Encouraging healthy, active lifestyles from day one.

Sport in our curriculum

• Reception girls participate in gym activities once a week, complemented with daily movement activity sessions of up to 20 minutes.
• Year 1 and Year 2 girls take gym and dance classes once a week, taught by a specialist PE teacher, plus movement activities and sport with their class teacher.
• In Years 3 to 6 girls have two and a half hours of sport each week, including athletics, dance, gymnastics, hockey, netball, rounders and swimming, plus extra-curricular clubs.

Sport and girls

Reframing Sport a research report from UK charity, Women in Sport highlights the critical relationship between sport and self-worth, confidence and body image in young girls. The positive impact of our ‘Sport for All’ policy is evident in some of the findings of a recent student survey conducted in our Senior School to further understand how St Mary's girls experience sport:

• 88% of St Mary’s girls enjoy PE versus 49% in Reframing Sport
• 97% of St Mary’s girls believe exercise is an important versus 56% in Reframing Sport

The key principles of Reframing Sport are integrated in our overall approach to sport.

8 Principles of Success

1. No judgement – we take the pressure off performance, with opportunities to play and enjoy activities
2. Invoking excitement – by offering a choice of activities, there is a sense of adventure at every stage - there is always more to discover!
3. Clear emotional reward – sporting achievements are 'moments of pride' not just winning. Of course, everyone enjoys the feeling of winning a hockey match or a relay race, but there are also moments of pride to be found when we don't win. Achieving a personal best; a successful pass between players; seamless teamwork and support; the buzz of helping secure a goal. These are all moments to be proud of.
4. Opening eyes to what’s there – here sport is much more than just PE lessons. We open up team sports and solo pursuits that girls can enjoy throughout life.
5. Building existing habits – through less 'traditional' sports such as kung fu and dance, we build sport into existing habits.
6. Giving girls a voice and choice – we believe that #YesSheCan and this empowering approach ensures every girl can live her best life by finding sports they enjoy.
7. Championing what’s in it – sport is about more than health. It fosters motivation, leadership and teamwork skills, forging friendships in the process!
8. Expanding the image of ‘sporty’ – we are lucky to have great role models in our teaching community who inspire girls to take part in sport and to aim high.

More about Reframing Sport

Sport news in Junior School