Secondary PE Major Award Winner 2026 - Rickmansworth School
3x Vision T600 treadmills, 2x Concept2 BikeErgs, 1x Concept2 SkiErg with floor stand and 1x Wolverson Assault Bike Pro to revitalise Rickmansworth School’s fitness suite and create an inclusive health and fitness hub that supports students of all abilities, interests and backgrounds. The existing cardio equipment was installed in 2012 and, after more than a decade of continuous use by students, staff and the wider community, has reached the end of its operational life. With manufacturers no longer able to provide service contracts or replacement parts, there is an urgent need to replace ageing equipment to ensure the facility remains safe, reliable and effective.
The upgraded fitness suite will benefit the entire student body, from Year 7 through to Sixth Form, as well as staff and community users. Within the curriculum, Key Stage 3 students will use the equipment to develop an understanding of fitness, health and wellbeing, while Key Stages 4 and 5 will use the machines to investigate training methods, physiological responses to exercise and performance improvement. The advanced monitoring and data-tracking capabilities of the new equipment will be particularly valuable for GCSE and A Level PE students, enabling them to collect, analyse and compare performance data across the machines as part of their studies.
The project is designed to support a broad range of learners. Student surveys have shown that many young people are less engaged by traditional competitive sports and prefer opportunities to focus on personal fitness goals. The fitness suite provides a non-competitive environment where students can build confidence, improve physical health and develop positive lifelong exercise habits. The new equipment will be accessible to pupils across a wide range of fitness levels and abilities, including those with additional needs who may find individualised exercise more appealing and achievable than team-based activities.
The improved facility will also strengthen extracurricular provision, supporting existing fitness clubs attended by more than 50 students each week and enabling the introduction of targeted programmes for both high-performing athletes and less active pupils. Athletes will benefit from structured strength and conditioning opportunities, while tailored sessions will help other students increase activity levels and improve wellbeing. As durable commercial-grade equipment with a long operational lifespan, the investment will continue to support thousands of students and community users for many years, ensuring sustained access to high-quality physical activity, fitness education and wellbeing provision.