We have come to the end of another busy sporting calendar and, as we reflect on the year as a whole, we remember that the essence of sport – particularly at Prep school – is about enjoyment, learning new skills and doing your best.
We have covered a huge range of sports throughout the year, including netball, hockey, football, lacrosse, swimming, cricket, rounders and athletics. From developing fundamental motor skills in Nursery to learning to pass a baton in a relay, playing House rounders or competing at national level, we are delighted to see children show teamwork, commitment, progress and, above all, a love of sport.
Here are some highlights and memories from our 2025/26 season.
National Success
This year brought exceptional success on the national stage. Competing at some of the country’s most prestigious sporting venues, our girls produced outstanding performances, achieving personal bests, medals and historic results for the school.
Imogen D qualified for the ISA Swimming Finals, held in the Olympic Pool, London. She won a bronze medal (with a PB) in the 50m backstroke and also swam a PB in the 50m butterfly.
Lucy R and Lizzie H qualified for the ISA Athletics Finals, held at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham. Lucy is our first competitor to win a Regional field event and go through to the National Finals, where she finished 4th overall in the Long Jump. Lizzie was selected for the 4 x100m relay and her run as part of the London North team saw her bring home a bronze medal.
Lizzie also qualified for the National Cross-Country Championships at Himley Hall, Dudley.
Meanwhile, on the slopes, our ski team came 2nd in the National Indoor Ski Championships and three of our girls – Maisie S, Siena S and Reva L – were selected to ski for the English Alpine Ski squad.
Winter Sports
Our winter sports programme is a veritable feast of invasion games and individual challenge, giving girls opportunities to develop teamwork, endurance, resilience and mental toughness.
Netball once again formed a central part of the sporting calendar, with girls developing their tactical understanding, ball skills and match play through lessons, clubs and fixtures. Across the season, our girls demonstrated impressive growth in confidence and teamwork, and many closely contested matches showcased the resilience and determination that have become hallmarks of St Hilda’s netball. Notable performances included our U10s being undefeated at the ISA Netball Festival; the U9s finishing runners up at the ISA Bee Netball Tournament; and our U11 GS, Imogen D, scoring the greatest number of individual goals in the ISA Regionals at Redbridge. Our U11 team also loved playing in our inaugural Friday Night Lights fixture, a brilliantly competitive four quarter match against the Old Girls, under the floodlights and in front of a crowd.
In hockey, the girls continued to develop their skills and stick control, with all year groups across the school enjoying opportunities to grow in confidence. Our U9s relished their first taste of competitive hockey at Akeley Wood, whilst at the ISA U11 Mixed Hockey Tournament, our girls won three of four qualifying matches and progressed to the Cup semi-final, ultimately finishing fourth overall – a super result, not least as they were the only all-girls team competing.
Football continued to grow in popularity, with the girls embracing the opportunity to develop their technical skills, teamwork and game understanding. Once again, we were lucky to have George Lappas, Head of Football Development at Harpenden Colts and UEFA Level 4 coach, leading our football programme, with a new junior club being introduced to complement the popular senior club that already existed. Lacrosse taster sessions, delivered by 1st X players from St George’s School/Harpenden Lacrosse Club, were also hugely popular with our Form V and VI girls.
Meanwhile, cross-country tested the girls’ endurance, resilience and mental toughness. From Form VI’s monthly Run to the Park, which encouraged regular distance running and stamina-building, to competitive events such as the ISA Cross-Country at Abbot’s Hill, Berkhamsted Cross-Country Relays, Beechwood Park Cross-Country and District Cross-Country, the girls consistently showed perseverance and a willingness to push themselves beyond their comfort zones.
Summer Sports
The summer sporting calendar is always a busy one, bringing sunshine (and the occasional shower), energy and an exciting programme of athletics, cricket and rounders.
Our athletics season began with training sessions at Stockwood Park, where girls from Forms III–VI worked on sprinting, middle-distance running and relay technique in preparation for the term ahead. This strong foundation carried us into a busy fixture calendar, including memorable athletics carousels with Abbots Hill, Sherrardswood and Beech Hyde, allowing girls across the school to compete in both track and field events.
The major event of the athletics season is always the ISA London North Athletics Championships, held at Bedford International Athletic Stadium. The girls competed with tremendous focus and determination, achieving numerous personal and season’s best performances, as well as podium places for Lucy R (gold in U9 long jump), Lizzy H (bronze in U9 60m) and Heidi G (bronze in U11 vortex throw).
We also introduced and hosted a new event this year, the St Hilda’s School Relays, held at Stockwood Park. With eight competing schools, the event shone a light on track relays, with teams competing in classic relay events as well as a few more creative formats (e.g. Medley Relay of 400m, 300m, 200m 100m). Despite torrential rain in the morning and menacing skies throughout the afternoon, all teams competed in high spirits and with great camaraderie, showcasing fantastic teamwork, focused racing and slick baton changes.
On the cricket pitch, girls across the school developed both ball and striking skills during lesson time, with our keenest cricketers also enjoying a new cricket club after school. Competitive matches against St Francis’ College, St Columba’s, St Margaret’s and Abbots Hill provided an excellent experience for Forms III-VI, with the girls showcasing increased tactical awareness and smart decision making, as well as some big boundary hitting!
House Events
House sport remains one of the most cherished aspects of life at St Hilda’s, and there is always a great sense of camaraderie amongst the girls.
The first event this year was House Cross-Country, which took place on a beautiful January afternoon at Rothamsted Park. With House colours painted on their cheeks, all girls in Forms III-VI ran as hard as they could around the course, showcasing impressive determination, resilience and unwavering House spirit.
Back at school, cheerleaders came out in force for House Football, whilst House Netball saw the whole school congregate around the court for the most fiercely fought showdown of them all. House Tennis and House Swimming saw masterful individual performances by seasoned competitors as well as promising and determined efforts from emerging talent, whilst House Rounders was a fun and feisty display of teamwork and tenacity.
The House sporting calendar reached its exciting conclusion on Sports Day, when the entire school community came together to celebrate 135 years of St Hilda’s. Following a brief postponement due to the summer heatwave, every girl proudly represented her House across a packed programme of events, demonstrating determination, resilience and unwavering encouragement for one another. There were personal bests and thrilling finishes, but above all there was the unmistakable spirit of St Hilda’s: girls giving their all, celebrating one another’s successes, and embracing every challenge with smiles on their faces.
