Mr Neil Castle

Prior to starting at CCCU I held a variety of different roles in education, both in the private and state sectors, coupled with experience living and working overseas. An ex-secondary Head of PE I also lived and worked in the USA as Head of Education and Training for the country’s largest coaching organization for 6 years before moving back to the UK to take the role of Senior Competition Manager for Kent. I undertook a key role in developing the original Kent School Games and was coordinator of one of the nine National School Games pilots in 2010. Most recently I held the post of Senior School Games Organiser (SGO) for Kent, coordinating the work of 15 others SGOs in delivering the school Games Programme. In addition I was Partnership Development Manager for Ashford, a Youth Sport Trust Development Coach and I also sat on the YST National Development Team. These roles required me to drive developments in physical education particularly in the primary sector, both locally and nationally, providing consultancy and delivering CPD sessions to schools offering advice and direction on recent government strategies, funding opportunities and curriculum development.

I teach on a variety of modules at Levels 4, 5, and 6 across a number of courses.  Although my main focus is on effective pedagogy in PE and the practical application of theoretical frameworks, I deliver a number modules that cover a broad range of topics including; Physical Activity, Health and Well-being, Physical Development, Special Educational Needs in PE, Research Methods, and the Development of Post Graduate Employability.  

My role includes working with students as their Personal Academic Tutor and a focus on enhancing the student experience and learning community alongside all the other PE tutors. Having trained at in Human Movement Studies at St Mary’s University, I achieved my PGCE as a secondary specialist in Physical Education, I have taught in secondary schools in Inner London  and Surrey.

Current Courses (and Modules): Foundation Degree Physical Education,  Physical Activity and Sport:  

•    Module Lead Year 1 Level 4: 'Developing Practical Knowledge’ and ‘Introduction to Health, Well-Being and Physical Activity’

•    Module Lead Year 2 Level 5: 'Physical Education and School Sport Project

•    Module Lead Year 3 Level 6: 'Professional Experience in PE and Sport’ and ‘Physical Education and Health Enhancing Physical Activity’  BSc (Hons) Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science degree:  

•    Module Lead Year 3 Level 6 'Professional Experience in PE and Sport’

•    Module Lead Year 2 Level 5 ‘Physical Education in Educational Contexts’ BA Primary Education: Tutor for Physical Education School Direct (primary): Tutor for Physical Education School Direct (secondary): Tutor for Physical Education PGCE (primary): Tutor for Physical Education Member of Association for Physical Education (AfPE) Fellow of Higher Education Academy

Castle, N. (2018) Evaluating a model for effective Competition designed to build engagement and competence in PE lessons. Association for Physical Education. [Conference paper]

Castle, N., Gubby, L. and Howells, K.  (2018) Castle’s competition model for building confidence and competence in action. AIESEP (International Association of Colleges of Physical Education) World Congress. [Conference paper]

Castle, N. (2019) The effective use of competition as a pedagogical tool to develop competence, confidence and enjoyment in physical education lessons in a primary school. [Masters Thesis]

Castle, N. and Howells, K. (2021) Castle’s Competition Model in Action. AIESEP (International Association of Colleges of Physical Education) World Congress. [Conference paper]

Howells, K., Carney, A., Castle, N. and Little, R. (2018) Mastering Primary Physical Education [Book]

In addition to my work in education I also have a keen interest in sport psychology; helping elite athletes to develop a better understanding of their unique strengths and talents. Within this work I created the Winning Profile assessment tool that was used by several Elite Performance Teams at the BOA in the lead up to London 2012.

Post Olympics I have continued with my research and performance analysis, working specifically with the football industry, working with players from Academy level through to the First Team at Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Charlton Athletic and, most recently Brighton and Hove Albion. I have also been a guest facilitator on the UEFA Pro Licence course for the Northern Irish FA.

I am a member of the British Psychological Society and I am listed on their Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTU). I am l am also a Trustee and Committee Chair for the Samphire Star Academy Trust. Based in the Dover area this trust is currently made up of one secondary school and three primary schools, with aspirations to grow further in the near future..