Beyond the Classroom

Football is the sport of the autumn term and the focus of our Sports sessions. Pupils are coached in the fundamentals of the game through small-sided, conditioned activities.

There is a comprehensive fixture list for all year groups involving matches against other local prep schools and entry into local tournaments. All pupils in each year group are given the opportunity to represent the School in at least five competitive fixtures, with some enjoying as many as ten.

We host Elizabeth College Junior School, Guernsey, at our annual 6-a-side Tournament and the Under 11A team enters the Independent Schools’ Football Association competition each year. The School has enjoyed success at many local tournaments and we are lucky enough to have pupils involved in Premier League club development pathways and professional academy programmes.

The spring term sees the focus change to rugby for our  Sports sessions and fixtures.

Year 3 pupils play TAG Rugby, with pupils in Years 4, 5, and 6, playing the RFU Rules of Play contact version of the sport. For pupils not yet ready for the contact version of the game, a touch rugby programme, including training and fixtures, is provided.

All year groups are guaranteed at least four competitive fixtures and pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 are entered into local festivals as well as the Surrey Rugby Festival.

Participation, fair play and enjoyment underpin the School’s approach to rugby.

As the weather improves, we switch to cricket in the summer term and sessions focus on teaching the technical skills needed for the sport.

During a packed term of activities, there is still time for our usual comprehensive fixture programme and the U11A team take part in the Surrey Cup. They also fly out to Guernsey on a return tour, where they play Elizabeth College Junior School as well as the island’s representative side.

Fixtures and practice sessions are tailored to pupils’ abilities, and throughout the term we enjoy Kwik Cricket, hardball pairs fixtures, and traditional 11-a-side and T20 games.

Pupils at our School are passionate about cricket and we have a strong record of pupils representing county teams such as Surrey and Middlesex.

Supplementing the team sports during the winter months, pupils are given the opportunity to test their fitness through cross country running.

We are fortunate to have use of the neighbouring Carlisle Park for the running sessions. The encouragement shown by all during the annual House Cross Country race clearly demonstrate the good-natured spirit of competition.

A select number of pupils represent the School in the Richmond Borough Cross Country Race in Bushy Park and in occasional school-organised events. The pupils also compete at the Epsom College Annual Cross Country Event, where our pupils have regularly placed in the top 20.

Track and field athletics is the key focus of PE lessons during the summer term; pupils receive coaching in a wide variety of events ranging from sprinting to the shot put.

The culmination of the programme is the School’s annual Sports Day, held on the impressive grounds of the Senior School. Year 6 pupils are also given the opportunity to represent the School at the London Regional Prep Schools’ Athletics Competition.

Our PE sessions are designed to complement the major sports of each term and aim to develop pupils’ fundamental movement skills and fitness.

During the autumn term, pupils take part in sessions that develop strength, power, coordination, speed and agility while increasing their understanding of fitness. The spring term sees the focus switch to gymnastics and hockey. Finally, summer term PE sessions are used for coaching athletics and rounders.