Site Development Spotlight - Pitches

Over the summer (and even before then!), builders, contractors, and our maintenance team have been working hard behind the scenes completing all the finishing touches in time for the start of term. Many projects have been completed and over the course of the Autumn Term, we will take the time to showcase each key area, starting with our new sports pitches! 

Those of you driving along Reading Road who are eagle-eyed may have spotted our rugby posts towering above the fields and we are delighted to say that these are our new playing pitches. These six new pitches offer a replacement to the Riverside Pitches which got regularly waterlogged and, as of the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, have come online and are in full use for fixtures, training, and co-curricular sessions.  

The College is also delighted to announce that is has received planning permission for a new artificial pitch on our Barns Site. The College Bursar, Mr Dixon, says: 

‘Work has started on our new artificial pitches on the paddocks side, just next to New Field. Under construction are a new international-sized 3G hockey pitch that will also be used for netball and tennis, and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) that will be used for rugby and football training. Additionally on the site will be three new fully enclosed cricket nets. The finish date is weather dependant, but we hope to have full access to the site sometime in the Summer Term at the latest.’ 

The College is going from strength to strength in all areas of academic, pastoral, and co-curricular life. There is a strong feeling that our ethos and strong community lie at the centre of what we do, and we want to continue to offer the best possible school experience to every pupil, while also being aware of our responsibilities to the local community and wider society. 

Below is a photo of our new artificial pitch as of September 2024. Make sure you check out how our Reading Road Pitches progressed in a video on our Instagram page!