Sport & Play

Sport plays an integral role within our broader education at Barney.  As well as keeping our children healthy and active, it encompasses the vital life skills they need to acquire, such as being part of a team and fair play.

We are extremely lucky to have a wealth of expertise within our sports department, not only do we have our own dedicated Head of Sport in the Prep School, but we also have the support of a highly qualified team from our senior school games department.

The Prep School benefits enormously from having access to, not only its own sports facilities, but also those of the senior school.  All within the safety of our 50 acre estate.  In Prep we have our own smaller Astro, used extensively by our younger age groups. Whilst in senior school, we have access to our own pool, full size Astro, Sports Hall, Netball Courts, Tennis Courts, Cricket pitches and Athletics Track.

Competitive sport is highly valued at school as it provides a safe place for our children to learn to win with grace and lose with dignity.  From year 2 every pupil represents the School.  Our fixtures can range from local friendlies to regional and national competitions.  Towards our U11 age group some pupils will gain County representation, for example in netball and hockey.

House Competitions play a pivotal role within School.  In sport, all ages compete in Athletics, Cross Country and Swimming.  In years 3 – 6, for boys we hold competitive sports competitions in rugby, football, hockey and cricket, whilst for girls we have competitions in hockey, netball and cricket.

A huge benefit of having access to our own pool is the speed at which our children become confident swimmers.  Children within our EYFS work towards their Water Safety Charter Awards Passport.  Once they reach their level 3 they can swim competently, understand the different beach flags and identity open water hazards.

Sports day is the highlight of our Trinity Term, every pupil in the school takes part. There are 150 medals awarded across the day.  Every child eagerly competes for points for their House and the winning House is awarded the Queens’ Cup. We host a mixture of field and track events mirroring some of the senior school races.

Another notable sporting fixture within the whole school calendar is the “Barney Run”, a tradition we have held for 133 years.  All of our Prep School pupils compete in the cross country alongside their senior school counterparts.  It is a fabulous day, where the  whole school can come together, compete side by side, supported by very enthusiastic parents, and rewarded with hot chocolate at the end.

We have a number of external providers who give our children an even more extensive offering during our extra-curricular programme which runs alongside any coaching or training provided in-house:-

External Providers
Ballet
Judo
Squash
Taekwondo
Football coaching

In-house extracurricular options
Cross-country
Archery
Rugby
Hockey
Netball
Football