Sophie Naylor

Name: Sophie Naylor
Years Attended: 2008 – 2010
Currently: Head of Department for Performance, Sport & Health
Subjects Studied at Cardinal Newman: A-Levels in PE, Dance and Maths alongside Netball Academy

Back in 2008 Sophie Naylor started at Cardinal Newman, studying A-Levels in PE, Dance and Maths. Fast forward 12 years, and she is now a successful Head of Department at Lancashire’s only non-selective, non-fee paying girls school. We caught up with her to find out more about her life as Head of Performance, Sport and Health.

What are you doing at the moment?

I am currently Head of Performance, Sport and Health at Penwortham Girls’ High School.

What is your day to day life like?

On a daily basis, I teach KS3 and KS4 PE, GCSE Dance and GCSE PE. I also run lunch time and after school extra-curricular activities as well as taking students to fixtures and competitions. Within my working week, I also attend meetings and spend time planning and implementing ways in which I can improve the Physical Education provision at Penwortham Girls’ High School.

What is the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is seeing the progress my students make within each lesson or club session over the time they spend at PGHS. I also love running extra-curricular clubs and organising fixtures and competitions for our students to take part in.

What is the most difficult part of your job?

Time management and prioritising certain tasks is the hardest part of being a teacher. Work as a teacher is never complete, you need to learn to use your time effectively and prioritise the completion of tasks.

What advice would you give to Students at Cardinal Newman?

Make the most of everything that Cardinal Newman College offers you and keep working hard to achieve your ambition as you progress onto the next stage of your life.