AGES 4 — 11
Mini & Junior Pathway
The first four stages of a player’s tennis life, taught on scaled courts with softer balls so children rally from their very first lesson.
- Ages
- 4 — 11
- Entry standard
- Open to all, no experience needed
- Weekly training
- 1 — 2 sessions of 45 — 60 minutes
- Fees from
- £68 per month
Who it is for
The player this is built for
Children join the pathway at whatever stage suits them: a four-year-old on a red court eight metres long, or a ten-year-old moving to a full court and a yellow ball. Groups are set by stage, not by school year, and a child moves up when their coach and the LTA stage assessment agree they are ready — never before.
Weekly schedule
A week in the programme
Choose one or two sessions a week. Groups run to the same slot every week of term; holiday camps are booked separately.
Coaching structure
How the coaching is organised
Six children to a court with two coaches, taught from the same technical framework used all the way up the academy. Nothing a child learns at red stage has to be unlearned later.
Movement & athletic development
The work off the court
No gym work at this age. Ten minutes of every session is agility, balance and coordination built into games — the physical literacy that makes the later squad work possible.
Match & tournament programme
Where players compete
Children start competing when they are ready, and the first events are at Rowan Hall among children they train with.
What is included
The competitive year
Term dates
2026 / 27
Half-term and holiday camps run outside term dates and are booked separately.
Fees
What it costs
Included
Not included
Paid termly in advance or monthly by direct debit. Two weeks’ notice to change or leave a group. Sibling discount of 10%.
Coaches
Who teaches this programme
Amelie FortinHead of Junior TennisSeventeen years teaching the mini pathway; wrote the academy’s red-ball syllabus.
Marta SilveiraDirector of TennisFormer WTA top-120; coached two players into the world junior top 20 over eleven years on the professional circuit.
Douglas RennieHead of PerformanceLTA Master Performance coach. Leads the squads and the county tournament programme.Facilities used
Where the programme trains
Questions
Before you
ask us
The things parents and players ask most often about mini & junior.
Trainers, a drink and a hat in summer. Rackets and balls are provided for as long as they need them.
Yes. The first session is free, at any stage. Book it and we will place your child in the right group on the day.
On the LTA stage assessment and the coach’s judgement together, usually at the end of a term. A child is never moved up to fill a space.
Yes, in every school holiday and at half-term. Pathway children get first refusal on places.
Please do, from the loggia. We ask parents not to coach from the side during a session.
Next step
The first session is free
Bring your child along at any stage. We will put them in a group on the day, lend them a racket, and tell you honestly what we think afterwards.