Here at Varndean PE we offer a varied curriculum allowing students to experience a wide range of physical activities and sports. These include the traditional sports such as football, rugby, netball, cricket and athletics but we also offer a range of alternative activities within our curriculum time including trampolining, orienteering, swimming, fitness, table tennis and dance. 

We want to inspire young people to participate fully and enjoy the physical, psychological and social benefits of leading a healthy, active lifestyle. We aspire to promote excellence, determination, respect, courage, inspiration and equality in all that we do.

From year 9 to year 11 students can choose to study examination PE. We offer 2 pathways at KS4, AQA GCSE and Vcert Health and Fitness level 1 and 2.

We also deliver a year 7 programme through our Specialist School curriculum, giving students the opportunity to learn about the benefits of Health, fitness and nutrition.

Well done to the U15 girls cricket team who finished second in the Lady Taverners indoor competition at Hurstpierpoint College last week.

Some fantastic cricket was on display from all Schools, well done to all involved.

A huge thank you to everyone who was able to come down and show their support for the year 11 rugby team this afternoon in the County Cup Quarter Final (26/1/23), the boys really appreciate all of your support. Sadly we finished second against a well organised team from Hurstpierpoint however, our side showed immense passion, pride and determination throughout and were in high spirits after the final whistle.

A special thank you must go to Mr Taljaard for supplying the half time oranges, giving the players a much needed boost at half time.

The Year 8 Boys Football team had an epic run of 3 games in 8 days concluding with an impressive 12-1 victory last night (25/1/23) at home against BACA.

The other 2 games were a 3-2 defeat away at Longhill and a 1-1 draw away vs Stringer. Overall giving a very good account of themselves on and off the pitch. 

Congratulations to all involved, especially Mr Herbert and Mr Tuck for running the team.

The KS3 Girls rugby team were in action this afternoon (24/01/23) in a triangular development tournament with Seaford, BACA and PACA secondary schools. Some great rugby was on display with all involved progressing with their rugby journeys.

Please congratulate the following pupils on another outstanding performance beating Stringer 8-0.

We have had an extremely strong start to the season - 3 games, 3 wins, 29 goals scored, 0 conceded. Today the girls faced a physical Stringer side and really showed their quality. Congratulations to our goal scorers, Amy x4, Bo x2, Daisy and Verity. Huge credit also to Flo for making some superb saves to preserve a clean sheet.

Special mention to Poppy for being an excellent cheerleader.

Joint MVP (Most valuable player) for Bo and Flo.

The Y7  Boys Rugby team had their first ever match this afternoon (16/01/23) away to Downlands. In very wet and cold conditions the boys played some really good rugby and showed great development throughout the match. Downlands came out winners but the boys had a fantastic time and can't wait to play again.

Varndean trys came from Isaac, Safran and Alfie x 2.

Well done all!

The Y7 Girls football team were in Cup action last night (11/01/23) playing away against Longhill in the Brighton Schools Cup first round. The girls played extremely well and won 10-1, progressing to the next round. Well done!

Well done to the Y8 indoor athletics team who competed in the Brighton Schools Indoor Athletics competition this afternoon (6/12/22).

A fantastic competition which hasn't run since 2019.

The girls finished 5th overall out of 7 schools with the boys finishing 5th overall out of 8 schools.

Well done to all involved. There will be more athletics action for the Y8 students after Christmas with the cross country events.

Well done to the Y8/9 girls football team for beating Cardinal Newman this afternoon (5/12/22). 

Varndean 11 - 0 Cardinal Newman

The Year 8 boys rugby team were in action again last night (30/11/22) away to Patcham High School.

A fantastic game of rugby say the Varndean team win 4 tries to 0.

A brilliant team performance topped off by a hat-trick from Sam D.

Varndean 20 - 0 Patcham

Well done to the Y7 indoor athletics team who competed in the Brighton Schools Indoor Athletics competition this afternoon (29/11/22).

A fantastic competition which hasn't run since 2019.

The girls finished 3rd overall out of 8 schools with the boys finishing 5th overall out of 7 schools.

Well done to all involved. There will be more athletics action for the Y7 students after Christmas with the cross country events.

The U16 Girls Cricket team were in action this afternoon (28/11/22) at the Chance to Shine Festival at BACA. The tournament organised by Sussex Cricket is aimed at getting girls into cricket and a great warm up ahead of the Lady Taverners Cup in the new year. The Varndean team won their games against Stringer and Shoreham Academy and came a close second against Blatch.

The year 7 boys football team had their third game of the season against Blatch B on Thursday afternoon. After a slow start from the Varndean team, they found themselves 1-0 down from an excellent Blatch free kick. They however responded well and equalised just before half term through Alfie. Varndean dominated the second half and had lots of opportunities to take the lead, but unfortunately it was Blatch that that scored against the run of play due to a defensive error. The match finished 2-1 to Blatch.  

Congratulations to the Y9 Girls Rugby team who had their first competitive match of the year this evening (23/11/22) against Downlands.

The girls were the first team to grace the new Varndean rugby pitch. A fantastic display of rugby was on display for the packed sideline.

Thundering tackles, crunching rucks and blistering line breaks from both sides. Varndean's trys cames from Florence M (x4) and Mae (x2) with conversions by Esther (x1).

Final score:

Varndean 32 - 19 Downlands

Congratulations to the Y10 boys football team who won their first match in the A League last night (23/11/22), beating PCS.

Final score:

Varndean 8 - 1 PCS

The year 11 boys rugby team were back in  action last night (14/11/22) in the second round of the County Cup Vs Seaford Head.

A fantastic crowed of staff and students lined the touchline to show support for the team. 

An incredible team performance and work ethic saw them bring home the win and progresses them to the Quarterfinal stages of the competition against Hurstpierpoint College.

Well done!

Final score:

Varndean 55 - 8 Seaford Head

Well done to the year 8 Basketball team who played against Kings, Hove Park, BACA , PACA and Longhill at the Brighton Schools Basketball tournament.  Captained by Mathew, the team put on some brave performances finishing in 2nd position behind Kings School. 

The Y7 Girls football team were in action last night (10/11/22) and became the first team to wear our new football kit. The kit did not let them down as they were victorious in beating PACA 4-0. Well done girls!

The Y8 Boys rugby team ended the half term with 2 County Cup fixtures against Brighton College Prep and Patcham High School.

A fantastic performance to start the week away to Brighton College with Sam D scoring a hat-trick. Sadly the opposition had the better second half and the final score was; 

Brighton College Prep 30 - 15 Varndean

To end the week, Varndean welcomed Patcham High School to Balfour Road. A fantastic performance from both sides with some excellent displays of skill in attack and defence.

Final score; Varndean 25 - 10 Patcham High School

This week has seen the return of the annual School cross country during PE lessons. All students in years 7-10 have the opportunity to experience the joys of competing in the School cross country and earn inter school base competition points.

Well done to everyone involved, including Mr Tuck who was in charge of setting the course. 

Trail running club continues to go from strength to strength since we returned in September. Mr Lightfoot and Mr Speller have had fantastic numbers and have explored lots of new routes in Stanmer park. If you would like to be involved please come along on a Wednesday after school.

The Yr 11 Boys Rugby team were in action again this afternoon (18/10/22) at home Vs Blatchington Mill. 

A really strong performance from the boys against a well drilled and organised Blatch side saw some fantastic attacking rugby and also so impressive periods of organised defence.

Ahmed scored our only try after a fantastic passage of play from Varndean saw the ball passed to George who beat 2 defenders before throwing an offload out the back of his hand to Ahmed who had to dive in at the corner to finish the score.

The final score was 5-24.

Congratulations to our very own Regan who was crowned European Kick Boxing Champion last weekend (30/4/22).

Regan now holds the titles for 2 time English Champion, British Champion, 5 Nations Champion and European Champion. Her focus is now on world domination with the Kick Boxing World Championships in August.

Well done Regan and good luck at the World Championships.

The summer term not only brings the sunshine, but also the return of cricket to Varndean. This year we have a new addition to the PE department. We have a brand new Bola bowling machine thanks to Mr Whiteman's efforts which is available to all students.

Freddie and Alex in year 8 were the first lucky students to try out the new addition to the department. 

Cricket clubs are up and running so here's to a successful season ahead.

The year 10 and 11 Girls Football team were in action again last night (4/4/22), away to Patcham High on their new 3g Pitch.

A strong start saw Amy scoring in the opening minutes with a great piece of individual skill, dribbling the ball from the edge of the area, beating two players then sending the ball into the top corner. 

Paige then got the second with another superb effort from a similar position. Brooke added the third with a cracking strike into the top near corner, before Amy finished the scoring with a high shot from inside the area to make it 4-0.

Brooke earnt herself the was player of the match award with her endless running and ability to take players on.

Everyone played really well. Libby deserves a special mention for her consistent effort and running in behind and on another day she would have got an hattrick herself.

Well played girls!

The year 10 and 11 combined side were in action this evening (24/3/22) at home to Patcham High School. This was the first game for the squad and the first game of competitive rugby for a large number of the players.

The game was action packed with some impressive handling, tackling, running and kicking skills on display from both sides.

Tries for Varndean came from Albie who showed lightning fast reactions to pounce on a charged down kick. The second try was by Ahmed after an impressive run from George who side stepped several Patcham defenders before offloading to Ahmed who powered over the line to score.

Well done to all involved. Final score 12-29. The next fixture is against Stringer next Tuesday.

The trail running club athlete's took on the Tree planting challenge last night (22/3/22). The athletes worked in teams of three to plant as many trees as possible in a 45 minute time limit. 

The students worked in relay teams with 2 athletes working on planting a tree whilst the other team member completed an 800m lap of the school grounds, once they had completed their lap they swapped with a teammate and continued planting their tree.

A total of 12 trees were planted last night! Well done to all involved, especially Mr Speller for organising and sourcing the trees. 

The Y8/9 Girls Football team were in action last night (22/3/22) away to Hove Park. The girls played extremely well and won the game 7-1. Well done to all involved. 

The Year 9 and 10 Netball team were in action last night (10/3/22) in a City Tournament at Cardinal Newman against some very tough opposition. 

The girls showed great resilience and team spirit throughout and produced some great performances. 

A special thanks to Mr Hughes for driving the mini bus.

Well done to the U15 Boys Basketball squad who fought hard against an impressive Downlands team in the County Cup on Thursday (10/3/22).  Downlands started very strongly, scoring 5  '3 pointers' in the first quarter of the game !  Varndean upped their game especially in the third quarter when we slowed down our offence and were quicker on defence.  Despite this, Downlands won 67-38, an impressive scoreline for a very organised team.  Good luck to the boys in their game next week against 'Holy Trinity' one of the top teams in the country.   

The Year 7 Netball team played in the Brighton school's tournament on Tuesday (8/3/22).

For a relatively new team they worked incredibly hard in all their matches and improved with each game they played.

The girls showed some superb attacking play and a special mention for outstanding shooting from Dottie supported by Mira who had an incredible performance in defence.

Well Done Team!

Team

Dottie

Mira

Nelly

Ivy

Ruby

Eirian

Ada

Lotta

The Year 8 Netball team were in action this afternoon (24/2/22) with games against Patcham High and Blatchington Mill Schools. The girls played amazingly well and won their first match against Patcham High 12-1. The second match against Blatchington Mill School was a close encounter with it going down to the very last minute. We narrowly missed out on the win, losing 5 goals to 4.

Well done to the whole team:

Jodie (Player of the Match), Elise, Zoe, Sylvia, Lily, Leone, Poppy, Nandana, Dixie

The Year 10 Girls football team were in action last night (23/2/22) away to Hove Park. A strong Hove Park side meant that the Varndean team had to be at their best.

An impressive performance from all involved resulted in a 5-0 VICTORY for Varndean.

Goals came from:  Libby 3 (Hat-trick hero) and Amy 2.

Player of the match: Berine

Well done to all involved.

The new half term sees an update to the clubs on offer from the PE department. Please click the link below to see what is on offer this half term.

Extracurricular clubs 

The Year 8 netball team were in action last night (10/2/22), securing a close fought win against Cardinal Newman. The final score was 3 - 4

All played amazingly well with the Player of the Match award going to Sylvia.

Last night (10/2/22) saw the Y8 and 9 girls football team progress in the Sussex County cup with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Bishop Luffa School.

Varndean Year 7 Hockey team travelled to Blatchington Mill School on Thursday (3/2/22) for their second  Hockey match of the year.

The team emerged VICTORIOUS, with a score of 9-1 and now look forward to their next encounter.

The U14 Girls Rugby team had a successful afternoon at the city rugby tournament this week (3/2/22). The girls put it a fantastic performance winning all three of their games.

Results below in trys:

Varndean 3-1 Millais

Varndean 10-2 BACA

Varndean 3-2 Cardinal Newman

Year 8 netball played amazingly!!

The Year 8 B team had a promising performance last night (3/2/22) with a number of fresh faces in the squad. The side grew with confidence throughout both games, narrowing missing out on a win in their second match.

The A team held their own in a close fought match against Stringer but came out second best. The second match against PACA went goal for goal and finished on a draw.

The U15 Girls cricket team had their first fixture of the year in the ECB Indoor Cricket Competition held at PACA.

The girls won their first match against PACA, lost narrowly in the final over against Blatchington Mill and came second against tournament winners Downlands.

We look forward to the outdoor season later in the summer term. 

The Sussex School's Cross Country Championships took place this week (18/01/22) at Waterhall Valley.

A strong showing from all Varndean athletes with 2 Students finishing inside the to 20 in their respective age categories.

Dulcie in Year 10 came 2nd in her individual race and gained Qualification for the English Schools Team later in the year.

Eleni in Year 9 came 14th in her race.

Well done to all involved.

The Brighton School's Cross Country Championships took place last week (10/01/22) after a hiatus due to Covid-19.

A really impressive performance from all Varndean athletes with 15 Students finishing inside the to 20 in their respective age categories.

The Year 8/9 Girls team finished 1st overall and won the Brighton School's trophy.

Eleni in Year 9 won her individual event.

Dulcie in Year 10 won he individual race.

Rory in Year 11 finnished 3rd in his race.

Well done to all involved.

The year 8 boys football team were victorious last night in their league fixture against BACA winning 8-0 away from home.

A hat-trick from Jensen, 2 goals from Sam, 2 goals from Kyla and 1 from Jack.

Well done to all involved.

The annual School Cross country competition made it's return in November after a year long hiatus due to Covid-19. All students in Years 7,8 and 9 completed the 1.8km course around the school and college fields, with all important inter-school points up for grabs. Well done to all those who took part. Individual positions, times and results will be posted on the PE noticeboard shortly.