Role Overview
The PE Teacher and Sports Coordinator will lead physical education and sports programming for students at Sankore International School. Reporting to the Head of Teaching and Learning, this role combines direct PE teaching with the development of Sankore’s broader sports, movement, and extracurricular athletics program.
The role will design inclusive, age-appropriate PE lessons, build foundational movement skills, coordinate after-school and extracurricular sports opportunities, manage external sports and activity vendors, and develop Sankore’s participation in fixtures, competitions, and partnerships with other schools. The primary PE and sports coach role should emphasize inclusive PE instruction, fundamental movement skills, confidence, teamwork, school competitions, sports clubs, and safe participation for all children.
Because this is a learner-facing role, safeguarding is central. International school safeguarding guidance treats child protection as a whole-school responsibility and emphasizes safer recruitment, secure records, staff training, and vigilance across all adult roles working with children.
Core Responsibilities
Physical Education Teaching and Learning
- Plan and deliver engaging, inclusive PE lessons for students.
- Develop students’ fundamental movement skills, coordination, balance, strength, agility, spatial awareness, and confidence.
- Introduce students to age-appropriate games, athletics, movement activities, team sports, individual challenges, cooperative play, and fitness practices.
- Differentiate PE instruction for students with varied physical, developmental, language, sensory, and learning needs.
- Build a positive culture where all students can participate, improve, and experience joy in movement.
Sports Program Development
- Build Sankore’s foundational sports program as the school grows.
- Develop age-appropriate pathways from PE lessons to clubs, teams, friendly fixtures, and competitions.
- Identify priority sports and activities suited to Sankore’s facilities, student interests, staffing, and growth model in partnership with the Business Manager.
- Establish standards for training, participation, sportsmanship, safety, and student development.
- Create systems for team selection, practice schedules, attendance, equipment, permissions, transport coordination, and parent communication in partnership with the Business Manager.
Extracurricular Activities and Vendor Management
- Coordinate all extracurricular sports and movement-related vendors.
- Identify, vet, onboard, schedule, and supervise external providers in alignment with Sankore’s standards in partnership with the operations team.
- Ensure vendors follow safeguarding, child protection, safety, attendance, communication, and professional conduct expectations.
- Monitor quality of instruction and student experience across extracurricular offerings.
- Maintain records of vendor agreements, schedules, student participation, incidents, and feedback.
- Work with the Business Manager and school leadership on vendor budgets, procurement, and service quality.
Fixtures, Competitions, and Inter-School Coordination
- Identify appropriate competitions, leagues, festivals, friendly matches, and sports networks for early years and elementary students.
- Coordinate with other schools to arrange fixtures, shared events, and future competitive opportunities.
- Manage logistics for school participation, including schedules, permissions, transport, supervision, uniforms, equipment, and communication.
- Prepare students for competitions in ways that emphasize effort, teamwork, confidence, respect, and healthy competition.
- Represent Sankore professionally with peer schools, event organizers, families, and external partners.
Safeguarding, Safety, and Student Wellbeing
- Uphold Sankore’s safeguarding, child protection, and student wellbeing policies at all times.
- Maintain safe ratios, supervision, routines, and boundaries in PE, sports, changing areas, travel, fixtures, and extracurricular activities.
- Conduct basic risk assessments for PE lessons, sports events, vendor activities, equipment, and off-site participation.
- Respond appropriately to injuries, incidents, wellbeing concerns, or child protection concerns.
- Promote healthy attitudes toward bodies, ability, competition, effort, confidence, and inclusion.
- Ensure all students feel safe, respected, and able to participate.
Equipment, Facilities, and Operations
- Maintain PE and sports equipment, storage systems, inventories, and replacement plans.
- Set up and pack down spaces safely and efficiently for PE lessons, practices, events, and extracurricular activities.
- Monitor the condition of sports areas, play spaces, equipment, and related facilities.
- Coordinate with operations staff to ensure safe, clean, and ready-to-use physical activity spaces.
- Support procurement planning for sports equipment, uniforms, first-aid materials, and program growth.
Assessment, Documentation, and Communication
- Track student participation, progress, skill development, and engagement in PE and sports.
- Provide constructive feedback that supports confidence, effort, and improvement.
- Communicate clearly with teachers, families, leadership, vendors, and students.
- Maintain calendars, schedules, permission records, attendance lists, incident records, and sports program documentation.
- Contribute to reporting, showcases, family communication, and school events as needed.
Culture, Values, and Founding-School Contribution
- Model Sankore’s values of Consciousness, Curiosity, Courage, Continuous Growth, Creativity, and Community Care.
- Build a sports culture grounded in participation, respect, discipline, teamwork, and joy.
- Help establish traditions, routines, and expectations for athletics at Sankore.
- Collaborate with classroom teachers, arts staff, operations staff, and leadership to support whole-child development.
- Contribute to a founding-school environment where adults build systems, solve problems, and care for students together.
Core Competencies
- PE instruction: Designs safe, engaging, developmentally appropriate lessons that build movement, confidence, and wellbeing.
- Sports program leadership: Builds structured pathways from PE to clubs, teams, and competitions.
- Student-centered coaching: Develops skill, effort, sportsmanship, and resilience without overemphasizing performance at young ages.
- Vendor management: Selects, coordinates, supervises, and evaluates external providers effectively.
- Operational discipline: Manages schedules, equipment, permissions, records, logistics, and communication reliably.
- Safeguarding judgment: Maintains safe supervision, professional boundaries, and prompt escalation of concerns.
- Inclusion: Ensures all students can participate meaningfully, regardless of ability, confidence, or prior exposure to sport.
- Collaboration: Works well with teachers, families, school leaders, vendors, and peer schools.
- Communication: Gives clear instructions, communicates calmly, and builds trust with students and adults.
- Founding-school mindset: Brings flexibility, initiative, and systems-building discipline to a new school environment.
Success in This Role Looks Like
- Students experience PE as safe, joyful, inclusive, and confidence-building.
- Early years and elementary students develop strong foundational movement skills.
- Sankore has a clear, age-appropriate sports program that can grow over time.
- Extracurricular sports vendors are well-managed, safe, reliable, and aligned with school values.
- Students begin participating in appropriate inter-school fixtures, festivals, and competitions.
- Families receive clear communication about sports activities, schedules, permissions, and expectations.
- Equipment, spaces, schedules, and records are well organized.
- Sankore develops a sports culture rooted in teamwork, discipline, courage, respect, and care.
