Sport

Athletics

Athletics has a strong tradition at King Edward’s, with individual athletes achieving distinction at county and national levels. The School’s international-standard athletics track, which opened in July 2017, comprises a 400-metre, eight-lane floodlit tartan track, with the full range of facilities for throws and jumps, including the pole-vault. This provides an excellent training and performance facility for athletes of all abilities.

The Senior, Intermediate and Junior teams participate in Saturday afternoon fixtures against schools across the Midlands, with considerable success. Wednesday afternoon fixtures take place against local schools, including the Foundation Schools matches.

In addition, House Athletics competitions provide the opportunity for hundreds of boys to compete in the full range of events and win points for their House. These culminate in the Athletics Sports Day on the last Saturday of the summer term.

Badminton

The Badminton Club is run by former National, European and Senior World Champion Dave Eddy. Dave represented Great Britain on 58 occasions and is the current Chairman of the Performance Board for Badminton England.

The Club runs on a Tuesday and Thursday after school and plays regular fixtures against other Birmingham schools as well as entering the National Schools Badminton Championships where we have had some pleasing success in recent years. We have been regular winners of the Birmingham stage and progressed through to compete in the Midlands stage at both U14 and U16 age groups, reaching the National Finals in 2015.

Basketball

Basketball is run as a club on a Wednesday lunchtime and coached by a member of staff. The emphasis for the club is on letting the boys play and enjoy the game. There are separate sessions for Lower and Upper school with fixtures against local schools.

Boys also have the opportunity to compete in House basketball competitions and try to win points for their House.

Cricket

Cricket is the major summer sport at King Edward’s. The School boasts outstanding facilities with an excellent 1st XI cricket ground at Eastern Road and three junior pitches on the school playing fields.

Practice facilities are also excellent with a four-lane all weather net complex, top quality grass nets alongside the 1st XI pitch, plus a three-lane Astroturf set of nets on the South Field. The sports hall also provides four lanes of nets and these nets are much used throughout the winter, during our extensive winter coaching programme. Our full-time cricket coach works with the boys throughout the year and we also make use of county players for additional coaching.

We run 11 teams from the 1st XI down to U12C level, with the senior teams and age group A and B teams playing full length matches on Saturdays throughout the summer term. On average the 1st XI plays 20 matches each season and also participates in a national 20/20 competition. Each year, we host visiting teams from overseas and in recent years our seniors have toured the West Indies and our juniors have toured Dubai. Annually, four boys also go to a top school in Melbourne for a month on a cricket exchange.

A large number of our boys represent their counties at age-group level. Our facilities are used by Warwickshire CCC for age-group matches and we have staged an England Blind Team Test Match.

For match reports and results visit: schoolscricketonline.co.uk. For further information on cricket at King Edward’s School, contact Mr L Roll at: lmr@kes.org.uk

Cross Country

Cross country is a Wednesday games option for Years 11 to 13, although all boys will participate in their respective inter-House cross country competitions at some stage during the calendar year.

KES teams compete in the Birmingham Schools Cross Country League, running our own Cannon Hill course as well as a variety of terrains and landscapes at other schools from Shropshire to Warwickshire. We also enter a team in the national, prestigious King Henry VIII Relay Race.

Individual runners regularly achieve high rankings in the Birmingham Schools’ Individual Championship and we have had a number of high-quality long distance runners pass through our ranks. You do not however need to be a champion runner to enjoy this option, just keen to run and improve upon your fitness and stamina.

Eton Fives

This fast and demanding handball game originating in the 17th Century gets some of its unusual features from its unusual point of origin – the buttressed sidewall of Eton College Chapel. It is played between pairs, with padded gloves and a ball made of cork (the size of a snooker ball) and halfway in hardness between a golf ball and a squash ball.

Boys are invited to attend after school practice sessions where they receive instruction in the skills and tactics of the game by an external specialist. For those boys interested, there are many opportunities to play in tournaments and ladder competitions including the Northern Championships and the Midland. The season culminates in the Schools Championships held at Eton College every March, where KES has won the Open section four times and been runners-up twice.

Fives is played in some thirty schools throughout the country as well as being played internationally and at university level (predominantly Oxford and Cambridge). At adult level and for senior school players there are over 40 Fives clubs spread across the country including the Edgbaston Eton Fives Club, which meets weekly on the KES courts. There is also a well-established Warwickshire County team, and a strong national league presence in the form of the Old Edwardians.

Fencing

Fencing runs within the Games programme and as a lunchtime club, with tuition given in foil, epee and sabre. Our full-time professional coach, Nick Chapman, has 27 years’ experience working in the major schools in the West Midlands and has run the British Cadet (U17) Epee squad for eight years.

As well as hosting our own competitions and training days, we enter local, regional and national competitions including the Public Schools Fencing Championship.

Golf

Golf is available as a games option in the summer term to Senior boys on a Wednesday afternoon by Mr Pavey.

Hockey

Hockey is thriving at King Edward’s and in recent years teams have progressed to the England Hockey National Finals, with the U16 team taking the runners-up spot in 2016. Players regularly take part in England Hockey’s single system and a number of players play National League hockey at weekends.

As one of the School’s major games, hockey is played in all year groups. At U12 level, hockey is offered as a club in the evenings with matches operating throughout the autumn and spring term, and from U13 level upwards hockey is a games option. Boys who wish to play both hockey and rugby up to Senior level are catered for by a priority system, whereby they play rugby from September to December and hockey from January to March. There is a Senior tour every two years, with recent destinations including South Africa and India, and a junior tour within the UK or Europe.

Coaching in the sport is at the highest level and Director of Hockey is former England ‘A’ and more recently England Masters O35s, Andrew Langlands. Other international players and coaches are employed throughout the year in order to offer specialised coaching. A number of the teaching staff also make a significant contribution to the coaching of hockey and we have current and ex National League hockey players within the School, including former GB International and double Olympian James Fair.

The facilities for the game are exceptional. A high specification astro hockey pitch and pavilion, which opened in September 2015, provides a professional standard facility. We also have shared use of two full-sized, sand-filled hockey pitches on site and a further half-sized astroturf pitch for additional training. There is also a full-sized indoor hockey pitch within The Andrew Brode Sports Centre, which opened in May 2019.

If you are interested in finding out more information about hockey at King Edward’s, contact Andrew Langlands at: adl@kes.org.uk

Fixtures and results

Rugby

Rugby is played throughout the two winter terms with up to 18 sides competing against Midlands schools each Saturday. Every week up to five U12 XVs, three U13 XVs and two from each of the subsequent years are fielded. This means that there is a great opportunity for all to participate and over 200 school fixtures per season.

The School has five pitches on South Field, immediately in front of the school buildings, and a 1st XV pitch at our Eastern Road playing fields. The School also plays host to a Worcester Warriors Junior Academy Centre, which enables young rugby players from across the West Midlands to be provided with a clear and structured pathway to professional rugby.

A feature of rugby at King Edward’s is the senior tour every two years. Recent destinations have included: India, China and Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Collective and individual honours are regularly achieved, from Birmingham Cup victories and success in the national Daily Mail Cup to county representative honours and international schoolboy selection.

For further information about rugby at KES, contact Mr G Adams at: gda@kes.org.uk

Fixtures and results

Sailing

Sailing, kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing and stand-up paddleboarding are offered to senior boys as part of Combined Cadet Force on a Friday afternoon during the summer term.

Boys of any ability, beginners or experienced, are welcome onto the option. Most boys work towards the RYA or BCU award system and will receive a log book in order to record their progress. Certificates of Achievement are awarded as they reach each level.

Sessions take place at Bartley Green reservoir with fully qualified instructors who also provide all equipment. The activities vary from week to week, depending on the weather and the choice of the group and, in order to teach the boys a range of skills, equipment is available in number of different styles and sizes.

Squash

Squash is run as a recreational club, where squash enthusiasts receive high-quality coaching.

Junior boys, in Year 7 and 8, can play recreationally on a Wednesday lunchtime and boys of all ages and abilities can join Squash Club, which is coached by the professional from Edgbaston Priory Rackets Club after school on a Thursday.

The aim of Squash Club is to develop boys’ skills in the sport and provide the opportunity to represent the School in fixtures. We currently enter teams into the England Squash National Schools Championships, and in 2022 both the U14 and U16 teams were national finalists.

Swimming

Swimming Club is coached by GB Water Polo Olympian Rosie Morris. Competent swimmers are given a choice of swim sets to follow and less able swimmers receive support to improve their strokes.

Swimming is also a key part of PE and games lessons, and for non-swimmers and those who need extra help, there is an additional lunchtime swimming group that aims to build confidence in the water and improve technique. We also enter teams into several swimming competitions throughout the year.

Table tennis

Table Tennis Club is an after-school activity, which is open to all year groups and abilities. The Club caters for those looking for fun with friends, but also offers the chance to represent the School in competitions across the country.

Tennis

At King Edward’s we aim to help boys to develop as players whatever their standard. We hope that they will enjoy the game and that a significant number will pursue tennis well beyond school.

There are opportunities for boys to play and receive coaching in PE and games periods and enthusiastic players can opt for tennis for Friday afternoon activities from the Fourths onwards. Many boys participate in House Senior, Junior and Minor Tennis Competitions.

Talented players have the opportunity to play in school teams and we arrange coaching sessions at Edgbaston Priory to help them improve. We have regular fixtures for the 1st, 2nd, U15 and U13 teams. On two recent occasions, the school has reached the National Finals of the LTA Schools Year 9 & 10 competition (in 2021) and the Year 7 & 8 competition (in 2022). We also enter strong players into various tournaments and encourage boys to play at local tennis clubs.

If you would like to know more about tennis at King Edward’s, or you are interested in arranging a fixture, please contact Ben Coates at: bac@kes.bham.sch.uk

Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate Frisbee (sometimes just called ‘ultimate’) is a non-contact sport, with several players on each side. It is played indoors during the winter and outdoors in the summer with an end zone at each end. You score a point for catching the disc in the end zone. Many people say it like is a combination of basketball or netball and American football.

It is an exciting, fast-paced game. As soon as you catch the disc, you must stop running, and pass it to a teammate. You have to avoid players on the opposing team, who are constantly trying to block your passes. Teams are allowed to substitute players between points, which means players give 100% on each point.

It’s incredibly active. A game is full of throwing, running, jumping and diving. Tactics are very important; in between points, you have to read what the other team is doing – and how hard the wind is blowing – to decide on the best attack or defence setup.

It is a self-refereed sport, which means it is up to the players to settle any disputes about rules or fouls. There is a commitment to fairness, sportsmanship, and – above all – having a good time. Being ‘spirited’ (i.e. playing within the rules) is seen as a goal in itself.

It’s also so easy to get started. All you need is a disc and a place to play. It is the only sport in the School that is mixed with the girls’ school.

We aim to take the teams to a national tournament at least two times a year. In late January 2017, KES entered their first national tournament in Wolverhampton. It was a tremendous learning experience playing against some of the best junior teams in the country, and we finished 12th out of 24 teams.

Ultimate is a growing sport and is getting increasingly popular at universities. It could make its debut in the Olympics in 2024.

Water polo

Water polo is coached by former Great Britain water polo captain and London 2012 Olympian Rosie Morris, and is available for all confident swimmers, no matter what their previous experience.

King Edward’s has a very strong water polo set up, regularly reaching the finals of the ESSA National Championships across the different age groups. A number of players have been selected for the Great Britain and England teams and a recent leaver was also captain of the GB U16 and U19 teams.