Sports for All
Aside from the obvious benefit to health, sports are a brilliant way of keeping pupils positively engaged during the ‘dead period’ after school, and can also inspire young people to transfer positive gains, such as discipline, teamwork and leadership skills, to other areas of their life, including academic learning. However the hidden costs of school sports, as school budgets tighten ever-more, can be prohibitive.
Donations have funded climbing, outdoor rowing, swimming, sports camps, and small bursaries to support training by individual students.
118 Year 10 students participate in a 6-week rowing programme each year.
Students said that being part of the Swimming Club had helped them make deeper friendships.
“Swimming has challenged me to try new things and has really improved my confidence.”
The elite rowing squad numbers 18 pupils and has demonstrated progress in teamwork, leadership through coxing, and confidence on the water.
“The best state schools recognise the wider benefits of participation in competitive sport in building a strong ethos and helping children to develop into well-rounded and successful individuals. As a result, attainment across these schools tends to be high.”
–– Sir Michael Wilshaw, Head of Ofsted
Outdoor Rowing
We kickstarted the outdoor rowing programme in 2018 with 110 Year 10 students. Delivered in partnership with Fulham Reach Boat Club, the programme provides the opportunity for a whole year group to discover rowing, the great majority for the first time.
Rowing is a particularly physically, mentally and technically demanding activity, and in taking part, students gain in confidence, perseverance and focus.
A number of students have really taken to the sport, and they are given the opportunity to join the school’s rowing squad. Their levels of commitment and motivation have been such that they rarely miss their 7am training sessions twice a week on the river, and often use the ergo machines at school to keep up their form.
The school's 30 strong rowing squad train twice weekly on land and on the river. The Fulham Reach coaches have been very impressed with their growth in technical skills and confidence, progressing to fine boats and singles, learning to cox and competing in regattas.
This progress has seen a number of our students picked for Fulham Reach's Junior programme. One of the programme’s rising stars was Tashi, who was first introduced to rowing through the KAA programme and is now competing in the trials for the Great British Junior Rowing team! You can read more about Tashi’s story here.
In this video four novice Year 10 rowers tell us about their growing love of the sport.
Swimming Club
The Swimming Club is the highlight of the week for many of its members. The group bond well, make new friends and the Club increases their confidence in their own ability. They progress in skills such as diving and tumble turning, as well as the 4 strokes.
As well as being a crucial life skill, swimming also offers breadth to our students’ sporting knowledge which is important in PE exams when they are asked to apply their knowledge to a diverse range of sports – many which they will not have experienced before.