Millfield named as the Best Sports School in the Country

Millfield has been named as the number one sports school in the country.

The rankings, published annually by School Sports Magazine, sees Millfield claim top spot for the tenth time in eleven years. This is in recognition of both Millfield and Millfield Prep School’s continued success across a variety of sports.

2023 proved to be another year of exceptional sporting performance at Millfield. They became the first northern hemisphere school to be featured in the renowned rugby documentary ‘The Season,’ which followed Millfield’s First XV’s journey to St. Joseph’s Festival and School’s Championship victory, with footage of the series generating more than 1 million views on social media.

Their pioneering Girls in Sport programme continued to educate, raise awareness and remove taboos around girls’ needs in sports that can hamper progress and champions equality. The programme addresses many of the societal and physical issues professional sports women are currently facing, that has been widely covered in the national press.

They formed a swimming Performance Squad, made up of a glittering line up of British swimming stars, who train alongside and inspire current students. The squad contains 12 swimmers, nine of whom previously attended Millfield, including Olympic gold medallist James Guy MBE and double world champion Matt Richards. They are coached by Millfield’s Ryan Livingstone, who was named British Swimming Coach of the Year and forms part of Team GB’s Paris 2024 coaching team. The squad’s aim is to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this summer.

Alongside team national titles won across various sports and disciplines, Millfield also saw students produce some outstanding individual successes. Three rugby players were offered senior academy rugby contracts by Gallagher Premiership side Bath Rugby, an Upper Sixth goalkeeper signed a professional two-year contract with Championship side, Ipswich Town, while a dancer represented England at the Dance World Cup in Portugal.

An Upper Sixth student became the youngest ever international cricket umpire during the Kwibuka Women’s T20 tournament. A skier represented Great Britain at the world’s pre-eminent children’s ski race, the Alpe Cimbra FIS children’s cup in Italy, while six current and former Millfield students represented their countries in the senior and U20 Six Nations.

Three Millfield students represented Great Britain at the World Biathle and Triathle Championships in Bali, with one student being crowned World Champion and seven Millfield Prep pupils winning medals for Team GB.

Millfield Prep’s U13 Girls team won the English Schools Football Association National Cup, while their swim team were crowned IAPS National champions for the 36th year in a row.

Millfield Director of Sport, Dr Scott Drawer, said “The award is recognition of the breadth and depth of multi-sport opportunities we provide to students all year in boys’ and girls’ sport. We are proud of the student dedication and expertise provided by our coaching and teacher workforce. We must also acknowledge the role parents play in supporting their child’s sporting journey at Millfield.”

Millfield Prep School’s Director of Sport, Jo Morgan-Hughes, said “We are absolutely delighted to receive this prestigious award. While our emphasis is on participation, learning and enjoyment, this achievement highlights the standards the young pupils attain across a huge variety of sports. Pupils, staff and parents all work together, so this award is for the entire Millfield community.”

Source – Millfield named as the Best Sports School in the Country | The Boarding Schools’ Association