Both the Senior and Prep School have outstanding sporting reputations and we provide regular, high-quality coaching sessions to all pupils.
Our enviable track record of both individual and team achievements at county, regional and national levels also extends to a number of pupils gaining international honours and/or professional contracts in their chosen sport. However, while we encourage and fully support elite performers, our focus is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in sport, enjoy it and realise their potential.
We fundamentally believe that sport is vital in school. Beyond the obvious physical benefits, it also has an impact on their emotional well-being, helping with stress and thereby improving their academic and overall school performance. Playing sport introduces them to teamwork, discipline, improves their confidence and develops leadership skills. Through matches they learn to be resilient in the face of adversity. Learning to deal with failure makes them more resilient and gives them grit and determination, two life skills that are invaluable.
The coaching at Framlingham within our PE and Games programme caters for a wide spectrum of talents and abilities emphasizing inclusion and depth that will outrival most schools. At the Prep School, every child from Year 3 to Year 8 represents the school in competitive fixtures most weeks. This can mean fielding on average 26 teams every Wednesday.
At the Senior School, there are competitive fixtures on a Saturday and competitions often held mid-week. Most pupils will represent Framlingham College in a sports team at some stage of their school career.
Our major sports change each term:
| Term | Major Sport (Boys) | Major Sport (Girls) |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term | Rugby Union | Hockey |
| Spring Term | Hockey | Netball |
| Summer Term | Cricket | Cricket & Tennis |
We also offer a wide range of other sporting activities, including Aerobics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cross Country, Equestrian, Football, Golf (at Aldeburgh Golf Club), Running, Shooting, Squash, and Swimming.
Sports Tours are a regular feature of the calendar too, with past destinations including France, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Dubai, South Africa, Canada and Barbados.
Facilities and Sports Coaches
We have invested heavily in our sporting facilities, with an impressive array of outdoor pitches and grounds, a 9-hole golf course, plus two floodlit artificial hockey pitches and tennis/netball courts.
Our Sports Centre houses an indoor pool, gym, performance suite, spinning room, weights room and cardiovascular room. Pupils can benefit from the guidance of our strength and conditioning coaches, who create specialist programmes for our elite athletes and for injury rehabilitation.
In September 2017, the Fowler Pavilion was opened. This fantastic facility overlooks The Back cricket pitch and Inskip’s hockey pitch right at the heart of the Senior School.
We are fortunate to have the very best coaching here with input and support from current professionals including the Somerset County Cricketer, Johann Myburgh. We also have strong links with professional clubs such as Northampton Saints Rugby Club, Mavericks Netball and Magpies Hockey Club.
Scholarships
We currently offer Sports Scholarships at 11+, 13+ and 16+, whilst we welcome expressions of interest at any time.
Scholars receive individual mentoring and one-to-one coaching, and enjoy access to athletic development programmes and to physiotherapy services. Scholars’ Seminars are hosted on a wide range of topics, including Sports Psychology, Careers in Sport, Injury Prevention and Nutrition. Our aim is to enhance and develop the ability of our talented athletes to enable them to realise their sporting ambitions and to fulfil their potential.
Many of our current and recent scholars have represented England at Hockey in their respective age-groups. Five current pupils have been called up for the 2018/2019 season. We also have a multi-sport athlete who has played for the England U17 Waterpolo team and is now a rising star on the Women’s’ England Rugby circuit. Rugby scholars Toby Trinder (Northampton Saints) and Ben Kelland (Pau) both signed professional contracts at the end of their school careers in 2016.
Achievements
For a relatively small school, we consistently punch above our weight.
For the past three years, the Girls’ U18 Hockey team has reached both the Outdoor and Indoor England Hockey National Finals, with the team claiming the silver medal in the Indoor event and fourth place in the Outdoor Event in 2018. Furthermore, our U13 Girls are current IAPS National Champions. Other hockey teams have made regular appearances at National Finals in recent years, with the U14 Girls placing 5th in 2018, U14 Boys’ team winning the National title in 2014. Our girls hockey teams are current county champions in every age group from U11, U13, U14, U16 and U18.
Tennis has also enjoyed success this year with a bronze medal at the IAPS Finals, a qualifier for the Road to Wimbledon competition and our U18 Girls qualifying for the LTA National Finals at the Bolton Arena in 2017. The Prep School won 7 County Championship Titles in 2018 with the youngest team being our Under 8 team.
Our Swimming team has had notable success with eight swimmers making it through to the IAPS National Finals at the London Aquatic Centre at the Olympic Park. A great result with one placing 8th in the U13 50 metres Freestyle in 2018.
In Rugby, fourteen pupils have been selected for Northampton Saints Rugby Developing Player Pathway for the 2018/19 season. Last season, four of our pupils were picked for the ISRFC Lambs National Squad. The U18 and U15 rugby teams participated in the Natwest Cup and the U18 and U14 teams also travelled to the world-famous Rosslyn Park National Schools’ 7s tournament.
In Athletics, one of our pupils won gold in the U15 Shot put while also claiming bronze in the U15 Heptathlon at the National Championships. 2018 yielded two pupils qualifying for the English Schools Athletics Finals a year young, three County Champions, two East Champions and six representatives at the National Finals bringing home a National Champion, two silver medals and a bronze.
Not to be left out, our Equestrian team qualified for 80cm and 90cm Eventer Challenge at Hickstead They also qualified to compete at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2017 and one pupil was chosen to represent England at age nine.
On a national level we currently have 10 pupils representing England in Hockey, Equestrian, Rowing, Rugby and Athletics. We also currently hold numerous County Titles at Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Hockey and Athletics with 63 pupils representing the county at their given sport; rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis, golf, swimming, athletics and cross-country.
College alumni to have cut a dash on the sporting stage of late include:
- Robert Newton – Northamptonshire CCC
- Will Owen – Leicester Tigers RUFC
- Toby Trinder – England U20 Rugby Squad
- Alex Walker – Great Britain & Scotland shooting international
- Caroline Reid – first female Cambridge University rowing (President of CUWBC in 2015) and Rugby Blue (2015)
- John Bird – England 800m Runner
