Mr M Bowler (PE and Games Teacher) 

The whole Lady Barn community is delighted to congratulate Mr Bowler on graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a First-Class Honours degree in Sport: Coaching and Development. 

Completing a university degree is a significant achievement in itself, but doing so over four years while balancing the demands of a full-time teaching career and family life is particularly impressive. Mr Bowler’s dedication, resilience and commitment have resulted in an outstanding accomplishment that reflects many of the qualities we encourage in our pupils every day. He is a wonderful role model, demonstrating that with ambition, perseverance and hard work, challenging goals can be achieved. 

Mr Bowler’s academic success was further recognised through his final-year dissertation, which was awarded an outstanding mark of 95%. His research explored how different approaches to teaching Physical Education in the Early Years may shape children’s experiences of movement, including their confidence, enjoyment and developing perceptions of their own physical competence. 

The study adopted a child-centred qualitative approach, providing young children with opportunities to communicate their experiences of Physical Education through drawings, conversations and age-appropriate reflection. These perspectives were considered alongside lesson observations and reflections from teaching assistants, enabling the research to explore how children experienced different pedagogical approaches and how these experiences might contribute to their developing relationship with movement and physical activity. 

The research highlights the importance of considering Physical Education as more than the development of physical skills alone. The findings suggest that thoughtfully designed and developmentally appropriate learning experiences may support children’s confidence, enjoyment, willingness to engage with movement and their developing sense of competence. They also reinforce the importance of considering not only what children learn in Physical Education, but how they experience that learning. 

These principles closely reflect the ethos of Physical Education at Lady Barn House School, where we believe every child should have opportunities to experience movement in a way that is engaging, inclusive and enjoyable. Our approach aims to nurture confidence, curiosity and a positive relationship with physical activity, while recognising the important contribution Physical Education can make to children’s wider physical, social and emotional development. 

Building on his dissertation, Mr Bowler is now working collaboratively with experienced researchers in the field to develop the research into an academic journal manuscript, with the aim of submitting it to a leading Physical Education journal. It is hoped that this next stage will enable the work to contribute to wider professional discussion around Early Years Physical Education and evidence-informed practice. 

His passion for learning continues this September as he begins a PGCE with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), further developing his knowledge, experience and expertise as an educator. 

While this achievement is a personal one, our pupils benefit every day from being taught by staff who are passionate about their profession and committed to continually developing their knowledge and practice. Mr Bowler’s enthusiasm for evidence-informed teaching, professional growth and lifelong learning enriches the experiences of the children he teaches and exemplifies the high standards we value at Lady Barn House School. 

Congratulations, Mr Bowler, on this exceptional achievement. We are incredibly proud to celebrate your success and look forward to seeing all that you accomplish in the next stage of your professional journey. 

Mr M Bowler’s Graduation on Friday 24th July 2026 

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