Steven Gravell

What are you doing now?

I am currently teaching Physical Education full-time at Haydon Bridge High School and Sports College in Northumberland and am finishing my second year of teaching. I have found teaching a great challenge and extremely satisfying. It is so dynamic and two days are never the same. I have recently gained a promotion to Assistant Learning Area Leader in PE and will start my new post at a different Northumberland school soon.

What did you most enjoy about your course, and why?

The thing I most enjoyed about the course was the professional placement which provided an opportunity for me to relate all of the theoretical knowledge that I had gained in my academic programme of study and apply it to real life teaching contexts. In addition, I think the diversity of study (containing both practical and academic elements) in the year-long programme made the course interesting and very relevant to teaching secondary Physical Education. The academic programme was delivered by leading experts in their field, which allowed me to have a clear understanding of the most traditional and contemporary educational issues.

What is special about being a student at Coach Lane?

As a student at Coach Lane, I enjoyed making use of the excellent study facilities. You really feel that you are in a positive learning environment which makes studying feel a lot less like a chore. Lecture rooms are modern and up-to-date, the library has an excellent supply of books and there are always more than enough computers to work on. Student support and study skills were always available and accessible which I think is important. Staff at Coach Lane are all very friendly and overall it is an excellent place to learn.