Sporting Life
Sport is an integral part of school life and provides a platform for children to explore new challenges, discover hidden talents and ultimately have fun, whilst maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Sport at Handcross Park is not only competitive but inclusive. Through sport our pupils learn the importance of sportsmanship: how to win with grace and lose with humility (within a team and individual environment).
All of our children play competitive sport from Year 3 through to Year 8 against other local prep and senior schools. Matches are played on Wednesday afternoons, and parents are always welcome to come and support our teams and join us for match tea. We regularly host tournaments, swimming galas and cross country meets, so that our pupils have many opportunities to compete as part of their school teams. We also enter regional and national IAPS (The Independent Association of Prep Schools) tournaments across a variety of sports.
Pupils benefit from a physical education (PE) and games programme that provides excellent opportunities in a wide range of sports
Independent Schools Inspectorate
The games curriculum allows the children to experience a high quality of coaching in a broad spectrum of team sports. Here is an overview of the sports our pupils play throughout the year:
| Boys | Girls in Years 3 & 4 |
Girls in Years 5 - 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Football |
Autumn Netball Hockey Pre-Season Football |
Autumn Netball Pre-Season Hockey Football |
| Spring Rugby Hockey |
Spring Hockey Football |
Spring Netball Football |
| Summer Cricket |
Summer Rounders Cricket |
Summer Rounders Cricket |
The PE curriculum boasts a variety of sports:
| Year Group | Sports by Term |
|---|---|
| Year 3 | Autumn - Swimming, Athletic development Spring - Swimming, Dance Summer - Athletics, Tennis |
| Year 4 | Autumn - Swimming, Hockey Spring - Swimming, Gymnastics Summer - Athletics, Tennis |
| Year 5 | Autumn - Swimming, Pop Lacrosse Spring - Swimming, Dance Summer - Athletics, Tennis |
| Year 6 | Autumn - Swimming, Basketball Spring - Swimming, Gymnastics Summer - Athletics, Tennis |
| Year 7 | Autumn - Swimming, Athletic development Spring - Swim Fit & Waterpolo, Badminton Summer - Athletics, Tennis |
| Year 8 | Autumn - Swimming - Personal survival, Invasion Games Spring - Swimming - Lifesaving, Volleyball Summer - Athletics, Tennis |
We celebrate the successes and efforts of our children and recognise them in a variety of ways from nominating girls or boys of the match after every fixture to end-of-season ‘Coach’s Player’ and ‘Players’ Player’ awards. Children in the Upper School work towards earning their ‘Colours’ in Year 8 or may even earn the distinction of becoming Captain of a particular sporting area or be supported through our Sports Scholarship program in their application to senior school.
Facilities for Sport
We are fortunate that within our 52-acre grounds we have the following:
- All-weather pitches for Hockey Football and Cricket
- Netball and Tennis courts
- Football and Rugby pitches
- Sports hall (including climbing wall)
- Indoor Swimming pool
- 6-hole Golf course
- Cricket nets
- All-weather long-jump pit
