We aim to balance ‘sport for all’ with our ethos of sporting excellence.
Teamwork Primarily, sport at Fettes Prep is about enjoyment: playing on a pitch, with friends, in a team endeavour. Every Prep pupil, irrespective of their particular sporting talents, can experience this and in the process we hope they will develop a lifelong love of sport and physical activity.
Skills Taking part in games encourages pupils to develop specific skills as well as rise to the challenges that sport brings. We support each individual to be the best they can be and to reach their potential. Within team sport, we look to work towards a shared goal, to learn from defeat and not be complacent in winning.
Sportsmanship We nurture sportsmanship at all levels alongside sporting success. The ability to play a competitive match and then welcome the opposition for match tea afterwards is an important lesson for life. Our goal is for as many pupils as possible to represent the school in fixtures on a regular basis, so whenever we can we run multiple teams in each year group.
Coaching We allocate specialist coaches for each age group who work alongside our Prep School staff. This allows all pupils to have access to high quality sessions whilst maintaining the consistency of a ‘team’ coach. We have established close links with The Grange and Edinburgh Academicals, renowned hockey, cricket and rugby clubs respectively, that enrich our pupils’ training experience both on and off site.
Facilities We are privileged to have access to some outstanding facilities on the Fettes site, including extensive grass pitches for all sports, two floodlit all-weather hockey astroturf pitches, one sand based and the other water based. We have three cricket squares (two are covered), outdoor cricket nets, nine astroturf tennis courts, a marked 400-metre running track, two long jump pits and shot put arena. Our sports complex includes a 6-lane, 25-metre swimming pool, sports hall with indoor cricket nets, two netball courts, a fitness suite and dance studio.
Touring Each Autumn Term, the Under 11 girls’ hockey team and Under 11 boys’ rugby team take part in a two-day tour to York. Our senior boys have also participated in an annual 7s competition in Monaco.
Tournaments and Representative Sport In addition to playing for Fettes teams, selected pupils are chosen to represent district prep school teams and East of Scotland district teams. Our school teams take part in IAPS tournaments in athletics, cross country, golf, hockey, netball, rounders, skiing and swimming.
major sports Autumn Term
– boys Summer Term
Spring Term Rugby
Cricket Hockey
major sports Autumn Term
– girls Summer Term
Spring Term Hockey Netball
Cricket/ Rounders
additional sports Autumn Term
Summer Term Spring Term
Cross Country
Football
Athletics Cross Country
Tennis
Football
Skiing
Golf Golf
Skiing
Swimming
Boys’ Hockey Hockey is the major sport for boys in the Spring Term and we field up to four teams in some year groups to allow everyone in the Prep School to participate. Our top players take part in training sessions with the local national league club, The Grange.
Netball Most of our netball is played indoors, at the on-site Westwoods Sports Centre but we occasionally make use of a number of outdoor courts around the Fettes campus. We have numerous fixtures against other prep schools, as well as longstanding fixtures with teams from the North of England, and our older pupils participate in the Scottish Cup.
Cricket Cricket is our major sport for boys in the summer, and from 2019 will be an option for Under 13 girls. Indoor training is offered as an evening activity during the Spring Term and we enjoy a full timetable of fixtures throughout the season.
Rounders We compete in a number of fixtures during the season and the girls have the opportunity to take part in prep schools representative rounders teams. One much anticipated fixture involves our Under 13 girls who compete against their parents at the end of the season!
Girls’ Hockey Hockey is the major sport for girls in the Autumn Term. A selected team of Under 11 girls heads to York for their annual tour and our Under 11 and Under 13 teams take part in numerous tournaments during the season, including IAPS regional qualifiers. Top players take part in training sessions with the local national league club, The Grange.
Rugby Rugby is the main sport for boys in the Autumn Term with a breadth and depth of playing opportunities across the age groups. As with other major sports, preseason training is offered before the season gets underway. In addition to the full sided game we participate in a number of 7s competitions.
Athletics We host two large-scale athletics meetings at Fettes during the Summer Term, one of which is the annual Scottish Prep Schools’ Athletics Championships.
Cross Country We take part in a number of cross-country events throughout the Spring Term, culminating in the IAPS Championships.
Football We run a football activity during the Autumn and Spring Terms and schedule occasional football fixtures, including tournaments, in both terms.
Golf Our golfers enjoy competing in Fettes events, local championships and the annual IAPS Championships.
Skiing We take our ski race team to the nearby Snow Sports Centre at Hillend and Snowdome, Braehead for expert race training. We participate in a number of ski races, both on artificial slopes and at the Scottish ski resorts. During the Spring Term, our ski race team competes in the annual IAPS Championships in Italy.
Swimming We are fortunate to benefit from the 6-lane, 25-metre competition pool on site and all pupils take part in swimming lessons as part of our PE curriculum. Swimming galas are held throughout the year.
Tennis We have an increasing number of fixtures for our Under 13 pupils.
Sport at Fettes Prep is about enjoyment: playing on a pitch, with friends, in a team endeavour.