'Physical Education & Sport play a major role in the life of students at Cranbrook School.  Curricular PE is augmented by an extensive extra-curricular programme that aims to provide opportunities for as many students to take part in sport as possible.  With the importance of health increasingly recognised, the aim of the PE Department is to encourage students to develop a life-long enjoyment of sport and exercise, whatever their chosen discipline.  As well as being a core subject, Physical Education is an option at GCSE, AS and A2 level.  The academic PE classes hugely benefit from the wide range of facilities at Cranbrook which include a sports hall, a gym, newly refurbished outdoor swimming pool, a dance studio, extensive playing fields, a re-surfaced astro turf and, for Sept 2010, two health and fitness suites including both weight training and cardiovascular equipment.

Curriculum PE

 Every student in Years 9, 10 and 11 is timetabled for one PE lesson per week, as well as a 2 hour games afternoon.  During the year, students cover a range of activities including Fitness Testing, Health & Fitness, Athletics, Gymnastics, Swimming, Dance, Outdoor Ed and Games.  The Games covered tend to be Basketball, Badminton, Volleyball and Football, with a focus on skill development.  With the new gym equipment in 2010 and the plans for a new Fitness Suite, there is an emphasis on health related fitness and the understanding of training methods.  From Year 10 onwards, students have the opportunity to be inducted at the school fitness suites and are able to use the gym during supervised sessions.

 During games afternoons the boys cover rugby, hockey, cricket and tennis while the girls play hockey, netball and tennis.  Options for the senior students include the major games listed above, as well as; golf lessons, basketball, soccer, dance/ aerobics, weight training, cardiovascular training, running and squash.

There are many members of staff who do a fantastic job helping with the extra-curricular programme at Cranbrook, but here is a list of the main PE staff:

Mr Tom Green, Head of PE and Games;  Mr Alex Presnell, Head of Boys' Games; Mrs Kirstie Burnett, Head of Girls' Games; Mrs Elizabeth Coleman, Head of Dance;  Mr Nick Fowler, PE and Games; Clayton Pohio - Hockey Coach

 Dance

 Dance is taught in lessons from years 9 to 11, through Performing Arts in Years 12 and 13 and developed through extra-curricular clubs throughout the Autumn and Spring term.  Class work, club pieces and original compositions are performed in a lively Dance Show at the end of March.  Last year over 200 students were involved including a large number of boys.

 Exam PE

 Students have the opportunity to study GCSE PE in years 10/11 and AS  /A2 in the 6th Form. Currently, there are two GCSE classes in both Years 10 and 11 which demonstrates the popularity of the subject. With both GCSE and A-Level PE, students benefit from the extensive facilities available at Cranbrook with lessons varying between theory and practical.  The results in these external examinations have been excellent over the last few years, with PE students going on to study subjects such as Sports Science or Physiotherapy at university.  One of the highlights of the year is a trip to the University of Brighton Sports Science labs to study fitness testing and sports science.