Need recommedations for excellent netball school

[Rosetti]

DD is very good netball player already on County at 11. Needs a school that will progress this with her - any suggestions NW based schools if poss although we are happy with boarding - she is flexi boarder atm. thanks!!

Millfield in Somerset is an obvious choice for very sporty children.

A Uni friend of mine has two olympic medals

his parents would NEVER have considered narrowing his long term options by choosing education based on his sport, rather than extra curricular access to his sport

A year 11 girl at my school plays netball at national level. Nothing to do with the school, and everything to do with extra curricular stuff outside of school.

I'm a PE teacher and much as I think sport is important, I would narrow your choice of schools by means other than netball. Find a school that suits your daughter in terms of academic, pastoral, social, location and then look at the sport on offer. Most independent schools will have netball as a major game in the Lent Term, and a school's prowess will often depend on who the PE teachers are at that particular time and what their specialisms are. Any good school will put talented children in for county trials/training as a matter of course and so your daughter should be able to continue to access that wherever she goes.

All the indy girls schools in Manchester had lots of girls at County level when I was at that stage of life. Not sure if it is the same now.

many thanks for your replys - am currently driving hundreds of miles for club netball and was wondering if there was any way school could make up for this - seems from majority I will just have to keep driving!!

The standard of netball in a lot of independent schools is extremely good - but the way the national talent identification works, players will usually get picked up from county/regional squads rather than through school play. Your daughter will need to continue playing for county - but this can be any county, so where she goes to school would also be fine if you decide on boarding. As a PE teacher, in previous posts I have often taken pupils to their county training in the evenings if they are boarders. If she is playing for school she would find it quite difficult to play for club as well - as most independent schools (particularly boarding) will have fixtures every Saturday afternoon and often once in the week as well. If she wants to carry on playing club netball, it would be better for you to look at day schools as you will have more flexibility to continue this.

Oaklands College in St Albans has a netball programme. It's a sixth form college though so won't do until post 16.

www.oaklands.ac.uk/specialist-centres/sports-academies/Oaklands-College-Netball-Mavericks.aspx

It is, at least, a bit closer to you. Worth remembering for future reference. Netball is hugely popular here in Herts.

I work for England Netball and I would agree with jo164. If your daughter has the ability to improve, she needs to be on the Talent Pathway which starts at satellite academies (U14) and then move through to county academies, to regional academies and then onto NTL level (although some counties within the same region start with exceptional Year 6 and 7s). Many of the players at these academies will be selected from good clubs as well as schools. May I suggest you visit www.netballnorthwest.org.uk (or go to www.englandnetball.co.uk to find the correct region) to look at regional level junior clubs. These clubs are CAPS accredited which mean they have Level 2 coaches, are CRB checked, safeguarding policies are in place, good facilities and are well run club etc. Most of these clubs will have players from both the independent and state education.

I would not chose a school based on the ability of their netball team and their results. The north (west and east) has a fantastic set up for netball with great Superleague teams in Manchester Thunder, Yorkshire Jets and Team Northumbria. Many of these players have come through the academies. Good luck.

The Grammar School at Leeds - Yorkshire
Tormead School - London & South East
Brighton College - South
Hagley Catholic High - West Midlands
Brentwood - East
Durham High School for Girls - North East
Saddleworth - North West
Clifton College - South West
Nottingham Girls High School - East Midlands

Sheffield High School - Yorkshire
Colfes School - London & South East
Burgess Hill School for Girls - South
Bablake School - West Midlands
Broxbourne - East
Newcastle Central High - North East
Altringham - North West
St Marys Shaftesbury - South West
Trent College - East Midlands