David Barham

Before Sackville

Sackville is my first full time school I have worked in.  After leaving sixth form I studied Physical Education and teaching BA(Hons) QTS at the University of Chichester, completing placements in Portsmouth, Southampton, Crawley and Farnborough.   After a short period of supply teaching in a variety of school settings following my graduation, I joined Sackville the beginning on 2008.

Why I enjoy my subject

Physical Education is a vast and heavily layered subject.  It combines a huge amount of subjects and doesn’t just enable the individual to develop physically; it pushes the limits in terms of providing experiences that will shape values, work ethic, working with others and beyond.

Why I enjoy Sackville?

I remember dropping off my application form one autumn afternoon having not visited Sackville before and seeing how picturesque the grounds were.  As I came in for the interview a month or so later and met the students and staff the unique atmosphere very quickly became my favourite thing about the school.

My favourite Lesson?

My favourite sport to teach is Volleyball.  I played at University in the national BUSA league, chaired the teams in my final year, got involved in the coaching set-up and enjoyed it immensely.  It is a relatively minor sport in the UK, a shame as it is a fast paced, exciting and very social sport.

Other roles

I am Head of Year 8 and 9 at the school, work on the Senior Leadership Team, coordinate the Duke of Edinburgh’s award and coach the majority of Key Stage 3 teams that compete in fixtures.  I also teach GCSE PE and A Level Leisure Studies.

Passions

A footballer at heart I play Saturdays in the Mid-Sussex League for a team from the Ashdown Forest in defence.  I am an avid Arsenal fan…much to the disapproval of most of the students!  Music is another love of mine; I play acoustic and electric guitar and bass, and frequently go out to gigs and festivals.  I enjoy being in the outdoors, and come the summer months need few excuses to run to Cornwall for some camping, climbing or surfing!  Volunteering is also something I have done a lot of over the years and continue to do, mostly with the charity Activenture.