Sport

This September, Andrew Waterhouse, who has been the Director of Sport at the Senior School for some years, took on responsibility for sport Trust-wide. Here he gives us his first impressions of the Prep School’s ‘sporting life’.

My first few weeks at the Prep School have only served to confirm what I already knew. The teachers and children are very passionate and committed and above all enjoy their sport. The training and fixture programme was no doubt helped by the wonderful weather we experienced for the start of term however, how can you not be inspired by the wonderful location that is the Hollow in the sunshine.

This year we have started to teach the core skills and fundamentals of team games to Pre-Prep. The children have been remarkably receptive and their enjoyment of the sessions demonstrates that they are ready to be introduced to these traditional games. This development bodes well for the future as does the interaction between Prep and Senior School staff.

The new sharing of facilities and staffing will allow students to access a wider range of expertise. Some sports are really benefiting from the Trust-wide use of staff and not many prep schools can offer the services of the international calibre of coaching that occurs at St Bede’s. These opportunities are in their infancy at the moment yet the seeds of a fruitful relationship have been sown.

My vision for the future is to allow St Bede’s pupils, regardless of their ability to have the opportunity to represent the School on numerous occasions and in a variety of sports. The development of our ‘own’ sportsmen is the key to our success and will be a testament to the wonderful coaching that happens in the foundation years.

However, future results should not just be measured in how matches we win or how many ‘elite’ players we nurture – the really important measure is how many pupils enjoy their sport for life.

The National curriculum breaks Physical Education down into 6 ‘core’ areas:

• Games
• Swimming
• Athletics
• Gymnastics
• Outdoor pursuits
• Dance

All core areas are covered at St Bede’s to varying degrees. The main sports covered under the ‘Games’ umbrella are listed in the drop-down menu above left

Facilities for sport are good. In addition to the Sports Hall and Swimming Pool, we have one pitch on site and others a short walk away. We also make use of facilities at the Senior School, which has recently gained planning permission for a further three Soccer pitches and an additional Cricket pitch.