For many, prep school sport fosters visions of character building, camaraderie and passion. The variety and attainable competition has proved to be a great starting place for lifelong involvement in sport. Memories have always been made in local fixtures, where students are given the opportunity to represent the school at a level appropriate to them. Now, with coronavirus challenging much of this system, the question is whether prep school sport can adapt and evolve in the short, medium and potentially long term.
At St John’s, we are a progressive PE department and have been exploring what a forward thinking school sport system looks like for some time. The current situation has provided a wonderful opportunity for us to take a further step in answering the below question:
Assistant Head of Sport, Mr David Millward, explains how you hold onto the glory of Prep School sport whilst ensuring pupil wellbeing, inclusivity and a culture of health and fitness are at the centre of delivery.
"With no fixtures due to take place before half term, we have been able to explore and evolve a curriculum with a subtle shift in focus. We are now into the second week of term and have placed a greater importance on developing fundamental movement skills and physical literacy. The aim is to give students the tools necessary to take further ownership of their individual physical development. Ask a St John’s student to show you a bear crawl and hopefully you’ll get a great demonstration! As further information floods through from national governing bodies we will be adjusting and developing our curriculum. We want to ensure that the intensity of high performance sport is not lost, whilst also looking to provide quality alternatives where necessary. Watch this space for more information on exciting initiatives such as St John’s Parkrun, ultimate Frisbee and an inter House competition like no other before it!"