In many environments, sports is seen as an exclusive territory, reserved for PE teachers, professional coaches, and high-performing athletes transitioning to coaching. For everyone else, it feels like a closed door meaning academic staff with low confidence and lack of experience to deliver school sport.

This misconception doesn’t just limit who gets involved; it limits what’s possible. When only a few take part, students miss out on diverse role models, teachers lose opportunities to connect differently, and the school community loses the vibrancy that comes from shared movement and play.

With UPskill by The Coaching Lab , we’re changing how workforces in education are supported and developed.

Closing the Confidence Gap

For many teachers outside the PE department, the idea of leading sport feels daunting:

  • “I’m not a coach.”

  • “I don’t know the rules.”

  • “I’ve never played X sport before”

These doubts are understandable when staff are not supported. With UPskill, we help educators see that effective sport leadership isn’t about elite performance or technical mastery. It’s about enthusiasm, inclusion, and confidence. Students don’t need flawless coaching; they need teachers who bring energy, empathy, and encouragement to the field. Teachers know more than they think.

Teachers also know more than they think they do. You wouldn’t run a geography lesson with one text book, nor would you run one session with ball. Similarly, you wouldn’t shout at a child learning their times table. You would teach them- test - tweak, creating lots of opportunities for learning.

Give your staff the confidence with UPskill

The magic happens when schools invest in their people and we don’t mean the outdated approach of a one day CPD at the start of term to tick the box. Through UPskill, staff gain access to practical, bite-sized learning specific to education that makes sport accessible for everyone. Access to 9 learning modules support school workforces to develop:

  • Core coaching and facilitation skills

  • Creative ways to adapt games for all abilities

  • Tools to prioritise participation over perfection

  • The confidence to lead, even without a PE background

We don’t just train teachers, we empower them. With the right support, hesitation turns into excitement, and teachers discover new strengths (and often new passions) they never expected.

Beyond the Field: The Ripple Effect of Confidence

The benefits of an active school culture extend far beyond sport. When teachers step out of the classroom and engage through movement, something shifts:

  • Perspective resets: A change of pace and place supports mental wellbeing.

  • Relationships deepen: Shared play builds authentic connections with students.

  • Purpose is renewed: Many rediscover the joy that brought them into teaching, making a real difference in young lives.

When we designed UPskill, the biggest aim was not to become “another online box ticking exercise for staff” But to deliver learning that sticks and resources that have immediate impact in giving staff the tools to deliver.

The Leadership Imperative

Creating an active, inclusive sport culture takes more than enthusiasm, it takes leadership. For school leaders, the challenge is to move from words to structure:

  1. Protect Time – Schedule space for co-curricular activities so engagement feels supported, not squeezed.

  2. Invest in Development – Use UPskill to equip all staff with confidence and competence to lead activities.

  3. Shift the Culture – Celebrate community, participation, and joy as much as results.

When schools embed these principles, sport becomes part of the school’s DNA not an afterthought or add-on.

Towards a Whole-School Movement Culture

A truly active school doesn’t stop at the gym door. When every member of staff feels confident to take part from science teachers to support staff the entire community benefits.

  • Wellbeing improves across the board

  • Relationships strengthen

  • Students perform better academically

  • The stigma of elitism around sport begins to fade

This is what UPskill stands for: helping every sports leader in education to step forward, lead with confidence, and bring the joy of movement to every student.

Engage and support your staff with ease.

If you’re a school leader, ask yourself:

  • How are you creating space for staff to grow in this area?

  • Which UPskill session could spark a change in your school this term?

UPskill is rethinking what school sport is about. Book a demo for your school and see the impact for yourself.

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We’re here to make you a game changer.

After launching in 2018, The Coaching Lab's MatchPlay Cards were quickly recognised by Richard Branson's Virgin Startup as a “bright idea”, accelerating our reach to impact teachers and coaches across the world to improve their coaching, strategy and gameplay.

MatchPlay Cards are now loved in 75+ countries, used at the games grassroots and with the world's elite.

Our cards were designed to engage the kid at the back; to help the coach who is short on time and the teacher looking for an innovative way to engage a mixed ability group, MatchPlay Cards are the solution.

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