MOVE. IMPROVE. CHALLENGE.
At Morna, sport begins with a child's first experiences of movement at the age of three and develops with them throughout their school journey.
Our specialist PE team works across the school to make sport welcoming, inclusive and enjoyable for every student. We want children to develop confidence in their bodies, enjoy being active, learn to work with and support others, and understand the importance of physical activity for lifelong health and wellbeing.
Whether a student thrives on competition, prefers individual challenge, loves being part of a team or is still discovering the activity that is right for them, there is a place for them in sport at Morna.
Move. Improve. Challenge. captures that philosophy: move and enjoy being active, improve from your own starting point and challenge yourself — whether that means swimming independently for the first time, representing your House, competing for Morna, leading others or taking your sporting education beyond Ibiza.
A Welcome from the Head of Physical Education
For me, Physical Education is about so much more than sport. It is about helping every child discover what they are capable of, giving them confidence, encouraging them when something feels difficult and creating experiences they will remember long after they leave school.
I have been part of the Morna community since 2011, and during that time I have had the privilege of watching our sporting provision grow enormously. What matters most to me, however, has never changed: every child should feel welcome in PE, feel that they belong and have the opportunity to succeed.
Whether that is a three-year-old gaining confidence in the swimming pool, a student representing Morna in football or netball, a member of our Tanit Tribe crossing the finish line at a Spartan event, or a GCSE student discovering a sport they may continue for life, we celebrate effort, progress and the courage to have a go.
I am incredibly proud of our students, our specialist PE team and everything that sport has become at Morna — and I am always excited about what we can do next.
Mary Atucha
Meet Mary
At the heart of Morna Sport is Mary Atucha, whose enthusiasm for Physical Education is infectious. Anyone who knows Mary will also know her love of pink, and her wonderfully colourful and beautifully organised classroom reflects her personality: bright, welcoming, energetic and full of life.
A trilingual teacher, mother of two and member of the Morna community since 2011, Mary has played an important role in shaping and developing Physical Education at the school. She leads a dedicated team of specialist PE teachers committed to making sport a positive experience for every child.
Mary holds degrees in Sport Sciences and Primary Education, specialising in Physical Education, together with a Master's in Secondary Education from the University of Barcelona and an MSc in Sport and Leisure Management from Loughborough University. She also holds the Cambridge CELTA qualification.
The department's curriculum is primarily based on the UK/QCA framework, adapted to Morna students, our facilities and environment. Lessons develop practical skills, tactics, performance, health, fitness and wellbeing.
But Mary has never regarded the timetable as the limit of what PE can offer. She and her team have developed sporting links with local private and international schools, creating opportunities to compete in football, basketball, netball and other sports, while continually looking for the next activity, competition or experience that might inspire a student.
A Sporting Journey from 3 to 18
Early Years — Where Movement Begins
Specialist Physical Education begins at just three years old. Through play and carefully designed activities, children develop balance, coordination, spatial awareness, agility and gross motor skills while learning to listen, cooperate, take turns and encourage one another.
Swimming is an important part of the Early Years programme. Through games, guided activities and specialist support, children develop confidence and independence in the water, recognised strokes and personal survival skills. Progress is personal and celebrated — from putting a face in the water for the first time to floating or swimming independently.
Our EYFS Mini Olympics introduces three-, four- and five-year-olds to relay races, obstacle courses and adapted foam javelin. The emphasis is not on winners and losers, but participation, perseverance and personal achievement.
Have a go. Support one another. Keep improving.
Primary — Building Skills, Confidence and a Love of Sport
As children move through Primary, specialist PE lessons progressively develop physical competence across games, athletics, gymnastics, dance and outdoor and adventurous activities. Students learn technique, teamwork, communication, rules, tactics, fair play and how to respond positively to both success and disappointment.
Sport also becomes part of everyday Primary life. Claire, from the PE Department, sets up and leads lunchtime football competitions, supported by Primary teachers. These include events such as the hugely popular Morna Football World Cup, linking major international sporting events with our own school community and giving boys and girls the opportunity to form teams, compete and support one another.
Our students also participate in the annual Jornadas Deportivas Municipales de Santa Eulària, joining children from schools across the municipality for sporting and recreational activities. Mary organises Morna's participation each year, connecting our international school with the wider local community — with students invariably returning tired, happy and particularly proud of their Jornadas T-shirts.
The Morna Olympic Games
One of the highlights of the Primary sporting calendar takes students off campus to the local football and sports facilities in Santa Gertrudis.
Representing Tagomago, Espalmador and Conejera Houses, students prepare during PE lessons for a range of athletic and sporting challenges. Determination, fair play, respect, friendship and excellence matter just as much as the results.
The Parents' Race brings families into the fun, making the Morna Olympic Games a celebration of movement, effort, House spirit and community.
Secondary — Developing Athletes, Teammates and Leaders
In Secondary there is greater emphasis on technical ability, tactical understanding, fitness, performance and independence, while opportunities to compete, represent Morna and take responsibility through refereeing, organisation and leadership increase.
Our Secondary Sports Days take students off campus to the sports facilities in Santa Eulària, with athletics and team events including sprinting, long jump, basketball, dodgeball, tag rugby, football and rounders.
Different students have different strengths. For one, the challenge may be performing at their highest level; for another, joining a team, attempting an unfamiliar sport or achieving something they previously thought they could not do.
GCSE PE — Turning a Passion into an Academic Subject
At GCSE, Physical Education becomes an academic pathway, combining practical performance with the theory behind sport, health, fitness and physical performance.
Students have undertaken specialist training at BFit, experiencing TRX, endurance training and spinning and connecting classroom learning with practical training in a professional fitness environment.
Our Secondary ski trips offer another dimension. For GCSE PE students, skiing or snowboarding can also provide practical performance evidence for their course — bringing sport, adventure and academic PE together.
Sixth Form — Sport, Study and Leadership
The journey continues into Sixth Form, where students aged 16–18 can choose A Level Physical Education, providing a natural progression from GCSE PE and allowing them to study physical performance, sport and exercise at an advanced academic level.
Opportunities such as Sports Leaders develop students' ability to organise, communicate, motivate and lead others.
A journey that began at three with learning to balance, throw, move or swim can therefore continue all the way through to GCSE and A Level Physical Education.
Sport Beyond the Timetable
Physical activity at Morna does not stop when a PE lesson finishes.
Our extracurricular programme offers football, netball, basketball, volleyball, boxing, self-defence, taekwondo and DEKA, amongst others. The PE team also promotes active playgrounds through activities such as skipping, agility challenges and less familiar sports.
Lunchtime sport is another important part of school life. In Primary, Claire from the PE Department sets up and leads lunchtime football, with the support of Primary teachers. In Secondary, Leon leads La Morna Liga, giving students a regular opportunity to play, compete and enjoy football beyond their timetabled PE lessons.
The objective is simple: give as many students as possible the chance to discover an activity they genuinely enjoy.
The Tanit Tribe — A Different Kind of Challenge
Not every child connects with traditional competitive sport.
Morna's DEKA programme provides another route, combining functional fitness with determination, discipline, resilience and teamwork.
The Tanit Tribe began in 2026 with seven students who trained together before travelling from Ibiza to Madrid to take part in Spartan Race Kids. They learned that improvement requires consistency and commitment, that difficult things can become achievable and that individual challenges are easier with a team beside you.
They train for themselves. They train for each other. They are the Tanit Tribe.
From Ibiza to the International Stage
Being an island school does not mean our sporting opportunities stop at the shoreline.
Morna students participate in local and inter-school competition and increasingly travel beyond Ibiza to represent their school. Our football teams have travelled to Cambrils over successive years, with Verona, Italy, providing another international destination. Our girls have travelled off-island for netball, while the Tanit Tribe has taken its challenge to Madrid.
The wider programme has included the World School Games football event, American School of Valencia Games, community events, inter-school competitions and Secondary ski trips.
These experiences develop preparation, independence, commitment, teamwork, resilience and pride in representing Morna — while Mary and her team continue to ask:
What can we give our students the opportunity to try next?
Our Sporting Facilities
Continued investment in our campus has supported the growth of sport at Morna.
Students have access to a half-size football pitch with spectator bleachers, a full-size hard court/basketball court, dedicated changing facilities, a wooden fitness and activity trail and a specially designed shaded EYFS sports area.
In 2024, Morna opened its new multipurpose gym and sports hall, creating further opportunities for PE lessons, training, clubs and different sporting disciplines throughout the year.
More Than PE
Through sport, students develop much more than physical competence: communication, teamwork, fair play, resilience, responsibility, leadership, problem-solving, decision-making and tactical understanding.
Ultimately, however, success cannot be measured simply by trophies, race times or examination results.
It is the three-year-old who becomes confident in the water. The child who discovers they actually enjoy sport. The student who masters something they found difficult. The teenager who learns to lead a team. The athlete who represents Morna away from home.
And the young person who leaves school understanding that looking after their physical and mental wellbeing matters.
In an increasingly digital world, we want our students to continue to run, jump, swim, play, compete, cooperate, lead and challenge themselves — because the habits, friendships, confidence and resilience developed through sport can last far beyond school.
MOVE. IMPROVE. CHALLENGE.
Sport at MIC. From 3 to 18.
