Opting to send a son or daughter to a private school in United States or United Kingdom mainly results in a well rounded education from academic, personal to sporting.
All independent schools are not equal in the US as there are specialist sports k12 fee paying schools where others have a stem education, dance & drama or musical specialization focus.
USA and UK private schools have sports that are compulsory part of the curriculum, such as P.E lessons and extra curricula activities. Indoor & outdoor sports activities are arranged after school lessons and competitive sports team participation for students to take part at day & boarding school.
Why does a private school have sports?
In any part of the UK or USA all private fee paying schools have various individual or team sports that are a compulsory part of the schools teaching & learning curriculum, usually timetabled 2 times a week. Also, independent schools have sports to provide students exercise and child personal development, such as competitive spirit or work as a team to install routine and habits of participating in sport.
Parents also expect sports in the teaching timetable as its part of school education as well as sporting activates each private school provides for student leisure purposes.
How does a private school work?
Can a student leave campus at day or boarding school
Buses for students transportation at private school
Provide school students balanced education
American and UK private boarding or day schools aim to deliver teaching & learning for balanced personal student growth through sports activity, life guidance and academic learning.
My teaching years as a high school teacher in state and private school I always heard from management the same, “that we teach the whole child, not just academic learning”.
Health and overall wellbeing of a student is essentially considered by private schools in the United States through providing indoor & outdoor sport, and in different types.
Location of a school, indoor & outdoor school facilities, as well as weather all play a part on the teaching schedule and after school sports available, especially during winter months in colder climate states in USA and UK.
Sports school teaching for students in education is available, although depending on a students age determines the type of sport, level of participation and time allocated for a child’s school sporting activities.
A variety of sports is taught by school teachers throughout the academic year to provide students change and for them to play a sport that they’re interested in, also this include extra curricula activities sports programs.
Students develop mentally & socially throughout the time at private elementary or high school taking part in a combination of sports and academic teaching.
Taking part in independent school sports also helps get students into a routine of physical exercise through playing field, court, and track athletics physical exercise sports that hopefully last a lifetime.
Students can find out if they have physical and emotional strengths for certain sporting activities, including a particular sport that they take part in at school.
Extra curricula sports school schedule
Extra curricula activities when formal lessons have finished for the day are arranged for students to participate in Monday-Saturday during the school year and during weekends at school.
A relaxing activity away from academic study during Wednesday afternoon at UK private schools as well as a sports program of activities on Saturday morning during the school academic year for student participation.
Variety of different sports give children the opportunity to experience taking part in sport taught by a qualified teacher or specialist sports coach hired for a few hours weekly.
Private school sport activities
Each private school has different sports facilities, school campus size and location dependent on weather conditions, although many have:
- Court sports from basketball, netball, badminton, squash.
- Track athletics including running and steeplechase.
- Field sport from baseball, American football, soccer, hockey, cross country running.
- Indoor sport includes swimming & board diving, table tennis, ice hockey, trampoline, and gymnastics.
- Outdoor archery, horse riding, golf, rowing, sailing, cycling, tennis.
Private school for primary age students worth it?
Do UK & USA boarding schools still exist
Are sports compulsory or optional at private school?
During the school timetabled lessons day taking part in physical education sports lessons is compulsory for students at private school, although after school sports activities and teams is optional participation.
Although extra curricula school individual or team sports are mainly optional at private school, some day and boarding private schools in UK and USA have compulsory sports activity time for boarding and day students out with formal class teaching lessons.
This is generally for exercise 1-2 hours per week, depending on age and grade of students.
Private fee paying schools set aside one afternoon a week, (Wednesday) for students to take part in sport & games, providing competitiveness, team spirit and working together as a team for students that play sport with multiple participants.
Joining an extra curricula school sports team playing competitive matches or competitions is optional in the USA and UK as its outside school timetable teaching hours.
Parent and students thoughts about sport at school
Some students and parents say it’s a waste of time playing sports.
Waste of money paying for sports at private school when my son/daughter is only interested in academic subjects schools always say is very important, and they are good at teaching.
Also some children don’t want the hassle of sports and dislike physical or competitive team activity, especially if they’re not very good at a sport compared to the majority of other students.