Sport at BGS

At Bedford Girls’ School Sport is in our DNA, it is nurtured in every student from the day they start to the day they leave. We are renowned for our sporting success and inclusive sports ethos. 

Our school consistently ranks amongst girls’ schools for sport in the UK, with the School Sport Magazine. We are currently ranked 8th in the UK for girls independent day schools. We have maintained a top 20 ranking for the past decade. 

Our key to success is providing an outstanding sporting education where every girl has the opportunity to flourish and reach her potential as a sportswoman. We believe students have the ability to improve and progress on the sports pitch, just as she does in the classroom. We employ an open-door policy for sport and from the beginning of Year 3, all students take part in a variety of sports at all levels, helping them to develop holistically and embed technical skills. 

Our sporting ethos means that, as well as spotting and developing outstanding talent, our staff have the specialist knowledge, personal experience and creativity to ensure all girls benefit from the manifold benefits of regular participation in sport. As a result, pupils gain a sense of genuine pride, self-worth, happiness and achievement they will carry onto university and beyond.

The importance of all girls' education and sport participation

From Years 3 to the Upper Sixth, an emphasis on inclusivity, teamwork and peer support boosts self-confidence and promotes enthusiasm, focus and fun. Furthermore, unlike many coeducational schools, our expertise and time are never split along gender divides, ensuring we are able to offer a vast array of sports without compromising. Our sports programmes fully focused around the needs of female athletes. 

At BGS we offer: 

• Athletics 
• Cross Country Running 
• Football
• Gymnastics 
• Hockey 
• Lacrosse 
• Netball  
• Rowing 
• Swimming 
• Table Tennis 
• Tennis
• Triathlon

Sport at BGS

Specialist teaching and outstanding coaching

Our staff are experts at teaching girls and have performed and coached at international level. The PE team works hand-in-hand with each individual student to help them balance school life with their sporting commitments, to build bespoke programmes to support their ambitions. Their success is fundamental to our success, whether achieved at school or for clubs, county and country; what is important is that they are developing as sportswomen. Creating a culture where we put students first enables them to shine.

We achieve titles in local, regional and national competitions across our sports at all age groups.

We recognise that sporting excellence and inclusivity are dependent on the provision of coaching and competition outside of normal school hours. As well as early morning and evening coaching, we maximise the opportunities open to the students by offering an extensive programme of weekend and holiday fixtures and tournaments. 

Participation is encouraged for everyone, not just our elite performers, and we often field A, B, C, D and E Teams in every age group at each competition.

We participate in over 250 fixtures a term and offer over 70 of co-curricular sports opportunities each week.

Athlete Support Programme 

We consistently have a number of students who are balancing academic life with elite sporting commitments. Our Athlete Support Programme provides regular bespoke mentoring, support across areas such as nutrition, effective recovery and balancing work load to ensure our students can reach their full potential both on and off the sporting arena.   

Excellent Facilities 

We offer excellent facilities, including swimming pool, gymnasium, fitness centre, all weather sports pitch, boathouse and tennis courts, enabling us to offer multiple sports, simultaneously, for different age and ability groups across the school. Our additional sports facility at Cople Fields boasts six full size lacrosse pitches and is used for cricket in the summer.