School and Sport (The Complete Guide)
Sport is a critical part of school life due to the benefits it provides children. From attributes like honesty, respect for others, commitment, teamwork and understanding rules, playing sport contributes greatly to the overall development of a child.
Why Sport is an Important Part of School Life
There’s nothing more important than the health of your child. Having an active lifestyle is proven to be one of the best ways of staying healthy. The definition of health is 'a complete sense of social, mental and physical well-being'. Sport gives pupils a boost not just physically, but psychologically, academically, and socially too.
Sporting activities help children develop character and learn important social and educational skills like problem-solving, resilience, perseverance, confidence and teamwork.
Playing team sports also develops a child's communication skills. Learning how to communicate with fellow team members will subsequently encourage greater communication both in the classroom and at home.
Sport at The High School of Glasgow Junior School
Active participation in physical education and sport plays an integral part in our Junior pupils' weekly timetables.
PE at our Junior School allow pupils to gain new sporting skills that not only encourage them to be physically healthy but also lets them explore and establish new interests and pastimes.
Pupils learn the basics across a variety of sports - from badminton, tennis and gymnastics to basketball, netball and more. Pupils at The High School of Glasgow are given the freedom and time to discover which sporting activities spark their interest. For more information on our Junior School campus and facilities, please click here.
Junior School Sporting Facilities
In addition to a well equipped gym hall and outdoor playgrounds, the nearby Thorn Park is utilised for athletics and cross-country running while, from Junior 3 onwards, pupils travel to the Allander Sports Centre in Bearsden to commence weekly swimming lessons.
From Junior 5, pupils participate in weekly hockey and rugby lessons, led by specialist members of our Senior School PE Department - which is an early introduction to the Senior School sporting experience.
Pupils also visit the Senior School campus in Anniesland for a timetabled hour of sport every week.
Junior School Competitive Sports
From Junior 6, pupils get a taste of competitive sporting action, participating in Saturday morning matches against each other, as well as competing against local schools.
This stands Junior School pupils in good stead for further competitive sporting action at Senior School level, readying them for the exciting move into Transitus (Primary 7) where they can expand on their training and gain further experience in inter-school sporting experiences.
Sport at The High School of Glasgow Senior School
We firmly believe that sporting activities outside the classroom help to provide an essential platform for success inside the classroom. Our pupils are always encouraged to get involved, to challenge themselves and be 'part of the team'
At the Senior School, we provide a wide variety of sporting opportunities that engages pupils of all ages and abilities. Our wide range of timetabled PE lessons, together with additional after-school and weekend sporting fixtures, allows our pupils to develop and maintain physical fitness as they discover the sport or sports, they are passionate about.
Senior School Sporting Facilities
Our exemplary sporting facilities are all located within our extensive campus. 'Old Anniesland' is home to five full-sized floodlit rugby pitches and two modern sand and water-based hockey pitches that convert into twelve tennis courts in the Summer Term.
Acres of green space allows us to host regular sporting events, including cricket matches and athletics meets, with a long jump sandpit and other dedicated areas for track and field events.
Within the Senior School building there are two large multi-purpose indoor gym halls that regularly play host to basketball, netball, martial arts and various other sporting activities, as well as a Strength & Conditioning Gym Suite.
Our PE department is led by a talented and experienced team of staff, many of whom are current or former hockey and rugby internationalists.
Senior School Competitive Sports
Led by experienced coaching teams, The High School of Glasgow sporting provision develops pupils in a fun but challenging environment that fosters the skills required to advance within each sport.
In rugby, at least two teams compete in each age group, meaning physically smaller players can develop without being overpowered, while our athletics, cricket and hockey provision sees both boys and girls compete at various levels, both in-school and against other school teams from throughout the country.
Our hockey and rugby teams compete in a weekly inter-school league and cup competitions between August and March, including full 11/15-a-side action and a 'sevens season' towards the end of the campaign.
We also have a boys football team as well as a girls football team.
In-school sporting events are just as competitive, with inter-house competitions part of a sporting calendar peppered with exciting annual events such as our senior swimming gala, the Mile Cup race and the McCann Kicking Competition.
Concluding
School sports help children develop the determination they need to overcome challenges later in life - thus aiding the achievement of their long-term goals.
If you would like to find out more about The High School of Glasgow’s sport department, please download a prospectus, or get in touch with us here.