Sport and Music

Our children are encouraged to enjoy themselves in a confident, competitive and sportsmanlike manner. From Year 2 all pupils participate in several weekly sporting activities. These include rounders, netball, basketball, football and cricket. Pupils are professionally coached in most sporting activities during both the school day and our after school clubs, and are encouraged to take part in inter-school sporting competitions.

On Tuesday afternoons, for five weeks each term, Years 4, 5 and 6 are taken by coach to the Littledown Sports Centre, in order to take part in fitness activities with professional instructors. Children are given individual fitness programmes and are awarded certificates upon successful completion of each unit at the end of the termly sessions.

On Thursday aternoons, the upper school walks down to Stokewood Leisure Centre (¼ mile away) for swimming lessons with two professional coaches. In the summer, the school prepares for our swimming galas and for athletics Sports Day, held at Dean Park, the former county cricket ground.

We are very keen that our children should experience all that is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Three times a week, after morning assembly, the whole school enjoys musical appreciation lessons and is introduced to the history of music, composers, orchestral instruments, musical form and different musical styles. There are singing lessons for each year group every week.

All children learn the recorder and musical notation from Year 2. Some children are prepared for the Trinity College of Music (London) examinations in descant recorder at grades 1-5. A few reach grade 4-5 standard in their final year at St Martin’s and some take up orchestral instruments. At the end of the Christmas term, the whole school takes part in our annual carol service, and at the end of each academic year, the upper school takes part in an instrumental and vocal production.