Sport

Pupils are taught archery by a qualified archery coach. It aims to build coordination, strength and concentration. Suitable for all abilities, the sessions consist of target shooting, games and competitions with an emphasis on enjoyment.

The charge is £6 per session and will be applied to each pupil’s termly account in arrears. Please note that this charge is the net charge and VAT of 20% will be applied to this on your school fee bill. The charge inclusive of VAT is £7.20 per session. Please note that a charge for all sessions for the term will be applied regardless of sessions attended unless a pupil has been attending a school generated fixture or event and is unable to attend the activity for that reason.

The aim of the Athletics Club is to provide an opportunity for all those with an interest to learn and to develop new skills. The club has a structured programme of coaching and regular competition that takes place in the Summer term against a large number of schools, at a local, regional and national level. Coaching is provided across a wide range of track and field events.

Training takes place during curriculum PE lessons and as part of the Other Half. Sports Day is held at the Senior School’s Tilsley Park with superb athletic facilities including an eight lane, floodlit track with steeplechase, pole vault, high jump and long jump facilities, a new throws area for javelin, shot put and discus as well as a 300 seat covered grandstand.

In the summer term, we will be offering an Aussie Rules club, courtesy of our Australian Gap student, Jack Foster, who has a lot of experience of this game in his native Australia. Aussie Rules is a really exciting sport that incorporates some brilliant skills, and this club would offer a unique opportunity to try it out. No previous experience is necessary!

Year 8 or Year 7 have half a term each of badminton. Warm-up games are played (which tend to take on a bit of a competitive challenge in themselves) before the games commence in earnest! The Club promotes enjoyment of the sport, whilst giving some tips and strategies for game improvement.

Senior Basketball Club aims to provide children with the skills and game awareness required to play in competitive situations. It will build upon the skills developed in PE lessons and as such is accessible by players of all abilities. There will be music, time to shoot hoops without pressure, and of course a good workout!

We play a range of fixtures against other schools and ensure that all children get to represent the school from Years 3-8 in matches.

A variety of cricket Other Half activities run throughout the school and are coached by staff within the sports department. Sessions are aimed at any pupil who would like to practise and improve their cricket, furthering the skills learnt during sports lessons. All sessions are designed to be fun and help develop a passion for the sport.

Cricket Nets run in a variety of guises through the school all year round. The pupils will hone their batting, bowling and fielding skills with drills, net sessions and fun games utilising the excellent facilities, including the bowling machine and video analysis.

Would you like to become a great cricketer and have lots of fun? If so, this club is for you! We will learn the fundamental skills needed to play cricket and improve on those that we already have, this will be through playing a variety of small team games and paired activities. There is also an opportunity to brush up on the rules and guidelines, so listening carefully and following instructions will be key!

There is a rich tradition of cross country throughout the Abingdon Foundation.

Pupils at Abingdon Prep School have the opportunity to participate in cross country running in PE, Games and our Other Half programme. The cross country club is inclusive and friendly and is one of the most popular choices amongst our pupils.

Values such as teamwork, determination, resilience and commitment are developed, as well as an understanding of how to maintain a healthy body and mind through movement.

For the more competitive, pupils have the opportunity to compete at a local, regional and national level, where we have had a number of impressive performances.

Dip, Dodge, Duck, Dive and Dodge again… the 5 Ds of Dodgeball.

It is a fast game that demands lightening reactions and unparalleled teamwork. This sport requires fast minds and even faster bodies!

Pupils will learn the basics of fencing and develop their skills under the guidance of a professional fencing teacher. Pupils will be provided with the necessary equipment for the sessions.

The charge is £7.50 per session and will be applied to each pupil’s termly account in arrears. Please note that this charge is the net charge and VAT of 20% will be applied to this on your school fee bill. The charge inclusive of VAT is £9.00 per session. Please note that a charge for all sessions for the term will be applied regardless of sessions attended unless a pupil has been attending a school generated fixture or event and is unable to attend the activity for that reason.

Football is a very popular sport at APS with all children from Years 3-8 representing the school in matches. Additional clubs are designed to allow players of all abilities to further their skills and develop their understanding of match play and tactics, with enjoyment of the sport being at the heart of each session.

Pupils are taught by golf coaches from the JD Golf Academy. During sessions they learn the fundamentals needed to play golf as well as a range of shots to use on the golf course in a fun, active learning environment. No matter what age or golfing ability the aim is to help build confidence and help develop golfers for the future.

The charge is £6.50 per session and will be applied to each pupil’s termly account in arrears. Please note that this charge is the net charge and VAT of 20% will be applied to this on your school fee bill. The charge inclusive of VAT is £7.80 per session. Please note that a charge for all sessions for the term will be applied regardless of sessions attended unless a pupil has been attending a school generated fixture or event and is unable to attend the activity for that reason.

Hockey club has an emphasis on fun and aims to introduce children to the game. They will work on stick skills, both reverse and open side, passing movement and will start to look at some 3D skills too. A range of drills will reinforce match play situations in both attack and defence.

If you would like to learn some hockey skills, play mini games and are prepared to listen and learn, then come along to hockey skills club! We’ll cover the basics using lighter sticks and balls and without the need for gumshields and shin pads so that when you get to Year 3 you can hit the ground running (or dribbling, pushing or dodging)! We will have lots of fun and work hard with skills, drills and games to get you started on your hockey journey.

This is an exciting, action packed club in which the pupils are put into teams and play indoor football simply for fun. Four teams are formed early in the term, and each week points are available in league matches, along with internal transfers at various intervals aimed to keep the competition fresh.

Pupils looking to stay active during the winter months will have the opportunity to take to the court and participate in basketball, volleyball and dodgeball. If you are looking to have some fun whilst honing your hand eye coordination skills, this is the club for you.

Pupils have the opportunity to try out a range of different games, activities and sports. They experience sports which they may not have played before such as hockey and handball. The emphasis of multi sports is to have fun, be active and learn new skills.

Pivot!’, ‘Sticky, steppy, hoppy!’, ‘Back if you need!’…it must be netball! Come along to learn some simple netball skills and put them into practise in small sided and conditioned games. Even if you have never played netball before, the skills needed help you learn spatial awareness and how to successfully work as part of a team. It’s lots of fun, too!

This is an opportunity to use the Abingdon School rifle range. There is a session on Monday for Year 8 pupils who will spend the first term using air rifles and the second and third terms moving onto .22 rifles. The session on Friday is for Year 7 pupils who will spend the first two terms using air rifles before progressing to .22 rifles.

These sessions take place at Abingdon School’s rifle range. Pupils are taken by minibus from APS to Abingdon School and parents need to collect from Abingdon School.

The charge is £75 per pupil per term and a charge of £3.50 per pupil per week to cover transport costs – this will be applied to each pupil’s termly account in arrears. Please note that this charge is the net charge and VAT of 20% will be applied to this on your school fee bill. The charge inclusive of VAT is £90 per term and £4.20 per week for transport. Please note that a charge for all sessions for the term will be applied regardless of sessions attended unless a pupil has been attending a school generated fixture or event and is unable to attend the activity for that reason.

Please note that sign up is for the full year. If a pupil does not wish to continue for the following term, we ask that parents notify the school secretary and that place may then be advertised as available for other pupils in the following term.

We pride ourselves on offering enough rugby teams in each age group for pupils of all abilities to represent the school. We play competitively against other prep schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Years 3 and 4) and Wednesdays and some Saturdays (Years 5 – 8) throughout the Michaelmas term.

In most year groups, we also run touch teams who play matches against other schools, for those children who are not as keen on the contact element of rugby.

Our 4 lane 12m swimming pool provides the ideal environment to develop swimming technique throughout the year. The majority of the galas are held in the Lent term but we also enter swimmers for the IAPS Regional and National Preparatory Schools’ Championships in both the individual and relay events. It is recommended that the serious swimmers also join the local club which uses the Abingdon School pool.

Prep-Prep Swimming

The Pre-Prep club complements the skills taught during the timetabled lesson and aims to develop individual water confidence, stroke technique, diving activities and some free playtime.

Swimming Years 3-8

The clubs for older pupils welcome swimmers of all abilities and are taught by our qualified and experienced swimming coach. The clubs aim to extend skills and technique and provide a supportive environment in which to do so.

The charge is £7.50 per session and will be applied to each pupil’s termly account in arrears. Please note that this charge is the net charge and VAT of 20% will be applied to this on your school fee bill. The charge inclusive of VAT is £9.00 per session. Please note that a charge for all sessions for the term will be applied regardless of sessions attended unless a pupil has been attending a school generated fixture or event and is unable to attend the activity for that reason.

Swimming (Advanced)

The primary aim of this club is to prepare pupils for the IAPS National Swimming, Biathlon and Triathlon championships. Although the aim is to improve stroke technique in all four of the strokes, there will, however, be a particular emphasis on front crawl. Swimmers will improve their starts, turns and finishes to competition level and will also develop both their speed and endurance. This club is aimed at very strong swimmers who will be able to comfortably swim 150 metres and is by invitation only.

Advanced Swimming is not a club which incurs a charge.

See the School Swimming Records.

Table Tennis has become very popular with all ages at Abingdon Prep. The club has a relaxed atmosphere which enables the children to play games and develop their skills regardless of their experience and capabilities. A great way to end the week at school!

Tennis coaching is provided by a company called ‘Excel Tennis’. They provide high quality coaching with great attention to detail.

The charge is £6.50 per session and will be applied to each pupil’s termly account in arrears. Please note that this charge is the net charge and VAT of 20% will be applied to this on your school fee bill. The charge inclusive of VAT is £7.80 per session. Please note that a charge for all sessions for the term will be applied regardless of sessions attended unless a pupil has been attending a school generated fixture or event and is unable to attend the activity for that reason.

There are invitation clubs for Years 5-8 run by the sports department aimed at preparing children for inter house matches. There is no charge for these clubs.

Introduction to Tennis

An opportunity to experience the initial skills involved in tennis, from bouncing balls and catching them to developing racket and ball control in order to complete a mini rally. There is no charge for these sessions.

* Friday sessions are chargeable as the coaching is provided by an external company (Tuesday sessions carry no charge as they are run by APS).

Water Polo Club gives children the chance to participate in this popular sport. They learn how to tread water, swim with the ball and throw and catch to team mates during drills and games designed to improve their skills. The pupils also learn how to do head up freestyle and head up backstroke in order to always keep their eye on the ball. Each session ends with a match where tactics can be discussed.