Activities

Hurst has always encouraged its pupils in both the Prep and Senior Schools to take part in a range of outdoor activities, not just for the sense of well-being and achievement they bring but also because they foster the development of many important life skills and can be enormous fun.

That is why, alongside our sporting programme, we enable children to try their hand at a number of popular pursuits including climbing, kayaking (in a local lake), sailing (in Toppers at nearby Ardingly Reservoir), orienteering and triathlon.

In their final year at the Prep School, pupils have the chance to go hillwalking in Snowdonia and the whole of Year 8 take ‘The Leavers’ Challenge’, hiking across the South Downs for three days and camping out overnight. It is, as nearly all participants will eagerly tell you, a life- changing experience.

Finally, the school has very close ties to its near neighbour, the world-class equestrian showground at Hickstead, and school teams take part each year in both the Hurstpierpoint College National Schools and Pony Clubs Championships and the Team Show Jumping competition for local schools, jointly organised by Hurst and the Showground’s Directors.

Activities change termly, and just to give you an idea of the scope, here is a list of all the activities offered during the past year at the Prep School:

The activities programme is enjoyed by pupils throughout the school; here are just a few of their comments about it.

• I enjoy Activities, Drama and Sport. I would like to have been in Drama club but I don’t have  enough time! (Year 5 girl)
• I enjoy the after school activities – Hockey, Karate and Football. (Year 8 boy)
• I really like the activities after school – Senior Dance, Girls’ cricket which is fairly new.  I like playing football and even got to play in one of the boys’ teams. (Year 5 girl)
• I like the extra-curricular activities, especially swimming (Year 8 boy)
• After school activities are great. I only have one day when I don’t stay on – Film Club, Dance, Art and Craft, Chinese and Ballet.  (Year 4 girl)
• The after school activities have lots of sports and a range of skills.  I like quick cricket, French conversation, girls’ football. (Year 7 girl)
• My old school was just a school. Here there is way more happening, more like a community, lots of extra-curricular activities.  I do Drama after school. We have been working on monologues and I am in a small play next Tuesday.  (Year 8 girl)