Fit For Learning

England coaches teaching cricket, ex-Norwich City football players leading football and a team to compete with, whatever your level - sport is taken pretty seriously at independent schools in the area.

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SPORTING SCHOLARSHIPS for talented youngsters are a given at virtually every independent school, but there’s a huge emphasis on enthusing and bringing out the best in the not-so-natural sportsmen and women too.

Sport promotes a healthy and active lifestyle, and a breadth of activities helps all pupils gain the physical competence, confidence, motivation, knowledge and understanding to maintain a lifetime of physical activity, says director of sport at Norwich School, Joe Cowan.

“The body is not the only part that sport and exercise is good for. There has been lots of recent research showing the benefits of exercise on the brain,” he says, adding that exercise is a way to improve success in other areas, from academia to energy levels, quality of sleep and a stress reduction.

The link between school sport and lifetime healthy living is emphasised at many schools, including Gresham’s, where pupils are encouraged to take part in traditional team sports such as hockey, rugby, netball, cricket and shooting, says Steve Adams, sports development director. It has opportunities also for pursuits such as badminton, football, fencing, sailing, squash, aerobics, basketball, golf, horse-riding, mountain-biking, kick-boxing, street-dance, table-tennis and trampolining.

“Participation is key, and the school firmly believes that its pupils benefit both mentally and physically from being active. Taking part in physical activity leads to higher self-esteem and contributes to better mental alertness in the classroom, and gives pupils the chance to learn respect, rules and the importance of teamwork from healthy competition,” says Steve.