Our Sporting Mission Statement
Sport at Shrewsbury High School is inclusive and fun. We teach skills, celebrate teamwork, commitment and character and build a lifelong love of sports in every pupil, from Reception to Sixth Form.
Opportunity abounds through a wide range of curriculum lessons, co-curricular clubs, the SHS elite athlete programme and a varied fixture list for every student to compete, whether you are an enthusiastic amateur or an elite athlete. If you show commitment to clubs and training sessions, whatever your level, you will have the chance to compete for SHS.
We offer sport for all; for those with individual passions, the show jumper, the gymnast, and the dancer; and for those whose passion is team sports, hockey, netball, football, rowing or cricket. You will have the chance to try something new, develop your skills and enjoy the camaraderie and sense of achievement that participation in sports can bring.
From Reception to Sixth Form our PE curriculum programme inspires all pupils to enjoy participation in sport and helps students develop the knowledge, attitude, motor skills, social skills and confidence needed to begin and maintain a healthy, physically active lifestyle for the rest of their life.
We have an extensive sports programme on offer at Shrewsbury High School catering for those wanting to participate for recreation and those who want to compete for school, for the elite and the enthusiast. We ensure that all students who attend clubs have a chance to compete if they wish to. Training takes place at lunch times and after school and fixtures are after school or at weekends.
Your daughter’s sporting journey
From Reception to Sixth Form our PE curriculum programme inspires all pupils to enjoy participation in sport and helps students develop the knowledge, attitude, motor skills, social skills and confidence needed to begin and maintain a healthy, physically active lifestyle for the rest of their life.
Your daughter’s sporting journey starts in her first days at Shrewsbury High School…
Reception
In PE, we create structured and free play environments to introduce and develop control and coordination in large and small movements. Activities include dance, gymnastics and ball skills to help children move confidently in a range of ways, negotiating space safely. They also learn to express themselves clearly about what they can do to keep themselves healthy and safe.
Years 1-3
Girls develop fundamental movement skills, becoming increasingly competent and confident, continuing to improve their agility, balance and coordination through dance, gymnastics and ball skills, both individually and with others. They are now able to engage in competitive and cooperative physical activities in a range of increasingly challenging situations.
Years 3-6
Girls continue to apply and develop a broad range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement. They enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other and develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports. They are also learning how to evaluate and recognise their own success and begin to understand the positive benefits of being physically active.
Activities include: netball, hockey, basketball, dance, gymnastics, swimming, fitness and wellbeing, badminton, football, basketball, tag rugby, tennis, athletics, rounders, cricket.
Years 7-9
Girls build on and embed the physical development and skills learned in earlier years. They become more competent, confident and expert in their techniques and apply them across different sports and physical activities. They understand what makes a performance effective and how to apply these principles to their own and others’ work. They develop the confidence and interest to get involved in exercise, sports and activities out of school and in later life and understand and apply the long-term health benefits of physical activity.
Activities include: netball, hockey, basketball, dance, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, fitness and wellbeing, badminton, football, basketball, tag rugby, tennis, athletics, rounders, cricket.
Years 10 & 11
PE continues in the girls’ curriculum lessons and they also have the choice to choose it as a GCSE subject. They now tackle more complex and demanding activities. They are offered a wider range of activities that develops personal fitness and promotes an active, healthy lifestyle. From year 10 girls have the opportunity to choose rowing as a optional sport and in year 11 they can also use the Anytime Fitness gym.
Activities include: netball, hockey, basketball, dance, gymnastics, yoga, swimming, volleyball, fitness and wellbeing, badminton, football, basketball, tag rugby, tennis, athletics, rounders, cricket.
Sixth Form
PE in the Sixth Form focuses on nurturing a love of physical activity to allow students to maintain a healthy physically active lifestyle for the rest of their life. Students can choose the activities they wish to participate in and can also choose it as an A Level subject.
Activities include: netball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, badminton, Anytime Fitness, football, basketball, tennis, athletics, rounders, cricket and rowing.
Sports on offer at Shrewsbury High School include:
Netball, Hockey, Football, Rounders, Cricket, Swimming, Basketball, Volleyball, Tag Rugby, Athletics, Gymnastics, Fitness and Wellbeing, Dance, Rowing and Yoga.
Beyond the traditional team sports, we also offer the opportunity for girls to pursue the following very popular sports and activities:
Rowing – With our position on the banks of the River Severn, it is no more than a short walk to our base at Pengwern Boat Club for girls wishing to row. Year 10 have sessions on a Saturday 12 -2pm and Year 11 and Sixth Form participate during their curriculum PE lessons. Girls have the opportunity to compete in the Shrewsbury regatta, GDST regatta and the GDST indoor rowing competition.
Dance – Dance is hugely popular at SHS and for the last five years the whole school Winter Dance production has become a much anticipated fixture on the annual calendar. Many genres are covered including tap, ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary and Greek. All students who attend will have a part in the production and we encourage any pupil who enjoys dancing, whatever their ability to get involved. Sixth Form students also have the opportunity to study Margaret Morris Movement including the option to be entered for the basic exam.
Gymnastics – Our Senior school gymnastics team are currently second in Britain. Gymnastics is very popular with our junior and senior pupils and our lead Gymnastics coach Sarah-Jane Blenkinsop is a British Gymnastics examiner and our teams compete in the ISGA Gymnastics Championships.
Equestrian – SHS has an equestrian team and several extremely talented eventers who compete in competitions both within the UK and beyond.
Our Elite Athlete Programme – the EAP helps students who play sport at regional level or above to balance their school/work /social life. Sessions are organised to cover issues such as time management, injury prevention, diet and nutrition and training programmes. Mentors are allocated to girls so that they have someone to help them and identify particular pinch points and what can be done to help them to find strategies to cope.
Sports Leaders Programme – This is a nationally recognised award and is great for boosting confidence and developing leadership skills including organisation, planning, communication and teamwork through the medium of sport. Level 1 is offered to Year 10 and Level 2 to Year 12.
Trust Rallies – High School girls have regular opportunities to compete at the highest level against schools from across the GDST. These competitions not only allow for exciting competition but also give our students the chance to play at venues across the country, visit other GDST schools and often make friends for life.
GDST sports weekends –held twice a year. The Condover netball weekend is for Year 6 and 8 and the Bath hockey weekend is for Year 9 students and both offer fantastic opportunities to mix the social and competitive aspects of sport whilst rewarding commitment to training.
GDST select teams – this initiative is for elite level sports. Schools can nominate students for GDST elite teams in cricket, netball, football and hockey. These teams then play against high profile teams.
School Games – we enter girls into the full programme and have also trained students to be school games leaders.
Sports Day – a full house sports day is held every year with every student representing their house in at least one event. Field events are held in the morning with pupils, parent and friends of the school watching the track events in the afternoon.
SHS Sports Dinner – this is held annually as a celebration of the girls’ achievements and participation across the wide range of sports that they play. Sport is a hugely significant part of life at the High School and we relish the opportunity to mark the girls’ successes and endeavours in this way. The occasion sees SHS recognise and highlight every team’s performances and distribute awards and colours to some of our girls, whose sporting contributions mean they have now reached these milestones.
Sports tours – a long haul tour is organised every 4 years and a shorter tour in the interim 2 years. We visited South Africa in 2009, 2013 and 2017 and are currently organising our tour of Singapore and Malacca for 2023/2024. Shorter interim tours include taking part in the Disneyland Paris Netball festival for 5 days during the Easter holidays.
School club links – we encourage all students to join external sports clubs to both improve their skills and their competitive opportunities. As such, we have close links with Recycles Netball Club, Shrewsbury Hockey club and Sentinel Cricket Club. We also have contacts with many other clubs in Shropshire and try to guide students to clubs near their homes.
House competitions – we run a series of house sports competition including netball, hockey, rounders, tennis and Sports day. Most competitions take place during curriculum PE lessons and all students are encouraged to take part and represent their house.
Find out more about our brilliant PE staff at Meet our PE Staff
