Prep Sport

Promoting excellence, teamwork and passion

In this section

Excellence in Sport

We are proud of the sporting and physical activity opportunities available at our Prep School.

Our ethos is to encourage in every pupil a passion for sport and an ‘active life’ attitude, whilst instilling the values of fair play, integrity and a positive team spirit.

In addition to Games and PE lessons, our co-curricular sports open up opportunities to try different sports at a variety of levels.

Typical Prep club activities include running, swimming, cricket, netball, basketball, sports leadership, tennis, gymnastics, dance, football and more!

“Our goal is to create environments and experiences whereby all pupils leave Kimbolton School with the motivation, competence and confidence to engage in physical activity for life.”

Mr Creag Lawrence, Director of Sport

Competitive sport

One of the strengths of Sport at Kimbolton is the number of pupils who can represent the school.

Pupils in Years 3 to 6 have opportunities to take part in sporting fixtures against other schools and regular house matches. Teams compete regularly in football, hockey, netball and cricket, and participate in swimming galas, athletics competitions and cross-country events.

Saturday morning sport

At Kimbolton School, participation in Saturday sport is an important part of our commitment to developing students’ teamwork, discipline, and athletic skills.

If a student is selected for a fixture, training session, or team, they are expected to attend on Saturday mornings as part of their involvement in the school’s sports programme.

This ensures that they are fully engaged in team activities and prepared for competitions, while also supporting their physical development and fostering a sense of responsibility to their team.

Be inspired by professional coaches

Chloe Essam. Netball superleague player.
Alex Tudor. Former England Test & ODI cricketer.
Chris Hope. Former professional footballer.

Major sports/games at Kimbolton

Cricket

As a Top 100 School for Cricket, Kimbolton School benefits from a team of experienced coaches, led by former England Test & ODI international, Alex Tudor. With five pitches, indoor and outdoor nets, and a Merlyn spin bowling machine, there are plenty of opportunities for pupils of all abilities to hone batting, bowling and fielding skills.

Football

Pupils practise and develop technical and tactical football moves with expert coaches, including former professional player Chris Hope who played over 600 league matches for Scunthorpe, Gillingham, and Rushden & Diamonds. We emphasise respect and fair play, working on speed, agility, strength and hand-eye coordination.

Hockey

We work to sharpen stick-work and develop dribbling skills with practice sessions designed to improve hockey knowledge and performance. We also benefit from two top-quality AstroTurf pitches and coaches who are passionate about the game.

Netball

Tennis

Games sessions typically include drills to help improve passing, catching, footwork, dodging, pivoting and forward movement. Our approach develops players to play with confidence on our indoor and outdoor courts.

Pupils can play for fun or take advantage of professional coaching to participate in competitive fixtures. We develop an understanding of basic shots, learn different tennis movements and improve balance and coordination. More than 20 courts are available across our campus.

Other sports at Kimbolton

Athletics and cross country

We actively support pupils to represent our School in athletics and cross-country competitions. Pupils frequently compete in inter-school track and field events at both regional and national level.

Clay pigeon shooting

Kimbolton School has an enviable reputation in clay pigeon shooting, with several National Championship titles to our name. Led by a C.P.S.A level 1 and 2 coach, former County captain and County champion, instruction is provided at Shooting Targets, one of the largest clubs in the country.

In addition to the Nationals, pupils compete in friendlies against other schools and Old Kimboltonian teams.

Equestrianism

Lessons for all abilities take place at Backnoe End Equestrian Centre. Senior School riders can take part in our Ingrams gymkhana during the Summer term and Autumn Show during October half term. For pupils with their own ponies we compete in NSEA and other local schools’ competitions, across all disciplines: showjumping, arena eventing and dressage.

Swimming

Sessions are taught by our ASA coach and give an opportunity to further develop stroke technique and fitness. Competitive dives, starts, turns and finishes are all taught in preparation for inter-school galas.

Competitive fixtures

Space to excel

At the Prep School we have a modern gymnasium, tennis courts, cricket nets, cricket pavilion and changing facilities.

Both the Prep and Senior Schools use our 25m swimming pool, three astroturf pitches (two full pitches and one training pitch; one match pitch is fully floodlit), extensive playing fields, six outdoor cricket nets and three hard court netball and tennis areas.