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Sport
Sport is central to Berkhampstead life, building character, confidence and coordination. With access to superb facilities, every child is encouraged to participate and thrive.
Sports Days
Sports Days are a much-anticipated highlight of the year, with all children from Kindergarten taking part. Pre-Prep events are hosted on the school grounds, where older pupils play a supportive role, ensuring every child feels encouraged and enjoys the day.
Prep Sports Day is held at the Prince of Wales Stadium and is one of the key events in the Summer calendar. Run as a House competition, it is eagerly contested in a spirit of sportsmanship, with coveted trophies up for grabs.
Opportunity for all
From the very start, Berkhampstead pupils benefit from specialist coaching and plenty of physical activity. From learning ball skills and balance to working independently, in pairs, or in small groups, every child develops confidence in their physical abilities.
Through gymnastics, dance, striking and fielding, ball games, and athletics, the emphasis is on having fun - particularly for the youngest learners. Action games build agility, balance, and coordination. Children climb, run, compete and persevere, all while developing spatial awareness, strategic thinking and foundational skills for inter-school matches in later years.
Where Do We Play?
Our purpose-built all-weather MUGA (multi-use games area) offers a fantastic space for sporting development. Day Nursery toddlers enjoy scampering in this area, Pre-Prep children refine agility and coordination, and Prep pupils utilize facilities such as cricket nets, netball courts and a long jump pit.
Venues
As well as our own MUGA, we have access to superb local venues. Girls’ and boys’ cricket, hockey and football is played on Cheltenham Cricket Club’s superbly kept Victoria Ground, and rugby takes place at Newlands Club.
What we do
Rugby and hockey are the major sports in the Autumn term, whilst the focus is on football and netball in the Spring.
The Summer Term sees regular fixtures in boys’ and girls’ cricket. The majority of children in Years 3-6 attend clubs at the Victoria Cricket Ground on Thursdays after school, where parents often enjoy spectating in the sunshine.
Other sporting opportunities include cross-country, fencing, swimming, girls’ football, boys’ hockey, lacrosse, tennis, athletics and basketball. Running Club, held before school on Friday mornings, is particularly popular.
Competing
As children progress through the school, they are introduced to team sports through age-appropriate modifications, with expert coaching in rules, tactics and techniques.
Berkhampstead hosts and participates in a large number of matches against other schools, ensuring an inclusive approach where every child represents the school in some capacity.
Fit For Life
Our aim is for pupils to leave Berkhampstead with a lifelong love of sport, a habit of regular physical activity and the confidence and skills to try new sports in the future.
Most break times are filled with football, cricket, throwing and catching games and traditional playground activities. Whether it’s organised sports or free play, Berkhampstead children are active.