Sport

Sport is an integral part of life at St Helen’s. We ensure that every student can find an activity that inspires her to achieve her potential, at whatever that level may be, developing a lifelong passion for sport and physical activity.

Every student is encouraged to include physical activity as part of their daily routine and to reach their full potential. A diverse range of sports and activities is available recreationally and competitively – before school, during lunchtimes, after school and at weekends.

We’re thrilled to have been ranked 4th girls school for sport in the country, and 23rd overall, in the School Sport Magazine’s top 200 sporting schools of 2023. We are also the top school overall for sport in Oxfordshire and the only girls school in Oxfordshire in the top 200. In addition, we are listed in the top 20 girls schools for cricket in the Cricketer’s 2023 Schools Guide.

While our elite teams are some of the most successful in the country – with 50+ students currently playing for county, regional or national teams – we retain the message that you do not have to be ‘good at sport’ in order to take part in and enjoy physical activity.

Our department is welcoming, happy and vibrant. Many of our expert staff come from professional sporting backgrounds, including England rugby and lacrosse players, Netball Superleague players, and coaches at national and international levels.

Athletic Development

Our Athletic Development Programme supports students from across the School, focusing on physical competence and confidence early to instil lifelong positive attitude to physical activity. Those who wish to progress to elite level or pursue a career in sport are offered support through our Developing Athlete Programme (DAP) and our sports scholars programme.

Athletic Development and Health

Visit SHSK Thinks – Athletic Development to find out more:

SHSK Thinks

Weekly clubs

Our wide programme clubs allow students to participate in clubs, with over 100 weekly activities available across Juniors to Sixth Form. Clubs are open to all students, allowing everyone the opportunity to enjoy participating and improve their skills.

Athletics	Fencing	Rounders
Badminton	Fitness Suite	Sailing
Ballet	Football	Swimming
Basketball	Gymnastics	Taekwondo
Cricket	Indoor rowing	Tennis
Cross-country	Lacrosse	Trampoline
Dance	Netball	Yoga

All students have the opportunity to compete through House events, our comprehensive inter-school fixtures list, and in county and national events. We are highly competitive within the region and have recently enjoyed national success in a number of activities.

Sports fixtures and results

Sports facilities

Our facilities include a Sports Centre with national league-standard netball and badminton courts, basketball court, three-lane cricket nets, Fitness Suite, an ergo suite, a group cycling room and a gymnasium. Outdoors we have six netball and tennis courts, extensive sports fields and three lacrosse pitches and a sports pavilion at nearby Church Farm.

Explore our Sports Centre and the rest of our beautiful campus:

Our campus

Sports Awards Evening

In May, we were thrilled to be joined by England Netball U21 Captain and SHSK alumna, Phoebe Maslen for our annual Sports Awards Evening. Watch the video below to hear Phoebe reflect on her time at St Helen’s and the support she received.