National Conference for Directors of Sport in Independent Schools

The most important thing a school can achieve in sport is a culture of enthusiastic participation. Intrinsic motivation to be involved in activity, whether in team games or health-promoting exercise is at the heart of this. The greatest achievement for Directors of Sport in any school is to establish an environment in which all children want to participate and in which normal behaviour it to be committed to being regularly active. These are the themes of PADSIS 2024: leading a culture in which sport and exercise are valued within schools, by students, staff and parents.

We are pleased to welcome James Kerr, author of the seminal culture book, “Legacy”, and also Dr Daniel Leiberman, who makes the trip from Harvard University exclusively for this event. His recent book, ”Exercised: the Science of Physical Activity, Rest and Health” provides a unique perspective on the value and promotion of physical activity in a sedentary society.

There is a very wide range of additional material, with a bigger selection of optional seminars than ever before. The aim is to enable delegates from all types of schools to find contemporary content relevant to their current challenges, and to enable them to stay abreast in developments in both sector trends and resourcing. The Thursday programme has been extended to enable this, whilst maintaining the Forum as an important Conference focus. The Forum continues to enjoy the support of the Sports Committees of both HMC and GSA. As last year, we will conduct sector research before the event, and present the results in the forum to enable delegates to understand what is happening across the sector. 

The venue will once again be the Leonardo Hotel (formerly Jury’s Inn) in Oxford, which has been the home of the Conference for over ten years. We believe that the advantages of familiarity continue to outweigh the restriction to an attendance of 250. What this means, however, is that demand is likely to exceed the limit on delegate numbers, dinner guests and accommodation, as it did last year. Early booking is therefore encouraged, particularly for those delegates wishing to attend the full event on a residential basis. 

The PADSIS Conference is the biggest gathering of Directors of Sport in Independent Schools anywhere in the world. In addition to the formal content, it continues to provide opportunity to connect, network and socialise with like-minded professionals in a convivial environment. Once again, we look forward to seeing you there.