Simon Atkinson Bsc. (hons) PGCE QTS Ma NPQSL
Director of Physical Education & Sport
Hello
My name is Simon Robert Atkinson BSc. (Hons) PGCE QTS Ma NPQSL
I am an adaptable, positive, solution focused leader with a track record of transforming PE and Sports Departments through creating strong cultures of engagement, ambition, progress, and sustainable success. I work relentlessly on developing an environment where every student can develop those skills and characteristics, they need to be good people and successful in life.
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Please take the time to get to know me a little bit more by scrolling down and learning about how...
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I am obsessed with Continual Professional Development
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I am experienced in teaching multiple domestic and international curriculums
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I have experience establishing sporting academies both in school and club environments providing the very best opportunities for children and young adults to achieve their potential and beyond
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I have extensive experience of building links with UK and USA sports scouting companies and university/college scholarship programmes providing clear pathways for students to succeed in sport beyond their time at school.
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I have built numerus successful and celebrated holiday activities and wrap around care businesses within schools both in the UK and overseas.
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I am the Host of the Sporting Careers Podcast "Sporting Directions"
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I am a proud father and husband
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I have come from an elite sporting background then into coaching at an elite level in both Rugby Union and Rock Climbing.
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I proven myself to be a successful leader in numerous educational and sporting environments both in the UK and internationally.
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I am passionate about being active and setting a good example to others through my pastimes and passions - in particular Outdoor activities such as rock climbing, paddle boarding, mountain biking, rugby and golf!
Obsessed with Continual Professional Development!
From a very early stage in my career I have learn that to become a better you it is important to surround yourself with others who know more and have done more than you and be willing to ask questions and learn from their wisdom. It is to this affect I have continually sought out courses, workshops and qualifications in the field of sports, educational pedagogy and leadership.
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NPQSL (National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership)
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Duke of Edinburgh Assessor Training Level 1 & 2
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IB Sport, Exercise and Health Science (Cat. 1)
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IB MYP PHE (Cat1)
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Firefly Operational Training
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School Buddy Administrative Training
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ISAMs Operations Training
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SIMs Operations Training
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NAE Becoming Bilingual Training
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NAE ‘Be Ambitious’ Training
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NAE Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Training
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NAE Cyber Security Training
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NAE Child Safeguarding Training
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STEM Learning Behaviour Management Training
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ESU Growth Mindset Training
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ATTCH Trauma and Attachment Training
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Royal Life Saving Society UK NPLQ (National Pool Lifeguard Qualification)
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MTA Climbing Wall Instructor Award
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RFU Rugby Level 3 Component: Planning & Periodisation
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RFU Rugby Level 3 Component: Performance Profiling
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RFU Rugby Level 2 Award
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RFU Rugby Level 1 Award
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RFU Rugby Level 1 Referee Award
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Archery GB Level 1 Award
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England Handball Level 1 Award
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Badminton England Level 1 Award
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UK Athletics Level 1 Award
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UK Dodgeball Level 2 Award
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UK Dodgeball Level 1 Award
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UK Dodgeball National Referee Award
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England Hockey Level 1 Award
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England Hockey Umpire Award
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Volleyball England Level 1 Award
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England Basketball Level 1 Award
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Royal Yachting Association Sailing Level 1 Award
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UK Baseball and Softball Level 1 Award
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Sports Leaders Tutor Accreditation (Level 1 & 2)
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Cardio Kids Aerobics Teachers Award
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Sports Coach UK Introduction to Fundamentals of sport
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Sports Coach UK Good Practice and Child Protection
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Sports Coach UK Long Term Athlete Development
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Sports Coach UK Guide to Mentoring Sports Coaches
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Sports Coach UK Equality in Coaching
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St Johns Ambulance Basic Life Support
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Sports Injuries and Managing Severely Allergic Pupils in Schools
Experienced in Teaching Multiple Curriculums
I have taught within numerous domestic and international settings which has allowed me to explore and learn from numerous curriculums and examination specifications / demands, including:
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The National Curriculum of England
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GCSE Physical Education (OCR | Edexcel | AQA) - Certified Examiner & Moderator
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A-Level Sport
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BTEC Sport & BTEC Nationals
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iGCSE (Cambridge International) - Certified Examiner & Moderator
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International Baccalaureate (PYP / MYP / DP) inc. SHES
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IPC (International Primary Curriculum)
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Chinese National Curriculum
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Successful Business Owner
AK-tivities Ltd. was founded in 2012 to provide sports coaching, instruction, activities and fitness training for children, parents, and all those in the local community of Huntingdon and Cambridge. An affordable yet exciting new way to engage with sport and activity during the school Holiday periods and at weekends. We currently operate a number of locations within the Huntingdon and Cambridgeshire area with over 400 children in daily attendance to our holiday sports camps.
In 2022 we expanded into the provision of wrap around care offering a structured and integrated approach to before and after school provision designed to keep children engaged, focused and active through a values driven approach.
As the Founder and CEO I'm proud to be able to lead this resilient and inclusive ltd company that provides award winning holiday sports camps and wrap around care for children aged 1-16, inclusive of SEND provision and leadership opportunities in addition to keeping children active, focused and engaged.
Co-Founder & HOST of the Sporting Directions Podcast
The Sports Industry is an amazing Industry, one full of opportunities and a variety of roles. But how do we find our calling in this vast industry? How do we find what it is we were meant to do or meant to be? and how is it we can achieve these dreams?
The Sports Directions Podcast is aimed at helping to answer some of these questions by sharing some of the amazing journeys of others, theirs achievements, their struggles and some of the advice they may have for others wanting to follow a similar path and begin to write their own stories in this industry.
In Series #1 will be speaking to Olympic Gold medalists, Sports Agents, World Famous Physiotherapist, Fitness and Health Industry CEOs, Sports Business Owners, Sports Event & Marketing Gurus and of course those in the world of Sports Education and Coaching.
Elite Sports Participation Background
From a very early age I have played and competed in numerous sports. I found early on that I excelled in contact based sports such as Martial Arts and Rugby, this developed into a curiosity around transferable skills and how I can use the skills I developed in these sports in other activities and as such I soon fell in love the complexities of biomechanics and coaching.
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As those around me grew and developed into 6ft plus giants whilst I remained a messily 5ft 7 I soon learnt the importance of hard work, technical development and the clever player willing to learn can overcome some fairly steep obstacles.
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I went on to achieve some amazing things and am still very proud of what I achieved, but it's my approach to this which I believe has prepared me to be the man I am today, something I passionately look to share with those I teach, coach and mentor at all levels.
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Most Notable Achievements:
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Northampton Saints Academy (EPDG) Player
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U12-U16/U18 East Midlands Rugby Player (including U18 Player of the Year & winner of the world representatives Rovigo cup at U16 and U18 level)
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U16/U18 Midlands Rugby Player
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U16/U18 England Rugby Training Squad Member
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U12 & U13 National Divisional Judo Champion
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U25 / U30 Midlands Touch Rugby Player (invited to train with the England Squad but unable to play due to injury)
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Played as a pro/semipro 1stXV rugby for Norwich RFC / Wellingborough RFC / Box Hill RFC / Shanghai Dragons Rugby RFC / Suzhou Late Knights RFC
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Accomplished Leader
As a leader in Education and sports I have had a lot of Career Highlights, including:
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Successfully established Various Elite and Developmental Academy programs in collaboration with professional sporting clubs, governing bodies, universities and commercial entities to provide clear pathways for children of all ages to progress in their chosen sport with many achieving professional contracts, national representation and/or financial scholarships with colleges and universities.
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Consistently increased the quality and variety of school based facilities and co-curricular / extra curricular provision.
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Increased Physical Education Examination (BTEC & GCSE courses) uptake by over 500% in just 3 academic cycles
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Consistently achieved positive value added scores in excess of +1.3 to make PE and Sport examination subjects one of the top 3 performing subjects within the CMAT schools network.
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Increased extra-curricular participation levels from 32% to over 84% in 4 academic cycles through the introduction of various new activities, an award winning and sought after leadership program, exciting new concept & pathway based curriculums and evening /weekend community engagement sessions.
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Achieved the AfPE Professional Practice Award (2017) for outstanding individual contribution to sport and teaching practice.
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Achieved the YST Sports Mark Platinum Award (2019-20) for excellence in sport and PE provision and participation
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Achieved the AfPE Distinction Award (2013, 2016, 2019) for Sporting and PE excellence, innovation, and delivery
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Achieved the Living Sport Regional PE & Sport Department of the Year Award (2014, 2016, 2018)
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Increased community engagement by over 200% by increasing facility use out of hours, initiating community clubs and activity programs at evenings, weekend and over school holiday periods.
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Successfully and consistently increased school revenue generation in excess of 50,000GBP equivalent through strategic investment in facilities, links with local businesses and development of successful community outreach programs and provision.
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Celebrated by the YST at the National Young Ambassadors conference as a leading provider of sports leadership and coaching pathways for students.
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Co-Founder and Chair of SETSA (Suzhou Emerging Talent Sports Association)
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Founder and CEO of AK-tivities Ltd. An award winning children's holiday sports camp and activities provider
A History of Elite Level Coaching
From playing to coaching, I have relished the opportunity to work with the next generation of elite players, many of which have gone on to gain professional contracts, scholarships and even represent their country at the senior level on the world stage.
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I have held many coaching roles prior to and during my teaching career, something I continue to do to this day. Some of my most notable roles and achievements include:
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Rugby Development Officer for the RFU whilst attending University, coaching representative teams within Yorkshire and mentoring aspiring coaches at all levels.
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Guest coach at semiprofessional rugby clubs and community rugby clubs across South Africa, Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.
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Multiple County Cup and Regional Cup championship titles within Eastern Counties
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Top performing State School for Rugby in Cambridgeshire with the most consistent winning record year on year for XV and 7’s versions of the game (two unbeaten seasons for the school’s 1st XV between 2015-16 and 2016- 2017)
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Regular placement of students into county & regional representative teams plus multiple professional club academy placements (with Northampton Saints, Leicester Tigers and Cambridge RFC Academy centers)
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Numerous placements of students onto international scholarships programs with top performing rugby playing universities around the world.
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Established the number 1 Leadership Academy and Young Ambassadors program in the UK (as recognize by the YST) for 3 consecutive years
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Assistant Head coach of Eastern Counties RFU which over 10years resulted in 3 unbeaten seasons and over 56 players go onto attain professional academy contracts and/or representative honors with their respective countries
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Successfully attained athletic scholarships for over 9 students over seas from within the schools sporting program
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Director of OAA and Climbing, setting up Swavesey Elite Climbing Academy which produced numerous high performing climbers who went on to trial with the recent GB Olympic climbing squad.
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Established and ran a climbing qualification program which saw over 30 young people and adults go onto to qualify as nationally recognized and certified climbing instructors.
Proud Husband and Father!
I am the proud Father of 2 amazing boys who are growing up far too fast. I am very proud that they get to enjoy and experience this international teaching adventure with me and their mother, something we know will enrich their lives and provide them with a global perspective they would not have achieved had we remained within the UK. These two boys are the focus of everything I do and the motivation for me to get better with each day, setting a good example of resilience, determination but more importantly setting an example of hope of how to be a good person.
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My Wife (Elizabeth) is a very knowledgeable and experienced EYFS professional having worked within Early Years settings for over 20 years holding positions such as nursery nurse, room leader, supervisor and manager. She has also gone onto own several childcare businesses and work within the NHS as a maternity nurse.
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Currently Elizabeth is the Assistant Head of Boarding at Nord Anglia School Suzhou, a role she both enjoys and excels at. Alongside this role she is also working toward her degree in Early childhood studies with the hope to soon develop her role as an early years practitioner within an international school setting.
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Please visit her LinkedIn profile page to learn more about my amazing wife.
Passionate About Being Active
I strongly believe it is important that teachers set good, healthy and active examples to their students but also, as a leader, set high standards of self care and wellbeing to those in their team.
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I aim to champion the importance of wellbeing through appropriate...
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Work - Life balance making time for friends and family
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Mental and Social importance through education on self-care and mindfulness
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Physical wellbeing through fun and regular participation within activities and sports
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I am a keen sportsman and regularly take part in a variety of sporting activities including Rock Climbing, Archery, Rugby (union and touch), Badminton and more recently paddle boarding and other water sports.