Sport

We see sport, exercise and health as a vital part of a child’s overall development. Exercising every day is incredibly important to us, and as we have extensive sports facilities within our 28-acre site this is easy to achieve. 

• a 25m heated indoor swimming pool
• a dual pitch all-weather floodlit astroturf
• a club standard cricket wicket with modern cricket pavilion
• numerous rugby/football pitches
• 2.5kms of cross-country running trails and a running track in our ‘back garden’

Our Sporting Achievements

Learning to play as part of a team, as well as perform successfully as an individual has culminated in an excellent record of sporting achievements including three national champions within three years. Old Tockingtonians have represented Great Britain in rowing and cross country, as well as playing professionally in football and rugby. Our pupils excel at cricket, cross-country, rugby and swimming with teams even achieving national championship status in some sports.

Equal Opportunities

While some sports have traditionally been reserved for certain genders, our children enjoy mixing it up in a number of sports. Our girls have proved excellent batters and keepers on the cricket pitch and in both football and rugby they are adept with the ball. We rely on independent schools near us to have teams we can compete in for these crossover sports but internal matches keep up a healthy competition at Tockington. We also have some boys who transfer their handling skills to the court at netball club – they also make excellent rounders players in the summer.

Sport As Part Of School

All children in the Upper School have daily games lessons and with a large range of sports on offer, there is ample opportunity for children to discover an area they can excel in. In house teams, we play competitively across all of the major sports as well as in water polo, cross country and our own version of long-ball (Old Tockingtonians will remember this fondly).

Children are taught together for sports including swimming, athletics, cross country and gymnastics. As the children progress they are encouraged to take part in competitive sports (appropriate to their age and gender) which we play against other independent schools. Fixtures are on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings and are always followed by a delicious Tockington Match Tea for pupils and spectators. This is very much part of the school’s traditions.

Click on the links below to read more about each of our main sports at Tockington. In addition to these, children may also opt for additional activities such as judo, archery and horse riding. Visit our Extracurricular and Clubs page to see more.

Autumn Term Sports (September – December)

Rugby

We have a number of well-maintained rugby pitches where young boys and girls learn the game. One of our Old Tockingtonians was recently selected to play for the Oxford University 1^st XV which we are incredibly proud of.  We also sponsor North Bristol Rugby Club and their efforts to develop players in their early years.

Hockey

We have a number of exceptionally talented young hockey players at Tockington, some of whom play for regional teams. Our floodlit astro allows for games and practice in the winter months.  

Spring Term Sports (January – March)

Football

Team spirit is encouraged on the soccer fields and both boys and girls enjoy playing this sport in the Spring months.

Netball

With specialist coaches and brilliant team spirit, our netball teams had their best season yet this year, winning most of their games and scoring in excess of 550 goals across the Under 8 to Under 13 teams. We have embraced Bee Netball for Under 8/9s since its launch by England Netball in 2019 and the girls enjoy the format. We had record numbers at Netball Club in the Autumn and Spring terms of 2023/4 and look forward to being able to continue throughout the year once we have an indoor netball facility in our new Sports Complex.

Summer Term Sports (April – June)

Cricket

Tockington has a long and proud history with cricket and numerous associations with top levels of the game. Our sponsorship of Gloucestershire County Cricket coaches gives us access to specialist coaching and we are lucky to enjoy some excellent facilities on our grounds. This includes a Cricket Pavillion which is hired out to the local community and an in-development Sports Complex with indoor nets.

Cross-Country

Our cross-country trail is used throughout the year and, being so regularly trodden, produces some very fit children! We have Regional and National champions in the sport with children achieving consistently good results at South West and Severnside Championships. Old Tockingtonians watch our record boards eagerly to see if their PBs (Personal Bests) have been beaten! More than any other, this sport encourages the Tockington spirit with each child striving for self-improvement, rather than worrying about the scores of the person next to them.

Swimming

Swimming is very much part of the Tockington curriculum – a wonderful bonus of having a 25m indoor heated pool on site. Apart from weekly lessons across the school, our Swim Squad competes eagerly in galas with neighbouring independent schools. We have also achieved excellent results at the annual IAPS Swimming Finals in London in recent years. 

Tennis

At Tockington Manor School, tennis is a cherished activity, with students honing their skills on our well-maintained courts amidst the beautiful countryside setting.

Athletics

Our athletics teams do us proud at various meets including Severnside and the South West championships held at Millfield every year. With a track in our back garden, and facilities for long jump, shot put and javelin we are able to compete strongly. This year we have re-introduced high jump and look forward to seeing how the children perform.