Outstanding sporting opportunities
Our tradition of sporting excellence is reflected in the fact that many boys play at county or national level, particularly in rugby, rowing and cricket. Not only is much competitive school sport played to a very high standard, but there is also a rich variety of other sporting opportunities offering something for everyone. Sports catered for at Monmouth School include: Athletics, Badminton, Canoeing, Climbing, Cricket, Cross Country, Fencing, Fitness Training, Hockey, Golf, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Soccer, Squash, Sub-Aqua, Swimming, Tennis, and Water Polo.
Artist performance - Music
Monmouth is a centre of excellence for music and provides opportunities for boys of all abilities to participate in music making, often in partnership with our sister school. Based in the delightful Glover Music School, the Music Department runs a full programme of instrumental music lessons and group musical activities, ranging from chamber groups to a Jazz Band and String Orchestra, numerous choirs and an active and ambitious Choral Society. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales has been a regular visitor and School musicians take their place alongside professional artists at major public recitals.
Drama
New facilities have reinforced the place of drama in School life. Plays directed by staff take place regularly and involve boys and girls of all ages. There are also performances by touring theatre companies and a programme of visits to professional theatres in Stratford, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol and London. While the Drama Studio provides a professional setting for curricular and extra curricular drama, the new Performing Arts Centre will provide a superb focus for all major productions.
Building character
'Opportunities to travel'
Monmouth pupils have many opportunities to travel during their school career. There are regular language exchange visits to France, Spain and Germany and a long-standing cultural exchange with the Seifu Schools in Osaka, Japan. A party from the School was the first to visit the base camp of K2, the world’s second highest mountain, and recently another group climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Closer to home, there are frequent Sub Aqua dives in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, historical and cultural visits to other European countries, and trips to sites within Britain. There is also a tradition of musical tours to various locations in Europe and North America, and of regular sports tours - most recently to Australia, South Africa and Canada.
Service and leadership
An ambitious programme of Community Service involves boys in many valuable activities. Amongst these is the Monmouth Aid Project, a development charity run by local schools, churches and business people which has raised over £100,000 in the last ten years to assist communities in Somalia and Ethiopia. Pupils participate as active members of the committee of the project and several have also visited Ethiopia to gain first-hand experience of conditions there. Another unusual enterprise is a local talking newspaper, which is edited and recorded by boys, for the benefit of local people with visual impairment. The School is a major centre in Wales for Gold Award of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and younger pupils also participate in the Scheme at Silver level. In so doing they enjoy new experiences and develop skills of leadership and self reliance. A voluntary, but highly popular, Combined Cadet Force develops similar skills in a military context. There are close links with both the Army and RAF and boys benefit from opportunities to train and fly with regular soldiers and airmen.