Sport

NETBALL

Netball at King Edward’s is wide-ranging and allows pupils of all abilities to develop their skills, from recreation to performance level. There is a real pride and passion to perform, but alongside this there is a determination to train hard, to work as a team and to realise potential.

Pupils are provided with excellent coaching from our own highly qualified and experienced staff, which include five Level 2 coaches. Our coaching philosophy aims to instil a lifelong love of the sport whilst enabling pupils to participate at a level that challenges them. We enjoy a reputation as one of the top netball schools in the south west and are renowned for producing talented netballers and netball teams.

18 teams typically represent KES on a weekly basis resulting in over 140 girls routinely playing in fixtures. A significant number of pupils participate in the England Netball Performance Pathway in Satellite and County academies, as well as the Team Bath Athlete Development Centres (ADC), Player Development Programmes (PDP) and National Performance League (NPL) squads.

Close links with Team Bath Netball Club and Bath Cougars ensure our pupils access club level sport. We are also Team Bath Netball Super League Sponsors, which provides our pupils with fantastic courtside opportunities, as well as delivering masterclasses hosted by elite players such as Serena Guthrie, Tamsin Greenway and Old Edwardian, Summer Artman.

KES hosts netball tournaments from Junior School to Sixth Form level as part of its pre-season and fixture programme.

RUGBY

King Edward’s has a rich rugby heritage and a long history of success. Focused predominantly in the Autumn Term, with a 7s rugby programme operating in the Spring Term embracing the Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s, KES fields up to 15 teams from U12 to 1st XV.

Our rugby programme benefits from a superb team of specialist coaching staff, which include RFU Level 2 and 3 coaches. The general focus of rugby at KES is on safety, enjoyment and skill development, whilst building competitive and honest young sportsmen and teams.

Pre-season rugby sessions take place prior to the start of the Autumn Term, and boys have access to Strength and Conditioning (S&C) work throughout the year. During the Autumn Term, boys receive a weekly two-hour games session at our Bathampton playing fields which focuses on the development of individual and team skills, game awareness and ensuring that our players are contact ready. Our players also participate in a weekly after-school training session, which tends to focus on preparing teams for fixtures. The use of video analysis has allowed players a greater understanding of coaching points, patterns of play and skill development, both individually and as a team.

Providing an opportunity for our pupils to tour is an integral part of what we do, ranging from pre-season tours to long-haul experiences. Touring has had a significant impact on the success of KES Rugby in the past two decades, with players of all abilities participating and making major improvements in individual skills, attitude and teamwork.

The School has a flourishing pathway programme, with KES rugby players regularly selected into the Bath Rugby talent pathway, from U14 DPP level to U18 PDG.

Girls’ rugby is evolving at the School with the focus on the 7-a-side format at present. Training sessions take place before school on the astro and focus on skills development and game awareness over the course of the Autumn and Spring Term. The Spring Term is the competitive season, participating in tournaments in preparation for the National School 7s competition.

HOCKEY

Pupils at King Edward’s School are passionate about playing hockey. We work hard to develop highly skilled, physically strong players, who are problem solving, decision-makers. Pupils have great fun playing the game and focus on performing to the best of their capabilities, even under intense pressure. Our players have a positive attitude and will do all they can to make consistent progress and to get the best from themselves and those around them.

Hockey is played by all pupils at KES, with girls’ hockey taking place in the Autumn Term, while the boys play in the Spring. The fixture card is balanced, challenging and continues to develop. Our teams enjoy regular block fixtures on Saturdays, with some additional mid-week matches.

KES hockey teams also participate in the National Indoor and Outdoor Schools Competitions at various age groups. We have achieved increasing levels of success recently, at both County and Regional level, and aspire to be regular competitors at the National Final stages in the coming years.

The School continues to host the internationally recognised KES Hockey Festival at the end of the Spring Term, hosting boys’ and girls’ school teams from across the British Isles and overseas.

Hockey benefits from a committed and experienced group of staff, that boasts playing and coaching experience at the highest levels of the game. A Great Britain Hockey Advanced Level Coach and two former Great Britain Internationals lead the coaching team.

Our focus is on establishing excellent general movement skills, hockey specific skills and an increasing tactical understanding of the game. Overarching all of this is the development of personal resilience, hard work, and a keen and respectful competitive spirit.

King Edward’s benefits from an elite class artificial pitch and also makes regular use of two additional artificial pitches at the University of Bath. The School continues to develop links with Team Bath Buccaneers Hockey Club and City of Bath Hockey Club, with an increasing number of pupils representing each club. We are proud to see an increasing number of pupils being selected for various stages of the England Hockey Talent System and this serves as great inspiration to pupils up and down the School.

Cricket

The School’s innovative cricket programme has seen significant development in recent years, including cricket being played across genders and by all age groups. With a mix of hard and soft ball, the programme is both forward-thinking and all encompassing. Cricket is predominantly played in the Summer Term, supported by an all-year round programme of indoor matches and training. The School typically fields 15 teams from U12 to 1st XI, with teams offered at A, B level.

Our cricket programme benefits from an excellent team of coaching staff, including ECB Level 2 and Level 3 coaches. The main themes for cricket at KES are safety, enjoyment, and skill development, whilst building competitive young sports players and teams.

During the Summer Term pupils receive a weekly, two-hour games session which focuses on the development of individual and team skills and game awareness. An additional after-school training session prepares teams for fixtures. Recent developments have seen an increased focus on functional movement work to ensure that cricketers are fit for the stresses that bowling, batting and fielding places upon joints and young bodies.

The School has an excellent relationship with Bath Cricket Club, where we share their state-of-the-art facilities, which supplements our own indoor net system and outdoor provision. With players involved in both District and County Cricket, our relationship with both Somerset County Cricket Club and Wiltshire CCC, is fundamental in moving our cricket programme forward.