How Heads of Sport Are Using UPskill to Build Stronger and more adaptable sports departments.

In today’s fast-moving school sport environment, Directors and Heads of Sport are facing increasing pressure to build high-performing coaching teams while navigating the challenges of staff turnover, vast experience levels of sport, and limited CPD budgets. 

That’s where UPskill comes in — a purpose-built online learning platform designed specifically to support sports staff in schools. From onboarding new staff in the department to delivering ongoing development that sticks, UPskill is being used by senior sport leaders across the world to enhance their workforce like never before.

Here’s how they’re doing it.

1. Onboarding That’s Fast, Focused and Hassle-Free

Bringing new coaches into a school system can often feel like a rushed introduction and a few shared PDFs (if they’re lucky), hardly the start you want for someone representing your sport programme. With UPskill by The Coaching Lab, Heads of Sport can get staff off to a winning start by assigning specific learning modules to staff, its as simple as drag and drop. 

From understanding school sports context to practical coaching frameworks, new staff can hit the ground running with confidence (in return giving you confidence). No more repeated inductions or inconsistent messaging — UPskill saves time and raises standards from the start.

“We used to spend hours getting new staff up to speed. Now we assign UPskill modules and we know everyone is aligned from day one. We can now follow up with more meaningful interactions when staff complete their modules and start working.”
– Director of Sport, NSW Independent School

2. Bespoke Learning That Meets Staff Where They Are

No two coaches are the same and neither are their development needs. Whether they’re former students returning to coach or seasoned multi-sport coaches, UPskill’s modular design lets Heads of Sports and Directors of Sport tailor learning paths to individual staff in as little as 3 clicks from their admin portal. 

With content covering everything from games-based coaching to working with mixed-ability groups, senior sports leaders can offer their team relevant, real-world CPD that connects directly to the education environment. 

You decide how long staff have to complete their modules and when. Some schools opt to spread modules across the terms where as some to opt to give staff a choice of what modules to complete, whilst making some compulsory. 

“Our staff love the bite-sized, real-world content. It’s not just theory — it’s what they actually need on the pitch or in the hall.”
– Head of Sport, UK Prep School

3. Stretching the CPD Budget Further

Professional development is essential (at least we think it is), though the ever changing CPD budgets of schools often doesn't stretch to bespoke sport and supporting external coaches, meaning CPD budgets don’t always stretch as far as they should. 

UPskill by The Coaching Lab offers a full 12-month school license, giving entire departments unlimited access to multi-sport learning for the cost of a single external course. It’s cost-effective, scalable, and supports year-round development, not just one-off days that are quickly forgotten (lets be honest!).

We also know that where sports-specific CPD can be useful, the dynamic nature of school sport is that a staff member will be asked to work in multiple settings across multiple sports in an academic year and equipping them with the HOW is more important that the WHAT. 

“UPskill has transformed how we use our CPD budget. We now get year-round development for all our staff, not just one or two.”
– Director of Sport, Perth 

4. Tackling Turnover and Building Consistency

One of the biggest challenges in school sport is the revolving door of staff. When coaches leave, so does the knowledge, connection and consistency you’ve worked hard to build.

UPskill gives Heads of Sport a framework to upskill quickly and retain standards, no matter who’s in the role. It helps new staff integrate faster and creates a more professional culture that makes them want to stay longer, delivering consistency across the sports programmes. 

“UPskill isn’t just CPD – it’s part of our retention strategy. It shows our staff they’re valued, supported and part of something bigger.”
– Head of Sport, London

Build the Team You’ve Always Wanted

Whether you’re managing a large PE department, a network of casual sports coaches, or a multi-sport programme with varying experience levels UPskill, gives you the tools to build a workforce that is aligned and prepared for delivering great sports experiences.

Because when your staff are confident, consistent, and committed, your whole school community wins.

Want to find out more about how UPskill can support your school?
Let’s chat here. We’d love to show you how other Directors of Sport are transforming their sports programmes.