Active participation in sport and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle are central to what we are trying to achieve as a school.
The old expression “mens sana in corpore sano” – a sound mind in a sound body - is as true today as when it was coined in the classical world.
At Ecclesbourne we believe that the habits formed while in school are apt to last into adult life. For this reason we encourage all our students to make the very most of our wonderful sporting facilities and to take part in competitive and non-competitive physical activity at every opportunity.
We are proud of the heritage of sporting excellence at this school and each year we recognize the achievement of our athletes in our annual Speech Day, Sports Awards Ceremony and Governors’ Reception awards.
We know that successful athletes are likely also to be successful academically. Commitment to a sport requires discipline and dedication. It makes us goal oriented. It teaches the connection between effort and reward. It fosters skills of co-operation and teamwork. It trains us to meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same.
And if by a sound mind we mean a mind less prone to mental illness or depression then there is considerable and growing scientific evidence that regular exercise is one of the best ways of treating these conditions too.
We have an expression in the English language. When we disapprove of something, we say: “it’s not cricket.” We do not say “it’s not Physics” or “it’s not Geography”. The importance and value of sport and the games we play lies to a considerable degree in the sense of fair play, sporting behaviour and teamwork they foster.
Please take the time to read through this section of our website to learn more about the curriculum and activities on offer, meet our PE team, learn about the past successes of our students, find out about how you can book and use our facilities and check up on upcoming fixtures.