Sports High School Entrance and LGS in the Same Year

Every February and March we get the same question: "She's preparing for LGS and we're also considering a sports high school — can both work?" The answer is yes, with one condition: the programme has to be built for it. Done without a plan, the two exams eat each other and the child underperforms in both.

First, be clear about the expectation

A sports high school entrance exam is not a backup plan. Some families think of deciding after the LGS result, but ability-test preparation takes months and cannot be assembled in the final three weeks. The decision has to come early — the decision about whether to prepare comes long before the decision about which school.

Our recommendation is to take a measurement around November or December, see the child's physical baseline, and decide from there. The measurement commits you to nothing; it just puts the decision on data rather than a guess.

The weekly structure

What works in practice:

• Three training days a week, at times that follow the school day. Sixty to seventy-five minutes, not extended.
• Reduced to two days in weeks with mock exams. Load comes down but is not cut entirely; cutting entirely loses the form already gained.
• The final two weeks before LGS, training is reduced to mobility and flexibility only.
• Between LGS and the ability test, an intensive block: four to five days a week.

The critical point is that training never replaces study. If it does not take from study time, neither the parent nor the student resists the process.

Does training harm schoolwork?

Our experience shows the opposite. Concentration usually improves in students doing regular physical activity. Part of that is physiological and part psychological: a child who has had one experience of achieving something during the day sits down at the desk better.

What causes harm is not training but unplanned fatigue. A student doing a heavy session during exam week will of course be unproductive — but that is a planning problem, not a training one.

What we train, and what we do not

For this age group (13–15) the programme is built to the age:

• Running technique and speed
• Agility and change of direction
• Jump mechanics and correct landing
• Balance, rhythm, coordination
• Bodyweight foundational strength

What we do not do is heavy free-weight work or high-volume plyometrics. In a growing body the return on those is low and the risk high — and the exam does not measure them anyway.

The decision calendar

The sequence we recommend to families:

1. November–December: measurement and decision. Are we preparing?
2. January–April: three days a week, balanced against LGS.
3. Final two weeks before LGS: load at a minimum.
4. After LGS: intensive block and exam simulations.
5. Exam week: load reduced, rest prioritised.

What if they do not get in?

We raise this question with every family, because the answer needs discussing in advance. An exam not won is not a wasted year: the student finishes the term running better, jumping better and understanding their own body better, and that stays with them at whichever school they attend.

Students who want to continue can move into one of our sports schools — and most choose to.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly does the sports high school exam measure?

Usually a skill-coordination course and a speed measurement; some schools add an endurance run or a discipline test. The middle-school achievement score also feeds into placement. Because the format varies between schools, we go through the target school's guide with you.

My child has never done sport. Are we too late?

Starting at the beginning of Year 8 is not too late. Coordination develops quickly at this age. For students starting from zero, the first six to eight weeks go on basic movement quality, and exam-specific skills follow.

Do we need to have chosen a discipline?

No. The programme is built on all-round development. We observe which qualities the student shows most strongly through the term and share those observations with the family before the school choice.

Where does training take place?

At the academy's own training camp. Because we can build the skill course at true dimensions, we can repeat exam simulations as often as needed.

Should we pause training during mock exam weeks?

We recommend reducing rather than pausing. Weeks cut entirely lose form and break the student's routine; a light session usually does them good mentally as well.