01
Basketball throughout the school
Provision expanded across Year 7, Year 8, KS4 and Sixth Form, supported by before-school training, after-school sessions, fixtures, tournaments and club opportunities.
Holly Lodge High School / Case Study
How Holly Lodge built a complete player pathway.
In two years, basketball developed from a traditional school activity into a programme supporting participation, recruitment, engagement, competitive success and opportunities beyond the school gates.
Explore the impact100+Young people coached
25Pupils into club basketball
19New pupils / students in year two
Div. 3 → 1Association of Colleges progression in two seasons
Not just a better basketball team.
The programme was designed around a much larger objective: use basketball to create a pathway through school, club, national competition and international opportunities, while supporting PE provision, engagement, behaviour, punctuality and belonging.
- PE Curriculum
- School Basketball
- Competitive Teams
- Club Basketball
- National Competition
- International Opportunities
- Before-School Training
- Mentoring & Belonging
- Recruitment & Retention
The ambition
Holly Lodge wanted basketball to do more than fill a fixture list. The ambition was to build a sustainable Year 7-to-Sixth-Form environment where a pupil could enter through PE, develop through regular training, represent the school and progress into club, national and international opportunities.
That meant connecting curriculum delivery, before-school practice, competitive teams, mentoring and progression around one consistent standard. The programme also needed to support the wider priorities of the school: stronger engagement, better routines, a visible sense of belonging and an offer that could help attract and retain pupils.
Improve PE provision
Create structured progression inside curriculum basketball.
Increase participation
Give pupils more ways to enter and remain in the game.
Strengthen engagement
Connect basketball participation to commitment, attendance and behaviour.
Build school culture
Give younger pupils something visible to aspire toward.
Create progression
Connect school basketball with a genuine club pathway.
Open new opportunities
Progress players toward stronger competition and international experiences.
What changed
02
8:00am. Already there. Ready to learn.
Pupils voluntarily arrived early to train, creating a routine that placed them on site, active and engaged with staff and prepared for lessons before the normal school day began.
03
From PE lesson to player pathway
Curriculum PE was strengthened around technical and tactical development, allowing basketball to become an identification and progression route rather than something reserved for existing players.
Two years. One programme. Gaining momentum.
Progress across every level of the programme, with winning habits becoming the standard.
Year One
- Credits transferred for basketball
- Year 7 Jr. NBA Silver
- Year 8 Jr. NBA Champions
- U16 National Schools playoffs
- Association of Colleges Division 3 Champions
- Promotion to Division 2
Year Two
- 19 new pupils/students joined with basketball contributing
- Year 7 Jr. NBA Champions
- Year 8 Jr. NBA Champions
- 25 Holly Lodge pupils in the club
- Association of Colleges Division 2 Champions
- Promotion to Division 1
Progression
- Back-to-back Sixth Form promotions
- Division 3
- Champions
- Division 2
- Champions
- Division 1
Basketball started attracting pupils to the school.
Basketball became a key factor in pupil recruitment and retention across multiple year groups.
6Mid-year transfers
10Incoming Year 7 pupils
3External Sixth Form recruits
19New pupils / students year twowith basketball contributing to their decision
The pathway didn’t end at school gates.
Players accessed club opportunities that opened doors to national competition and international experiences.
The full pathway
Spain 🇪🇸
Holly Lodge pupils accessed an international basketball experience through the club.
Los Angeles 🇺🇸
6 players joined the School of Skill experience in summer 2026, including 3 Holly Lodge pupils.
School
Club
National League
International Experience
The impact in numbers
Participation & pathway
100+Young people coached
25Pupils into club basketball
Recruitment
19New pupils and students in year two
Competition
3Jr. NBA Championships
1Jr. NBA Silver finish
2Consecutive Sixth Form promotions
Div. 3 → 1Association of Colleges progress in two seasons
International opportunity
8Holly Lodge pupils in Spain
Better players was only part of the outcome.
The programme also strengthened the school culture and supported young people beyond the court.
Belonging
A visible programme pupils could identify with.
Commitment
Opportunities tied to expectations around discipline and responsibility.
Punctuality
Before-school training created routines that encouraged early arrival.
Progression
Younger pupils could see a clear next step beyond their current team.
Aspiration
Connected school basketball to club, national and international paths.
What could this look like in your school?
Holly Lodge shows what can happen when basketball provision is treated as a player pathway rather than a collection of isolated sessions. Talk to School of Skill about what could be built around the pupils and priorities in your setting.
