Skip to content ↓

Meet the Team

SHAPE Learning Partnership Team Members

Paul Ryan

Partnership Development Manager / SGO Brookfield

With twenty-two years' experience of teaching physical education and school sport and coaching at grassroots, development and elite levels of sport, Paul started out as a secondary PE teacher.

He worked at two Specialist Sports Colleges before turning his attention towards primary education. As a School Sport Coordinator within a large SSP, Paul found a passion for working with children aged 5-11 and began supporting a number of colleagues and schools in developing their primary PE offer.

He left full-time teaching to establish a teaching and sports coaching business, working with over 25 schools across Yorkshire and Derbyshire. He maintained a strong link to his teaching roots throughout this time, ensuring that he was still regularly at the chalk face. Paul began a new chapter in his career when he returned to PE full-time in February 2013. He embarked upon a transformational change within a large junior school as the PE Lead, embedding PE, school sport and physical activity as key drivers and strengths of the school. He achieved consecutive bronze, silver and three gold School Games Mark awards, achieved recognition as a Centre of Sporting Excellence with Yorkshire Sport, gained selection as one of only four primary schools in England to be involved in the Youth Sport Trust Innovation Schools Network and was one of only six primary schools involved in the YST Ambassador Schools programme.

Paul was involved in an innovative research project with Exeter University and the YST, utilising his pedagogical approach to improving attitudes to editing and improving writing, using PE as the vehicle to drive change. His work was featured as an example of good practice in the YST national publication. Paul is currently a Development Coach for the Youth Sport Trust as one of their carefully selected leads to support the Counties of Lincolnshire and Humber.

Having spent a career in teaching, Paul brings empathy, passion and experience to the partnership. His knowledge of teaching and learning, whole school impact, assessment for learning and cognitive science, combined with a clear vision and drive to advocate, champion and influence, will benefit all those who engage with the Partnership.