King’s College, Taunton Launches Progressive New Performance Programmes for Girls’ Sport

We are excited to launch two initiatives within our girls’ sport offering: the Aspire Performance Netball Programme and the Aspire Performance Hockey Programme. These programmes reflect the school’s commitment to nurturing confident, well-rounded athletes within an environment that values balance, wellbeing and high performance. 

Both programmes will run primarily during the Michaelmas and Lent terms, aligning with the main competitive seasons. This approach allows athletes to experience focused performance development while still engaging in a broad and balanced sports curriculum, supporting long term progression, reducing burnout risk and maintaining enjoyment. 

Aspire Performance Netball Programme 

The Aspire Performance Netball Programme provides a structured pathway for talented and motivated netballers seeking to refine their skills within a supportive school environment. Athletes benefit from specialist coaching, individualised performance oversight and careful management of training demands across two terms. 

A defining feature of the programme is its emphasis on balance. Athletes will be encouraged to pursue a full summer sport as well continuing to play other sports across the winter terms. This thoughtful approach ensures players can excel in netball, gaining access to more high performance and club opportunities, whilst continuing to play and develop their skills under our expert netball coaches. All without sacrificing wider opportunities or academic focus. 

Aspire Performance Hockey Programme 

Similarly, the Aspire Performance Girls’ Hockey Programme offers an aspirational route for players looking to progress technically, tactically and physically. The programme supports girls aiming for higher level pathways allowing them to play and compete across two terms at a high level while maintaining a strong emphasis on academic balance and longterm wellbeing. 

With a seasonally concentrated structure supported by offseason development opportunities, each player will enjoy a clear yet flexible performance journey, fully integrated into the ethos of King’s sporting life. 

A distinctive offer in girls’ sport 

While high performance opportunities in girls’ school sport continue to grow across the region, truly integrated school-based performance pathways that combine elite ambition with coordinated academic and wellbeing support remain rare. The King’s Aspire girls’ programmes have been designed to be fully embedded within the life of the school, ensuring high performance is not an add-on, but a natural and seamless part of each pupil’s daily experience. 

A unique advantage: King’s size and internal structure 

Thanks to King’s distinctive size and internal organisation, athletes benefit from close, coordinated support that spans academics, pastoral care and coaching. This structure ensures that no one goes unnoticed; every athlete is known personally, monitored thoughtfully and supported by staff who communicate closely across departments. Tutors, house parents and coaches work side by side, creating an environment in which each pupil’s progress is understood holistically, not just in sporting terms. 

While many schools offer impressive facilities and extensive sporting programmes, fewer can deliver performance pathways that are fully integrated into the academic and pastoral framework of the school. In larger settings, sport can sometimes operate alongside school life rather than within it. At King’s, high performance is embedded into the daily experience of each pupil, supported by genuine cross-school collaboration and consistent individual oversight. 

This individualised care is a central strength of the Aspire programmes and a defining characteristic of King’s approach to ensuring each pupil reaches their full potential as backed up by the recent ISI inspection. 

A progressive model for balancing sporting ambition and academic excellence 

The introduction of the Aspire Performance Netball and Hockey Programmes builds on King’s already high achieving sporting and academic culture, offering a progressive and modern approach to pupil development. Rooted in courage, encouragement and a commitment to holistic growth, these programmes reflect the very best of school’s sporting vision.