This week has probably been one of the most rewarding weeks in the sports department. That may sound strange in a time where very little seems to be as it was, or the way we used to do things. Let me tell you why.
We seem to have more sport going on than ever before. Contact time with the pupils has increased across all year groups while all lessons continue to be taught by specialist teachers. We are seeing a vast improvement across the year groups because of increased time for training and more focus on those core developmental skills that are necessary for functional movement.
I must admit, the thought of losing a couple of our main facilities did leave a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, but what we ended up with was a huge opportunity to try something a little different, and my goodness are we reaping the rewards of this.
The boys continue their rugby and have been imparting their knowledge to the girls too, we had year 3 boys join year 3 and 4 girls on Thursday afternoon to have a fun mixed tag rugby tournament. With more time to train, the boys are expanding their knowledge and understanding of the game. Year 4 – Year 8 are back to contact rugby (following the most recent RFU guidelines) and it is lovely to see them embrace the opportunity to learn more about the game.
In the absence of hockey we wanted to make sure we targeted activities that worked on transferable skills, so when we return to hockey we have been working on key areas for our development in that particular sport. We have created a multi-sport’s carousel for the girls and we are so proud of the attitude and enthusiasm every single pupil has approached this new module with. Learning new skills, rules, equipment, getting muddy and wet, it’s all been done with a smile on their faces. They’ve had lessons in tag rugby and football thus far and we look forward to introducing some Ultimate Frisbee and Cross Country too.
Staff have worked incredibly hard to make things run seamlessly and I am very grateful. A huge thank you to the face behind the child, the wonderful parents who have been frantically washing muddy kit and sending in spare clothes etc, I promise it is worth it when you see them enjoying the outdoors and soaking up the fresh air.
Must dash, I am off to teach some Year 2 PE in my Pudsey ears!
Thank you for a wonderful week.
Emma Ross
Director of Sport
