Staff Spotlight: Scott de Weymarn, Teacher of Physical Education

Our pupils do amazing things every single day, but behind those achievements are all of the hardworking staff here at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú' School. In Staff Spotlights we look to explore the diverse backgrounds and skills of the people who make ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú' a great place to be. This week we hear from Scott de Weymarn, Teacher of Physical Education.
When did you join ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú'?
I joined ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú' in September 2022 from Abingdon school in Oxfordshire. Before that I had worked at Bloxham School, again in Oxfordshire, and Bryanston, in Dorset.
Tell us about your subject. What excites you about it? How did you get into it?
I am a Teacher of Sport Science and Physical Education and I have always been passionate about sport and being physically active. My father was a history teacher and director of cricket at Wrekin College in Shropshire where I was fortunate enough to have the use of lots facilities where my older siblings and friends could play rugby, cricket, hockey, as well as run around, swim or go for a bike ride. It was through these family and friends, alongside certain teachers both at primary and secondary sport where I fell in love with sport and being active. After finishing school, I travelled to Australia to work in a school but also play cricket and rugby which was a fantastic experience. This was also where I started refereeing rugby. This passion for sport continued at Cardiff Metropolitan University, playing hockey and cricket and refereeing rugby for the WRU before entering teaching as a graduate assistant and assistant housemaster at Bryanston.
There are many things that excite me about my subject but, to pick a few is that I genuinely believe there is a sport or activity out there for everyone to enjoy. I will give any sport or game a try and just love the passion and energy that people can get from it.
I also stress to people that we have only one body to last us a lifetime and we must look after it. Whether that is through training, nutrition psychology, understanding harmful effects of substances such as smoking or drugs or learning life skills such as swimming, we need to learn how to take care of our bodies and ensure they work for us when we need them to. I hope that learning PE or Sport Science gives people the knowledge so that when they are 40, 50 or even 60+ they feel confident that they can achieve all the physical tasks they put their mind to, whether that is being able to go swimming on holiday, lift their children onto their shoulders or simply carry the shopping into their homes.
What are you most proud of outside of your work at school?
I am proud to have achieved a 1st Class BSc degree from Cardiff Met and then a Distinction in my PGCE from Buckingham but also sticking with these plans and my route to Taylors' which wasn't always straightforward. I also feel I am, and proud to be, a pretty good uncle to my 5 nephews and niece. I don't have any children of my own, which most people mention in this section, but family is very important to me, and I will always make time to spend time with them.
Representing Wales for cricket whilst at university was good fun whilst running the Edinburgh and Amsterdam Marathon where also pretty cool experiences. At the moment, I am just pretty pleased I can still score a few runs playing cricket in the summer, whether for club or in the staff Trumpers teams.
What did you study at A-Level?
For A-level I studied PE, Psychology and Biology.
What piece of media would you recommend and why?
I enjoy music in general and just having something on in the background at home is relaxing. My first albums were by Jack Johnson, Green Day and Gorillaz.
I also enjoy audio books, in particular crime thrillers such as the Jack Reacher or Adam Black series. I spend lots of time in the car and find this a great way to pass the time.
