The Constraints Collective #81 Daniel Lycett
Feb 5, 2026
Daniel Lycett, Head of PE & Sport at St David’s College with 20+ years in physical education, discusses curriculum redesign, functional movement and coach development. He outlines a three-lesson weekly structure, continuous assessment from year 5 to 13, and practical constraint-based games that boost inclusion and skill development. He also shares tools for reflection and scalable coach development.
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Curriculum Built Around Activity And Adaptability
- Daniel reframed PE to prioritise keeping kids active, adaptable and engaged over traditional codified sport outcomes.
- He layers functional movement, adaptive games and sport-specific sessions to sustain lifelong physical activity.
Three-Lesson Weekly Structure
- At St David's Daniel runs three weekly lessons: rotation (swim/badminton/functional movement), donor/adaptive games, and a codified sport slot.
- Year seven students can reach ~17 hours of physical activity per week through this model.
Continuous Course Beats Tick-Box Qualifications
- Daniel replaced GCSE/BTEC routes with a continuous, non-linear course to keep learning relevant and motivating.
- This approach produced 100% achievement in subject attainment and stronger practical engagement.
