Sport Clubs

Athletics in the Prep School is mainly run through a weekly session after school on a Monday in the Summer term. It is open to boys and girls from Form 1 to Upper Third (Years 5 to 8) and is a very popular club.

We are fortunate to have a well maintained grass track, dedicated throwing areas, a long jump pit and high jump landing mats with cover.  Expertise and encouragement is provided by all members of the PE Department.

Pupils may practise their specific track or field event, or may simply enjoy as many or as few events as they wish. Teams are chosen from the squad to compete in inter-school and East Area competitions. We also take an U12 and U14 team to compete at the Prep Schools ‘Tonbridge Trophy’ once a year. In recent years a number of our athletes have qualified to compete in the National Prep Schools Competition.

A highlight of the Summer term is the Inter-House Sports Day. This family occasion show cases athletic ability, perseverance and house spirit. The obstacle race competition which runs throughout the afternoon and the mass relay ensure that every pupil has the opportunity to compete.

Football Club takes place for U11s and U13s on Thursday evenings in the Autumn term. Training takes place on grass and in the darker, winter months we train on the astro turf under floodlights or in the Sports Hall.

The fixture list is varied and includes Duncombe, Felsted, St Faith’s, Forest, Thorley Hill, Culford, St. Joseph's and Northgate. The Under 13s play in the IAPS Soccer Sixes Tournament in October. This is a regional event with the top two teams going forward to the National Finals. In the Spring term the U11s play in the IAPS East Area U11 tournament and the U12 and U13 teams play in the District Tournament at Birchwood School. The U13s predominantly play 6-a-side and the U11s play 7-a-side.

Our top U13 players are invited to East Area trials and for the last five years we have had boys selected to represent the East Region at the ISFA National Festival at Shrewsbury School in Easter. Our top two or three U11 players are forwarded to attend ISFA development camps.

We also run an Inter-House football competition in the Autumn term with an A and a B competition so that everyone who wants to play gets a chance.

Girls Cricket Club runs throughout the Summer term on a Tuesday evening. It is open to all girls wanting to improve their skills and enjoy playing the game. We do match practice in preparation for fixtures against schools including Felsted, St Faith’s and Dame Bradbury's. With the growing popularity and success of women’s cricket worldwide we are looking to inspire as many girls as possible, developing and practising key skills.

This year we also look forward to entering the U11 Girls' Cricket Festival at Framlingham College.

Golf tuition from a PGA professional at Great Hadham and Country Club is available to younger pupils as part of the Activity programme.

In recent years, our better players have represented the Prep School in national competitions such as The Stowe Putter and the ISGA Junior Schools Cup and Open with some success.  We have also taken a small team to compete in the IAPS Golf Championships at  Royal Lytham & St Anne's Golf Club.

A greater number of Prep School golfers contest our own annual Q-J Trophy, presented by Mr Quinton-Jones who organised the golf in the school for a number of years.

Tennis club runs throughout the Summer term on a Friday evening. It is open to all pupils who want to improve their skills and enjoy playing the game. We do match practice in preparation for fixtures against schools including Felsted, St Faith’s, Arnold House and Kent College.

This year we entered a boys' team into the Under 13 Aegon British Schools Team Event. We also send players to the Herts Schools Doubles Tournament.

We run Inter-House tennis tournaments for the Under 11s and Under 13s which encourage participation and provide an additional opportunity for competitive matches.