Christ's Hospital School - A Lesson in Beautifully Balanced Design
It is no surprise that sports participation in school is associated with higher levels of well-being for young people. But how does that sit when, according to the latest Youth Sport Trust Girls Active Survey, just 64% of girls and 86% of boys enjoy sport at school?
How do schools shatter the barriers to enjoyment? The survey found that, for both boys and girls, the main motivating factors for being active were having fun and spending time with friends. With this in mind, what if there were an option that changed the perception and delivery of school sport? A way of encouraging activity by offering non-competitive, fun options, alongside novel ways to test and improve fitness.
Scandi Sport Solutions
Christ’s Hospital School in Sussex has found that way, with the help of LK2 Architects and a little Danish inspiration!
As an Independent school, which has been in existence for almost 500 years, Christ’s Hospital boasts a rich history. But it is also forward-thinking, with a modern outlook on education. The school shares many of its sporting facilities with Bluecoat Sports, a registered charity established to benefit the pupils at Christ’s Hospital and the wider community.
The time had come to replace the existing athletics track used by pupils and the community. A new, fully synthetic, 400m track, which would meet the performance requirements of England Athletics. A fantastic facility for the school? Yes. An innovative solution. Maybe not.
Bringing in LK2 Architects, with their bold approach to sports design, was a turning point. Drawing inspiration from innovative sport and recreation solutions across Europe alongside their creative design skills, and the pioneering mindset of Christ’s Hospital School, they conceived an Active Trail to sit alongside the new athletics track.
The Active Trail uses features, gradients, and zones, which encourage a more playful approach to movement. Unlike a perfectly shaped and smooth running track, the trail has been designed to inspire a pioneering and imaginative approach to exercise and physical wellbeing, allowing users to jump, scramble, climb, and balance their way around a mix of unconventional urban and naturalistic features.
“The Active Trail is one element of a large-scale project to transform the way users interact with activity. Our feasibility study, conducted in close consultation with Christ’s Hospital School, highlighted the benefits of a multi-sport and recreation expansion to complement the pre-existing sports facilities and meet the complex range of the school’s needs.” Adam Skidmore, Director, LK2 Architects
Beautifully balanced design
With an emphasis firmly on enjoyment, the active trail also allows for the testing of fitness. This balance of play and challenge creates space for the very enjoyment and time with friends, which are cited as key motivators to young people getting active, whilst also benefiting those with different motivations, such as getting fit and healthy, being outside, and developing skills.
"Inactive children need more than encouragement; they need support and opportunities to make movement part of their everyday lives, safe environments to play in, healthy and active schools which prioritise PE, sport and play, and communities empowering them to live active lifestyles. Positive experiences are key to getting more children engaged with being active and setting them up with healthy lifelong habits.” - Youth Sport Trust CEO Ali Oliver MBE in response to the data from the 2024/25 Active Lives Survey.
Christ’s Hospital School has a deep-rooted connection with the local and wider community it serves. Educational inclusivity is a core principle, with many students attending on fee-assisted or bursary places. They were clear that community and inclusivity must be at the heart of the plans for new sports facilities.
The school site is grade II* listed and sits in stunning open countryside. For LK2, the challenge was to sensitively preserve the natural landscape, and wider historic setting, while enhancing its offerings for users.
As lead design consultant, they harnessed their expertise in sport and leisure consultancy to deliver design proposals, before taking them from concepts, through a complex planning process and into technical design and construction. Their earlier feasibility study informed the designs, which addressed a leisure centre expansion, new athletics track, Active Trail, Padel courts and parking, with 3G artificial grass pitches to follow in Phase 2.
The entire scheme was designed with a holistic approach, ensuring it will integrate alongside the existing sports facilities and school campus. Spaces are also included for well-being, rest and quiet contemplation.
Changing the Independent School sports landscape
The Active Trail is a first of its kind facility in the UK. But it shouldn’t be the only one. The Government’s ‘Get Active’ strategy aims to encourage 2.5 million more children in England to lead physically active lives by 2030. This new facility can be seen as a prototype for a new way to inspire the younger generation to understand that movement and sport can take many forms.
2023 research conducted by Manchester Metropolitan University on behalf of the Youth Sport Trust and HMC (The Heads Conference) found that participation in sport is a significant predictor of self-belief and mental toughness. The survey, conducted across state and independent schools, shows well-being benefits of sports participation can be gained by students across all education sectors.
As with many Independent Schools, Christ’s Hospital School already boasts a strong sporting alumni. Their unique sporting landscape will allow them to build on this and continue their mission to always support their students in every aspect of their journey to adulthood.
Experts in building active spaces
Not only will the project provide unique, highly innovative, and accessible sport and leisure facilities for the school, but it will also benefit the users of Bluecoat Sports and the wider community.
“We see the combination of elite and non-elite facilities as the perfect recipe to attract a wider public demographic, supporting the sustainable membership growth for Bluecoat Sports.
The sporting facilities are National Governing Body compliant, ensuring they can be used to their full potential for training and competition. The bespoke nature of the project also allows the school to tailor and improve its PE curriculum to suit all pupils.” Adam Skidmore, Director, LK2 Architects
As with any project of this kind, the art of great delivery comes with a multi-agency approach. MacConvilles were engaged for their quantity surveying and project management expertise; Tullys to provide civil and structural engineering services; Traction Sports as pitch and sports facility specialists; and Smith Construction as the building contractor. Also involved were services consultants, Delta Green and Landscape architect, Ramsey and Co.
With all these experts on board, construction is well underway, with the Padel courts and new car park completed and in use. The new six-lane, all-weather athletics track, with ancillary athletic facilities, including an eight-lane sprint section and ancillary field facilities, and the Active Trail, is due for completion in early 2026.
Moving to stay ahead
With Independent Schools facing many challenges, the need to stay ahead of the curve in terms of student health and welfare is strong. Creating facilities that benefit pupils and bring opportunities to grow financial sustainability should be at the forefront of all future plans.
And so, we ask, if these new facilities were everyone’s school sports experience, how much could we shift the needle on participation and enjoyment statistics?
To learn more about this project and how LK2 can help your school change its sporting landscape, get in touch with us today.