Sport

P.E. and Sport opportunities are central to the fully enriched learning experience students receive at The British School in Tokyo (BST). The health, personal and character benefits, linked to the BST Learner Profile, that these experiences provide are considerable. Developing talents and establishing positive habits that last a lifetime, begin the moment students join BST.

From Nursery through to Year 13, sport is an integral part of life at The British School in Tokyo (BST). Experienced specialist teachers deliver lessons that foster a lifelong love of physical activity, emphasizing teamwork, respect, and a positive attitude. Students learn to win and lose gracefully while developing the ability to evaluate their own and others' performances. The P.E. department ensures all students make progress and enjoy a variety of opportunities within and beyond the curriculum, from fundamental skill development to representing the school at local, national, and international levels.

Swimming is a key component of the P.E. curriculum, taught from Nursery by specialist coaches. Pupils in Years 1–6 receive weekly swimming and personal survival lessons, while secondary students continue swimming as part of their KS3 P.E. program. Beyond lessons, BST's extra-curricular sports clubs offer a pathway from recreational participation to excellence, with opportunities to represent the school at events such as the international FOBISIA Games.

Curriculum

P.E. is a vital part of the curriculum at BST, supporting students' development from Nursery through to Year 13. Inspired by the British National Curriculum and enriched by international influences, the program incorporates the BST Learner Profile to encourage teamwork, leadership, and risk-taking. Students are assessed using the "Head, Heart, Hands" model, evaluating their knowledge, influence on others, and physical skills. From building FUNdamental skills in Nursery to exploring a broad range of activities by Year 13, the program fosters a lifelong love of physical activity to support fitness and wellbeing.

Led by specialized P.E. teachers, the curriculum provides Primary students with indoor, outdoor, and swimming lessons each week, with EYFS beginning swimming in the summer term. Lessons integrate cross-curricular links, such as movement in gymnastics, rhythm in dance, and understanding the body’s physical and mental responses to exercise. Students engage in a variety of activities, including team sports, gymnastics, dance, and athletics, as well as swimming, where they learn strokes, personal survival, and water-based activities like water polo and artistic swimming.

Aims

Develop physically literate students with the competence, motivation, and confidence to make physical activity a central part of life.
Foster individual, group, and team skills, emphasizing fairness, responsibility, and emotional intelligence.
Encourage leadership, coaching, and officiating, teaching effectiveness in competitive and creative situations.
Build diverse skills, tactics, and strategies while reflecting on and improving performance.
Promote healthy, active lifestyles and the role of sport in achieving them.
Inspire students to try new skills, ignite passion for physical activity, and support overall wellbeing.

Course Content

Students will complete units in Invasion Games, Net Games, and Striking & Fielding Games. They will also participate in an Aquatics Unit, choosing either personal survival, lifesaving, and water polo or a "learn to swim" pathway as a participant or leader.

Additionally, students will explore Aesthetic activities such as Aerial Arts, Gymnastics, Parkour, Dance, or Freestyle Football, prepare for Sports Day with Athletics, and cover Health-Related Exercise and Outdoor Adventurous Activities throughout KS3.

BST Early Years students playing football

BST students playing ball game in a group

FOBISIA

The FOBISIA Friendly Games are competitions encompassing both individual activities and team sports. They have a long-standing reputation for being the most popular events in the FOBISIA calendar that offer students a fantastic opportunity to compete at the highest levels, but at the same time, the opportunity for our students to form global friendships with their peers throughout the region.

Since 2023 BST has participated in the Primary FOBISIA Friendly Games in Thailand.

Following a fair trial process at the start of the academic year, a squad of girls and boys is selected to represent the school at U11 (Y5/6) and U13 (Y7/8). Training takes place throughout the year culminating in pupils competing in 4 different sports at the games.
Hockey at BST is delivered in the curriculum throughout all year groups to both boys and girls. This allows the students to be taught a number of skills and principles of the game and give them a taste of what the sport is about. We also offer Hockey as an extracurricular activity from Year 4 through to Year 9. This is a chance for students to further improve their skills and game based knowledge. In the high school (Year 10,11,12, 13) we enter the Varsity Kanto plains tournament and play competitive fixtures during Term 2. We have a squad of 16 players who train twice a week during the competitive season. Hockey at BST is a popular sport and has really developed over the past few years.

Group of BST students at FOBISIA Games 2024

Lions Clubs

BST Lions is our strand of clubs for pupils wishing to compete at a higher level in our main competitive sports. This involves pre-season trials and weekly training sessions for those selected and the opportunity to participate in fixtures and tournaments over the course of the season.

In Primary School, we are linked with schools through ISTAA (International Schools Tokyo Athletics Association) who collaborate across the year to give pupils opportunities to compete in tournaments for football, basketball and cross country. The schools also collaborate to put on inter-school activities such as dance, badminton, tag rugby and cricket.

In Secondary School, competitive sport for both girls and boys is split into 4 main sports across the year; football, volleyball, basketball & futsal. Teams compete at Middle School (Y7-9) and High School (Y10-13) level. Each season consists of regular fixtures and end of season tournaments against other international schools in Tokyo. Teams are also invited to WJAA (Western Japan Athletic Association) tournaments for volleyball, football and basketball.

Swimming:

Once selected for the swimming team, pupils will train weekly all year round and will have the opportunity to be selected for swim meets against other international schools suitable for their experience. Our squad programmes in Primary, and Secondary School focus on the competitive edge with a major emphasis on technique, stamina and speed.

BST Lions Club students playing football

BST Lions Club students playing volleyball

BST Lions Club students swimming in butterfly style

Developmental Clubs

At Primary level, developmental sport is about giving pupils not in the Lions set-up, a unique chance to participate in a different sport as well as the opportunity to play a friendly game with another school gaining confidence and experience along the way.

In Secondary, at middle school level, those not selected for BST Lions teams are given the opportunity to continue to access the competitive sports through the development squads. Students receive weekly training and access a competitive environment within a more friendly jamboree experience

Recreational Clubs

We provide a broad range of activities to inspire a lifelong love of physical activity. These are a mixture of individual and team clubs allowing students to build on their experiences in the PE curriculum. Recreational swimming for both primary and secondary students is geared towards pupils wishing to improve their confidence in the water.

External Partnerships

BST has a broad range of partnerships with a number of external sports providers that enhance our curriculum as well as extend our programme beyond the curriculum. Below is a list of these external partnerships that are accessed within the community:

Facilities

Across both campuses we have access to outstanding sports facilities which are used to enhance the delivery of PE in the curriculum and allow our extra-curricular clubs to train and host fixtures.

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Primary School (Azabudai Hills Campus)

Secondary School (Showa Campus)

Nagasawa Ground

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