Sport is a brilliant way to meet as many people as possible at Downe House. Whether you want to play in matches or just for the fun of playing, there is a huge variety on offer and throughout your time at Downe House you will get the opportunity to try out many of these in your PE lesson ‘rotations’. These are weekly lessons in which the whole year group is assigned to different sports. You rotate through sports in groups so you get a chance to try all of them. Similarly, you will get the chance to play your chosen sports and try out for teams, playing matches on Saturdays and Wednesdays. On top of this, there are masses of clubs and team training sessions outside of the School timetable for you to get involved in. We would definitely encourage everyone to make the most of everything on offer!

1) What sports does Downe House offer?

Lacrosse, netball, hockey, tennis, swimming, athletics, cross country, squash, badminton, basketball, riding, skiing, cricket, dance, volleyball. Saying that, it’s not uncommon for girls to introduce sports that they play at home. Last year Downe House started its first Tag Rugby club, which a Sixth Former created. You can find out more about Downe House sports in our Sports Directory.

2) How many PE lessons do you have each week?

You have three double lessons a week, which are each one hour and 20 minutes long. You might also have Saturday or Wednesday matches if you are in a team. In Lower School, every girl is guaranteed to play in matches across the School year in different sports.

3) What sports can you mix together?

Mostly you can do all sports at once but when you get to Upper Fifth (Year 11) you have to specialise in one of Lacrosse, Hockey or Netball for matches.

4) Does it matter if I’ve never played lacrosse before?

The majority of new girls joining Downe House have never played lacrosse before, so there is no need to worry! If you can, it would be great to pick up a lacrosse stick and pass a ball around or even do a lacrosse camp to put you in a better position for reaching the top teams, but this is definitely not essential.

5) What sports are on offer in the Summer term?

The two main team sports in Summer term are tennis and athletics, but the majority of other sports still remain on offer. You are allowed to do both tennis and athletics, but you will only be able to play Saturday matches in one.

6) Do I need any extra sportswear?

It is not essential but if you want to do sport outside of sport lessons, eg use the gym, it is best to bring some extra sportswear. In Lower School, there are some amazing weekend trips which involve sporty activities like going to outdoor high ropes centres and water sport centres for which it might be useful to have extra clothes.

7) How many gyms are there?

At Downe House we have two gyms; one contains running machines and cross trainers and the other is geared towards weights and strength training.

8) Who can use the gym?

The gym is accessible to all students in the Sixth Form and Upper Fifth but during sports lessons lower down the School, you may have fitness sessions in the gym.

9) How do I sign up for sports?

This is really easy to do but not something you need to worry about until you arrive when it will be explained clearly by the Sports teachers and if you have any questions feel free to ask any Sports teachers, the Games Captains, your Tutor, your Housemistress or any girls.

10) Is there any inter-House sport?

Absolutely! There are House competitions in almost every sport including dance and gym, as well as Sports Day in the summer for athletics and last year, we introduced a Winter Sports Day which was a huge success and is planned again this year. These are a great way for everyone in your House to get involved and are great fun as well as very competitive!