Sport

The aims of cross-country running, which is offered to pupils in Forms 5 – 8, are varied and numerous:

• To develop pupils’ fitness, stamina and strength
• To prepare pupils for the winter inter-schools races
• To offer pupils a sporting activity which hardly requires any technique
• To give children the opportunity to explore their immediate rural surroundings whilst exercising
• To encourage children to exercise in and enjoy any type of weather
• To develop resilience and diminish fear of discomfort caused by inclement weather, uneven terrain, varied underfoot conditions, hilly grounds
• To introduce children to a physical activity where body size does not necessarily matter
• To maintain and develop skills which are also needed for athletics in the summer
• To promote an enjoyable activity which includes all

We take part in many races throughout the year.

We are fortunate to be able to run within our own extensive grounds, on the neighbouring farmer’s field and grounds (ploughed fields, corn field, forest, meadow, track) and occasionally on Moncreiffe Hill (marked tracks, woodland) and the Brig Farm trail.

Rounders is a fun Summer sport. All junior and senior girls participate and we ensure that we give all the girls the chance to play at a competitive level, producing at least two teams in each year. Our first team plays at a high level and we always compete in the Prep Schools rounders tournament.

Everyone at Craigclowan takes part in athletics in the Summer Term as it is one of the few sports where a child can be an individual as well as a member of a team. All the technical aspects of athletics, including running, jumping and throwing are covered in Games lessons. Forms 4 - 8 compete in the IAPS Athletics Championship in June. We also host our Junior and Senior Sports days which are always good fun, give all the children a chance to compete and highlight our talented athletes in the various events.

Our hockey programme starts from Form 3 and runs through to the Senior School. Technique is vital in order to play and to progress to the highest standards and our coaching principles are to reinforce the basic skills of hockey to establish a sound basic technique on which to progress to unit and team skills. We play against other prep schools in the area, compete in the IAPS tournaments and host our own hockey tournament at Craigclowan. We have a well-deserved reputation for putting children forward to represent the WOSPS team and play for the Perth and Kinross development squad, which then leads onto Midlands hockey.

All our pupils are introduced to the game through a gradual process and, as the boys move up through the school, they are introduced to more elements of the game and learn to master ever more technical skills. The school follows the SRU Age Grade Law Variations and all coaches complete annual SRU training in coaching and safety. All age groups play numerous fixtures in the term and each boy will usually enjoy at least two matches a season. There are representative opportunities for the most able players at Caledonian level and at Scottish Prep School level. The U11 and U13 boys also participate in tournaments.  We encourage all boys to play with integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect. It is not only the key skills of rugby union we wish to develop, but its core values too.  A good proportion of our pupils go on to enjoy rugby at a high level in their senior schools and beyond.

Our girls are given a chance to play rugby on Fridays during their games session and we are aiming to develop girls rugby over the coming years.

Cricket is played in the Summer Term by girls and boys starting at Form 3.  Strong emphasis is placed upon technical development and enjoyment of the game, particularly for the younger pupils.

Drills and fun games are played to develop the pupils’ throwing, catching, fielding and batting. The pupils learn the skills of the game using soft rubber balls before being introduced to the hard ball in Form 6. Gradually the pupils are introduced to paired games; these allow everyone to bat, bowl, keep wicket and field. Competitive matches start in Form 4  but it is not until form 6 that 11 a-side cricket is introduced. We play matches throughout the Summer term and take part in many local tournaments run by Cricket Scotland.

Netball is mainly played during the Spring Term. As it is such a fast paced sport and there are only seven players to a team, pupils are active for the whole of the game. Players jump, twist, turn, dodge and run for short sprints and have to perform hard stops. The benefits of playing netball are numerous. It is a great cardiovascular activity, it improves upper body strength, especially arms, and it also develops hand-eye coordination. Netball players at Craigclowan learn to work effectively as part of a team.  It’s all about learning new skills, improving on old ones and having fun playing with friends. Our netball programme starts in Form 3 and runs through to the senior school. We compete against many other prep schools and play in the tournaments available. There are also representative opportunities for the most able players at Caledonian level and club level.

Skiing is very much a part of what makes Craigclowan special and sets us apart from other schools.  We are incredibly lucky here at Craigclowan as we have a fantastic dry ski slope on site.  This allows the children to hone their skills throughout the year, even in the balmy heat of a Scottish summer!  We are also just an hour’s drive away from the Glenshee ski resort which we visit as often as possible during the Spring Term. Our Ski Race Team successfully takes part in Scottish competitions aimed at primary aged children.

Dry Ski Slope

The dry ski slope is currently available for use by the children in Forms 2 - 8. Each child has the opportunity to sign up to a block of ski lessons at the beginning of each term. These lessons take place during the school day, which is always convenient for both parents and children. It is a fantastic resource for the beginner, allowing them to develop their skills before heading to the more challenging conditions of the mountains of Scotland or Europe. Separately, our more advanced skiers from Forms 1 - 8 are given expert race training instruction after school by Cally Gordon and his team, who have now been looking after the skiing needs of Craigclowan for many years.

Schools and other organisations from the surrounding area have access to the slope if they desire. The slope is also used by an independent ski school (Skiclass) on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the Winter, Spring and Summer Terms. These classes are available to both pupils of the school and outside the school.

Skiing at Glenshee

During the Spring Term we head up to Glenshee every Saturday and, in addition, every year group has a ski day during the academic school week. With about 75% of the pupils heading up to Glenshee at least once, the benefits to the school community are enormous. The children are given six hours of fantastic tuition by Cally Gordon and his team at Blair Ski Hire, developing their skiing skills as well as their appreciation of the beauty and dangers of a Scottish winter, mountain environment. So many different skills are learnt by the children without them even realising.

Ski Holiday

The children are also given the opportunity to go on a week-long ski trip to Europe. This occurs every two years and is seen by the skiing fraternity as a rite of passage before moving on to their next school. With the trip being, for many, their first holiday away from their parents, the experience of independence is an incredibly valuable one and helps to cement the fun-filled and relaxed relationship which the staff have with the children on holiday. We really are a family here at Craigclowan.

Craigclowan encourages every pupil to play tennis and it is our aim that every player will fulfil his or her potential. We play tennis in the Summer term and organise matches against other schools.  We also attend many tournaments within our local area.

All children from Forms 4 to 8 are offered the opportunity to swim on Mondays after school.  All abilities are welcome and we work on improving technique, stamina and speed, as well as other water based skills, like treading water, diving and basic lifesaving.  From this group we select teams which compete in galas at Strathallan, Kilgraston, Dollar and Merchiston.  All are encouraged to try out for the squad.  We use the facilities at Strathallan School for our swimming lessons.

The aims of Physical Education at Craigclowan School are:

• To promote physical development and confidence and the resultant self-esteem
• To provide programmes to help all pupils realise their full potential
• To ensure pupils understand the short and long-term effects of exercise on the body systems, and to make pupils aware of the various methods of improving fitness, preparing for activities and recovering afterwards
• To teach pupils to know about and value the benefits of participation in physical activity and to develop in them a positive, committed, enthusiastic, hard-working approach which will help them derive maximum enjoyment and satisfaction from successful endeavour both at school and throughout life
• To develop an appreciation of skilful and creative performances across the areas of activity
• To develop problem-solving skills
• To develop interpersonal skills and qualities such as integrity, fairness, self-discipline and a concern for quality as well as success, and to ensure pupils in teams treat opponents, fellow team members and referees with respect
• The major part of our timetabled PE programme is concerned with teaching pupils a broad, balanced syllabus which is differentiated to meet the needs of individual pupils. We study all parts of the National Curriculum but go far beyond its basic requirements in terms of range of sports and activities offered and standards expected.

Each week Pre-school to Form 8 spend 30 minutes on curriculum physical education which is taught in mixed ability groups in addition to the separate Games lessons. The curriculum over the years embraces gymnastics, aerobics, balance/agility, Scottish Country Dance, balls skills, volleyball, badminton, basketball, football, tennis and athletics.