St Faith’s School
We see sport as very much a subject that should be enjoyed by all. Our main objective is to find a sport that each pupil can enjoy for not only their time at school but through their adult life. With this in mind, just like Maths or English, every child takes part in all aspects of the subject including on match days when all pupils (in Years 3 to 8) play without anyone ‘left behind’.
At St Faith’s we believe that high quality sports teaching should be available to all pupils regardless of their ability. Over the last few years we have invested heavily in strengthening our coaching team with new appointments across a variety of sports, allowing every child to gain the maximum benefit from a sporting education. As such they all have access to high quality coaches and facilities. Many of our coaching team have reached the highest levels of competitive sport, and include former Olympians, national and county players and those who also coach professional local teams. This allows us to be innovative, inclusive and pupil-centred in following a true ‘Sport for All’ ethos as we pursue a dual path to both inclusivity and excellence.
We believe trying to instil an interest in sport from an early age is a key component to future success and participation and therefore, we ensure that every child from the age of five is taught by specialist sports coaches. All our children benefit from the same foundation in sport.
From the age of seven, house and inter-school matches ensure every child experiences the thrill of competitive sport and experiences the pride of representing the school as an ambassador. Our sports culture includes a strong work ethic, discipline and integrity so that regardless of the score line, pupils learn the benefits of hard work, endurance and team effort. It is critical that we promote perseverance, humility, confidence, compassion, ambition and respect through our sporting education, as these are vital life skills.
Those with exceptional aptitudes are given further support and opportunity such that they can reach for county, regional and even national glory. Our alumni include national and international hockey and rugby players, Olympic rowers, World Touring Car champions and a Wimbledon tennis champion; sporting prowess is in our DNA.
For those whom the classic prep school team sports of rugby, cricket, hockey and netball are either physically inappropriate or for whom team games are not appealing we offer the opportunity to learn other sports such as rowing and trampolining, again ensuring that a joy of sport can be found for all. Over 20 different sports are accessible: rugby, hockey, netball, tennis, cricket, swimming, gymnastics, trampolining, basketball, badminton, athletics, golf, rowing, triathlon, fencing, table tennis, sailing, aquathon, football, Kung-Fu, ballet and chess.
Our outstanding sports facilities and resources greatly aid the teaching of the wide variety of sports on offer; these include over 20 acres of sports fields, astroturfs, tennis and netball courts, sports hall, indoor swimming pool and access to a newly built boathouse. We regularly make use of modern coaching techniques including the use of sports psychologists and video analysis, the files of which are available to pupils and parents to view remotely.
We are very proud of the fact that in the last few years we have won a variety of national titles across a number of sports but our main focus is always on making sure all pupils come away with a great attitude to sport and a willingness to carry on exploiting all the positive benefits which sport brings.
