Beechen Cliff School and Bath Rugby ACE Rugby Programme

Beechen Cliff School and Bath Rugby ACE Rugby Programme

Beechen Cliff School and Bath Rugby work in close partnership to develop promising young rugby players in the Bath Rugby catchment area. The RFU ACE (formerly AASE) programme aims to provide an outstanding rugby and academic development programme for talented players between the ages of 16-18 to achieve their potential both on and off the pitch.

Since the programme was started in 2014, twenty players from Beechen Cliff have been offered professional contracts with Bath Rugby. Several have represented their country at international level. Many others have progressed onto a high level of rugby at university whilst following their chosen career. As part of the programme, Beechen Cliff enters a Sixth Form team into the RFU’s
National ACE League, playing fixtures against the ACE Schools & Colleges of the other 11 Premiership Academies. The ACE League therefore offers the highest available standard of schoolboy rugby.

With Bath Rugby’s support in areas such as coaching, strength and conditioning, match analysis, positional development and physiotherapy, the players have the best opportunity to achieve their full potential. Meanwhile, academic outcomes of those on the programme are outstanding and players are equally well-supported to achieve their academic goals.

The programme is targeted primarily at 16-year old rugby players from within Bath Rugby’s catchment of Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire and Berkshire. Some players come through the school, others live locally and some come from further afield in the UK. Some of the players, whose home is too far to commute on a daily basis, choose to board in the school’s boarding house. Whilst the boarding provision does not form part of the Rugby Programme offer, it gives the opportunity for some players to join the programme who otherwise wouldn’t be able to. 

Players will benefit from the programme in a number of different ways:
• Students are part of the same local school, so they learn, train and play together which encourages motivation and team spirit.
• Students have access to a high quality academic ‘A’ Level programme in a high achieving school.
• The Rugby Programme is managed and delivered by top quality coaching staff from both the school and Bath Rugby.
• Students will have 7-10 rugby-related hours a week, depending on which training squad they are in, two terms of rugby competition and a summer term of rugby development.
• Students will have the best of off-field support from Bath Rugby Physiotherapy and match day Sports Therapy professionals. (The level of support is dependent on whether players are in the Performance, Development or Beechen Cliff squads. Please see below.)
• Students  will be exposed to a highly competitive environment in which to test themselves. The programme runs 1st XV, 2nd XV and 3rd XV squads. The 1st XV play in the ACE League, the highest standard of school rugby available. The 2nd XV play competitive fixtures alongside the 1st XV against the other ACE schools and Colleges. They will also compete on the local Independent School circuit against School’s 1st XVs. The 3rd XV play competitive matches on the local Independent School and College circuits.

Students will be placed in one of our 3 squads. This is primarily for training and gym organisation and doesn’t mean players can’t move between squads as these are based on ability and performance.