Sport

Cricket is the major sport for boys in the Summer Term. Beyond the Games sessions, we also have regular training throughout the week after school across all terms as well as a healthy block of fixtures, mostly on Saturdays. Teams also enter into the IW Schools competitions as well as the men’s winter indoor competition. Girls cricket is really taking off and this summer we have a new Head of Girls Cricket who plays locally. We will have a full fixture list as well as a full girls training programme. Ryde School is the main training hub for IOW county cricket due to this link, school has full use of specialism machines, Merlin and Bola, the only ones on the IOW. 

We have an excellent roster of coaches that range from local club players to an ex Scotland U19 World Cup player. Our Head of Boys Cricket is an ex professional who also works for Worcester CCC, is a South and West regional coach for Bunbury and has worked pre World Cup with the U19’s as part of his ECB duties. He is also head of IOW performance and EPP. These links with 1st class counties, particularly Hampshire and Worcester, as well as MCC university cricket allow us to offer talented young players fantastic opportunities. Over the last few years we have players that have been involved in cricket at Ryde going on to play 1st class cricket.

Hockey is the major sport for girls in the Autumn Term and in the Spring Term for the boys. Fixtures are predominantly played on Saturday mornings and we compete against schools throughout Hampshire. Our teams also enter into the Hampshire schools’ competitions and notably won the Girls U14 Hampshire Trophy in 2017. 

In recent years we have developed links with the Isle of Wight Hockey Club, and we are now seeing pupils travel over to the mainland to represent Hockey clubs such as Fareham and Winchester. Whilst our main focus for hockey is to be accessible and enjoyable for pupils of all abilities, we are also proud to say that we have seen boys and girls go on to represent Hampshire at county level over the last five years with one pupil playing regional hockey within the England Hockey Performance Centre.

Netball is played throughout the Spring Term as the main sport for girls in games lessons, however we train all year round at lunch times and after school. Fixtures are played on Saturdays with some midweek and include a range of schools around the Hampshire area and on the island. Ryde school enters the county and regional round of the national school’s competition and the national Smile Cup. We have strong links with local clubs, namely Shorwell netball club which train and play at our school, a new link with Surrey Storm netball is being developed to increase the opportunities for the students. Coaches include former county players and have a depth of experience, our Head of Netball is an Ex-superleague and England Netball age group player, who still plays national Premier League 1 and former Wasps Netball U21 coach. We want Netball to be fun and inclusive for all the students to get involved in and we facilitate competition for all students to take part in during games lessons.

Rugby has a long tradition at Ryde School and to represent the School has always been done with pride. It is the primary sport for boys in the Autumn Term where we enter the National Cup and Hampshire Schools Leagues. This is supplemented by Girls Rugby clubs and fixtures alongside hockey and netball. Boys Rugby Sevens runs through the Spring, alongside Hockey, entering competitions such as Rosslyn Park. Touch Rugby and pre season clubs for both girls and boys through the summer. 

Our staff have coached or played around the world and our current staff include a current player and ex Olympian, and our Head of Rugby, who holds his England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award (formerly Level 3), is a Hampshire and London Irish Academy coach. 

We have a full range of midweek and Saturday fixtures, and we also work with Hampshire County age groups and London Irish Academy to increase player pathway opportunities and have an active Old Rydeians Sevens squad. Many pupils play club rugby for Vectis who we work closely with and many of our Upper Sixth play men's rugby with local Island teams; Sandown & Shanklin, Isle of Wight or Ventnor RFC. Many pupils have gone on to play for higher level mainland teams and at County, Academy and even International level.

At Ryde we are proud to be one of the few non-selective schools in the country that offers sailing within the curriculum, allowing all pupils from Prep to Sixth Form, beginner to elite, to experience and develop sailing. 

We work with partners across the Island to maximise opportunities for our sailing pupils, beginner and elite alike: Tackt-Isle; Royal Thames Yacht Club, via Cowes; Sea View Yacht Club and Tuesday night racing with the Island Sailing Club.

In recent years, the school has diversified into keel boat racing, entering a J70 to the Cowes racing series and Round the Island Race. This opportunity is offered to students in year 9 and 10 and provides a supported and coached progression from dinghies to yacht racing.  Students in all year groups and all abilities are also offered the opportunity of a trip to Lake Garda to develop their skills, and for the more advanced sailors the opportunity to sail foiling boats. 

• Sailing can be chosen as a weekly games option from year 9-13. Year 7-8 sail weekly in the summer term
• Coaching and training delivered by industry experts
• Racing focused on team racing and competing in national competitions
• Active and engaged member of British School Dinghy Race Association (Junior team racing National Champions 2022)

DOWNLOAD OUR NEW BROCHURE HERE: SAILING AT RYDE 2021

Is the secondary sport for girls in the Summer after Cricket. Beyond the Games sessions, we also have regular training throughout the week after school as well as a healthy block of fixtures, mostly on Saturdays. Teams also enter into the IW Schools competitions.

Offered to the Sixth Form as a Games option and other year groups as an extracurricular club, golf is mostly played at Westridge Golf centre with a golf professional leading the sessions. In addition to this we play school fixtures against local island schools and also enter into the national schools competition. A number of our pupils play competitively for local clubs and some have even accessed the national performance pathway.

Available to Year 11 and the Sixth Form as a Games option and played at Westridge Squash Centre. A squash professional leads the sessions. Beyond the Games sessions, we enter a team into the National Schools Squash Championship each year and play matches against other schools. The sport is thriving at School and there is an appetite for more squash.  Squash is also an option sport on a Wednesday afternoon, which is well supported.

Yoga and mindfulness are offered to Year 11 and the Sixth Form as a Games option. In Yoga we have a professional yoga instructor who leads the sessions, which incorporate not only Yoga both indoors and outdoors but also body pump, pilates and fitness circuits, this option is open to both boys and girls.

Mindfulness is led by the Head of Pastoral Care who combines mindfulness, coaching and walking.

We offer football clubs for boys in the 6th Form, years 9, 8 and 7 and a mixed girls club, they run at lunch times and after school, and are all well attended.  Over the last few years we have entered teams from year 7, 8 and 9 and 6th form into the local island school league, where we have been very competitive, coming runners up in the year 8 competition in 2019.  We also enter into ISFA national competitions at year 8, 10 and 11, competing against schools like Bournemouth Collegiate and Thomas’ Battersea. 

We have a strong link to the CFC academy on the isle of Wight, our children attend football coaching sessions after school, they hold training sessions at the school during term time and holidays and our 6th form team have played against their academy players.  We have also had some children selected for the CFC graduate programme for post 16 education.  We have had a pupil win a national competition to have the chance to train at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.  We have also had a range of pupils selected to represent the Lions independent school Representative team, where children get to play in the infamous Gothia World Youth Cup, which is the largest youth football competition in the world.

Offered to Years 10, 11 and the Sixth Form as a Games option. Based mainly in the fitness suite, pupils have the opportunity to work out on the cardio machines as well as the free weights area. At these sessions the pupils will also be taught the importance of technique, training methods and diet in relation to their individual health and needs. They will be advised on how they can train in order to fulfil their requirements; be it weight loss, mental fulfilment, strength or specific sport fitness.

Offered to Years 10, 11 and the Sixth Form as a Games option. A club runs on a Friday lunchtime for Years 7-11 for those who just want to play with friends and develop skills in a relaxed setting. There is also a more technical club that runs after school with a Badminton England qualified coach. We have competed in Isle of Wight tournaments in previous years, and have connections with Island schools to set up matches.