Sport
Welcome “When you come to Wells, the first thing that strikes you is our amazing grounds - we’re so lucky to have one of the most stunning cricket pitches in the country. But even more important than that is the quality of the staff. I’m so proud to have an amazing team here who are incredibly talented and deeply dedicated to supporting our pupils. “Our philosophy is to enable and empower our pupils - whatever their ability level - to understand their own bodies and what they need to do progress and improve. Happily, we have some great success stories of Wells pupils representing their county and even their country. “I’m passionate about what we do, and I’d love to show you around our beautiful part of the world. Please get in touch - I look forward to hearing from you.” Tom Webley, Director of Sport 2
http://wells.cathedral.school/sport
Our sport facilities Our outstanding facilities include: Cedars Field, widely recognised as being one of the finest cricket pitches in the county a state-of-the-art new astro used for hockey in the winter and tennis in the summer a large sports hall that boasts a fitness suite and climbing wall an open-air swimming pool with a retractable roof that is enjoyed year-round hard courts for tennis and netball a dance studio two full-size pitches suitable for rugby, football, cricket and athletics
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• a new Sports Pavilion, providing lovely views of Cedars Field for spectators.
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Our coaches Our Director of Sport Tom Webley is a former professional cricketer for Somerset CCC and has completed his ECB Level 4 Coaching Award. He is supported by a team of passionate qualified coaches and teachers. Our heads for each sport include Jeremy Boot (cricket), Glenn Channing (rugby), Lisa Jarvis (netball), James Mayes (hockey) and Gemma Pritchard (tennis). The in-house team is complemented by regular visits from professional sport consultants, who inspire our pupils through masterclasses and lectures. Recent visitors have included:
• former England Rugby Head
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http://wells.cathedral.school/sport
Coach Brian Ashton MBE, who currently mentors coaches from Man Utd, Man City and Everton, amongst others Sports psychologist Steve Bull, who has worked with the England cricket team (including during their famous 2005 Ashes win) and Team GB in the Olympic Games GB and England hockey player Tom Carson.
Pupil perspectives
Lily I would not have been able to achieve my goal of playing on the England squad without the support I have received at Wells. Wells coaches are always stretching you, which rapidly developed both my ability and my confidence. They are really supportive but also encourage independence and help us to develop key leadership skills. Every Wells team I have represented has been inclusive yet competitive, which makes every match enjoyable and creates a community feeling.
Jacob
I feel very lucky to have been a part of Wells sport. The specialist coaches have spent countless hours working with me to shape and improve my technique and understanding for each sport. The grounds staff keep all of our pitches and grounds in top condition, and I always feel very privileged to step out onto the 1st team cricket pitch as it’s one of the best in the county. My highlights include going to Barcelona on a brilliant hockey tour as well as competing in several national competitions.
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Sport options Girls’ Cricket - The teams play on a competitive circuit with access to all year round training to develop their skills.
Boys’ Football - Our team takes part in the incredibly competitive circuit in the independent school’s league over two terms. Our 1st XI are extremely strong with some exceptional players.
Cross Country - Our runners benefit from training in our beautiful surroundings in and around Wells. Two of our finest runners gained County selection in 2019, who will represent the school at the Regionals. Other options -Pupils can also choose from athletics, swimming, boys’ tennis, running club, fencing, table tennis, air rifle club, judo and circuit training to name a few. Every term, day and boarding pupils are encouraged to take part in competitions for house trophies, and everyone has a healthy competitive spirit for the house championships.
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http://wells.cathedral.school/sport
Pupil perspectives
Lily
Ala sdair
What I like most about sport at Wells is that the coaches are always stretching you, which rapidly developed both my ability and my confidence. They are really supportive but also encourage independence and help us to develop key leadership skills, which help both on and off the pitch. Every Wells team I have represented has been inclusive yet competitive, making every match enjoyable. This feeling of a sports community allows you to learn from your peers as well as coaches.
We have access to countless courses, adventure camps and qualifications to help further ourselves above and beyond the classroom. I have completed my DofE awards up to gold level, been abroad to Nepal and took part in Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training courses. Through these activities, I have made friends, learned new skills, grown in confidence, broadened my interests and improved my overall character. Ultimately, my experiences always got me back wanting to do more!
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Options We offer a number of sport options across the year, including: Air Rifle Club Athletics Badminton Basketball Circuit Training Cricket Fencing Football Hockey Judo Netball Rounders Rugby Running Club Strength and Conditioning Swimming Table Tennis Tennis Volleyball
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http://wells.cathedral.school/sport
Opportunities Our competitive 1st teams play regularly on a strong circuit across the region in all major sports. We provide training pre-season and during the week and support our pupils who represent the County or above in their chosen sports, some of whom have gone on to represent Great Britain and help win County and Regional Championships. We extend our offering through our links to local clubs - such as Bath Rugby Club, Clifton Robinsons HC and Tor Netball Club - and by providing workshops from visiting professional athletes. Some of our athletes have extended their development with overseas tours to experience sport abroad. Pupils of all abilities have opportunities to take part in sport at an appropriate level to enable them to develop their skills and be part of a team. Every term, day and boarding pupils are encouraged to take part in competitions for house trophies, and everyone has a healthy competitive spirit for the house championships. Our fitness suite stays open after school.
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Leadership opportunities
We offer an outstanding Sports Leadership Programme. In Year 12, our sports leaders undertake a practical-based course to learn how to deliver sport safely as well as earn their Young First Aider qualification. The programme culminates in a sports leader-led tournament.
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We also offer a Young Sports Leadership Programme for athletes in Years 7 and 8 who have additional skills sessions and learn the following topics at greater depth: nutrition, injury prevention, sports psychology, strength and conditioning, goal setting and pathway to elite sport.
http://wells.cathedral.school/sport
Scholarships We award scholarships for current ability and potential. In addition to a financial award, scholars flourish with extra sport sessions, mentoring, regular personal fitness meetings and specialist support. Our sport enrichment programme aims to support each pupil to balance academic lessons with extra training and competitions so that all of our sports scholars will be able to achieve the best of his or her ability. We review our scholarship programme regularly. For the latest details about levels of financial awards available and application criteria, please visit our website: http://wells.cathedral.school/sportscholarship
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Find out more If you would like to find out more about Wells Cathedral School, please contact our admissions team on 01749 834441 / admissions@wells.cathedral.school or visit our website http://wells.cathedral.school