’ve been picked for tournaments he’s spoken to us in great detail about how to get to a good level. If we don’t understand one way, he’ll come up with a different way to explain it.
Classmate Sophie added: “He’s helped me gain confidence about my SATs. I didn’t think I was going to do well at all, especially in arithmetic. But he’s helped me with the problems and put me in after-school classes.”
Berkshire netball player Amelia said: “Mr Lappin has helped me a lot with netball and other sports I’ve done clubs for. It really helped because I made the netball team for the county finals, which was really fun.
“The level was very high, but I felt like I’d been prepared really well.”
Mr Lappin will assume the role of deputy head at Burghfield St Mary’s Primary School in September, but assured his current students he will continue to look out for their results and progress.
When asked what his final message to the students was, he said: “Just never give up with sport, just try everything. Get stuck in and have no fear that you are not good enough.”
