Tennis provision at Reed’s School The Reed’s School Tennis Academy (RSTA) produces first-class tennis players with the potential to make the transition from junior to world class senior players. The team of coaches are headed up by Ben Haran, who has recently been working with some of the top players in the country. The Academy was developed from the Slater Squad, formed in 1985 with tremendous success, producing the UK’s number one tennis player of the era: Tim Henman OBE. Boys are selected to the Academy after a demanding assessment - but players who succeed will be lucky enough to be joining one of the very best academies in the country. It has had numerous successes including three World Schools Champions titles and ten consecutive U18 National Schools’ Championships. On an individual level, players have gone on to play in both junior and senior grand slams. The Academy offers an outstanding, nationally recognised Elite Performance Programme supported by the LTA. Each player has a personalised tennis programme based around their tennis needs as well as their academic timetable, along with daily coaching. They benefit from excellent on-site facilities, including a three court,
temperature-controlled Indoor Centre for year-round practice. Outstanding strength and conditioning resources, tailored training and testing programmes as well as recovery after injury programmes (key for young growing athletes), are all backed up by a first-class sports science facility.
Putney High School tennis Tennis is going from strength to strength at Putney. The school currently holds the title of LTA U13 National Champions and a new partnership with the Emma Wells Tennis academy in Wimbledon Park is giving Putney’s many keen players even greater opportunities to up their game. Putney has always had a “sport for all” approach and alongside cricket and athletics, the summer months provide the opportunity for more girls to get out on to the court. There are around
60 squad players spread across the school from Years 7 – 10 and every year girls take part in The Wimbledon Ball Girl programme. For the impressive number of tennis scholars at the school, Putney’s Elite Athlete Programme offers specialist advice on nutrition and sports psychology, strength and conditioning and bespoke support that enables them to balance the demands of both their academic lives and the pressures of top-level competition.
EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S UM M ER 2021 | 29
