Physical Education and sport are an important part of life at St Francis. It is our philosophy to ‘inspire a love of sport’. We would like all of our pupils to enjoy their participation in sport and to do so we begin by helping them develop their fundamental movement skills. The development of these skills begins in Nursery and naturally leads into the physical activities and sports that the pupils participate in as they move into the prep and senior parts of the school. This allows each child to have the motivation, confidence, movement competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take part in physical activity throughout their time at school and beyond.

We prepare children for Sports Scholarships to their chosen senior schools and in 2021 four St Francis children were awarded sports scholarships to Dauntsey’s and Warminster.

A broad range of sports and PE

We participate in a range of sports including football, netball, rugby, hockey, cricket, cross country, biathlon and swimming. This is supplemented by our PE lessons which include fundamental movement skills, gymnastics, dance, fitness, agility and wellbeing. We also have our own climbing wall and this forms part of our curriculum. Additionally, we have a full and varied fixture list that caters for all abilities, with the fixtures commencing in Year 3.

Amongst other sports, Judo, fencing and lacrosse can also be enjoyed as after-school or lunch time clubs. Our pupils may also be selected for our Swimming Team which trains at the Marlborough College Swimming Pool.

Fixtures

The pupils have both PE and Games lessons during the week, and the pupils in Years 3 to 8 also have a fixture afternoon. All our pupils, whatever their ability, represent the school in competitive sports matches against other schools. Representing the school can be a major motivation for some pupils and we provide them with this experience.

The fixture list of matches and tournaments against other schools is extensive in both depth and variety. Opportunities for competitive sport in local, regional and national events are supplemented by our Inter-House Competitions.

Sports Facilities

The School boasts a total of 2 Rugby pitches, 2 football pitches, an athletics field, cross-country course, 2 tennis/netball courts, a grass cricket pitch, cricket nets (indoor), indoor climbing wall and The Hemery Hall – a multi-purpose sports hall – which is used by the school and the wider community for a range of indoor sports. We also use the Marlborough College Astro-turf and Swimming pool, and both the Pewsey Sports Centre Swimming Pool and Wilcot Cricket Ground.

The School ethos of ‘One childhood, many opportunities’ certainly applies to the Physical Education and Sport at St Francis.

Major Team Games

A range of sports including football, netball, rugby, cricket, cross country, orienteering, judo and fencing, and hockey can be enjoyed as after-school or lunchtime clubs. Pupils may also attend our Swimming Squad training sessions. Additional sports that are taught as part of the curriculum are: tennis, badminton, gymnastics, basketball, and dance.