Sports and Physical Education

The PE department at Princess Helena College is forward thinking and extremely successful locally. All students are offered a large number of extra-curricular activities, both during the lunch hour and after school. Sport is regarded positively within the school; success is celebrated and individual efforts rewarded.

Facilities include a sports hall, a fitness suite, a dance studio, an outdoor heated swimming pool and extensive playing fields. Girls are taught netball, lacrosse, dance, badminton, gymnastics, trampolining, tennis, rounders, athletics, swimming, basketball and aerobics. They undergo various methods of fitness training and their fitness levels are tested. In the higher years, the girls are introduced to golf and yoga.

Our teams compete in the District netball, rounders and tennis leagues and tournaments. They have been District Netball Champions on a number of occasions and have also won the District rounders tournament. Swimming teams are entered for the District Gala and have again reaped success. The lacrosse teams travel far and wide for their fixtures; as well as playing against schools in Hertfordshire, they travel to schools such as Norwich, Bedford and Oakham.

Teams are also entered into the County Athletics League which provides matches for 60 Hertfordshire schools. Despite having the smallest number of pupils of any school in the league, the College has reached the final or the plate final of this competition every year since first entering in 2006.  The school also represented Hertfordshire at the regional round of the English Schools Athletics Cup and has won the Senior District Championships. A number of girls represent the school at the County Championships each year and an athletics training trip to Lanzarote is arranged annually.

 

The department produces an annual Gym and Dance Display. This incorporates approximately half the school and is an opportunity for large numbers of girls to perform in a show. It allows the GCSE and A level dancers to exhibit their set pieces and to display their own choreography. It is also a chance for the schools' Dance Company and Gymnastics Squad to show what they have been working on throughout the year.

Inter-House sport is highly competitive and the houses are involved in netball, lacrosse, badminton, table tennis, dance, cross-country, trampolining, basketball, athletics, tennis, rounders and swimming competitions. The annual Sports Day is held at Ridlins Track in Stevenage. House captains organise teams and cups/trophies are fought for fiercely.

GCSE

Girls can opt to do a GCSE in Physical Education at PHC. This gives them three extra lessons a week which focus on the anatomy and physiology of the body, fitness training, nutrition and the performance/ coaching/ officiating of four activities. The department has recorded 100% grade A*-C over the past few years.

AS & A2

For those who want to further their interest in PE, the school offers an A level course (AQA). This involves studying the sociology, physiology and psychology of sport alongside the improvement of performing/coaching/officiating skills. Previous students, who have taken this course, have gone on to study Sports Psychology and Sports Coaching at university. The department has recorded 100% grade A-E over the last few years.