Sport

The places to access information each week are:

* The information sheets attached to the school calendar and the Sports notice board: for fixtures and team sheets.

* The weekly Bulletin newsletter to parents

* Mr Goodman’s weekly emails to Prep parents

* Please email Mr Goodman (tgoodman@priorparkschools.com) or Mrs Whyte (kwhyte@priorparkschools.com) if you have any queries regarding Sport.

· Cancellations or amendments

Emails or broadcasts via Classlist are sometimes sent from the school to relay urgent last-minute messages.

All children in Reception and Years 1-3 will swim each week throughout the year. All children will need to have named school swimming kit, including a named school swim bag, a towel, goggles, school swim cap and school swimming costume (available from John Moore Sports, our uniform suppliers). Lessons will take place at the Prior Park College pool.

• Year 4 classes will take turns to swim for half the year each.
• Year 5 and 6 children will occasionally swim during Wednesday Games sessions.
• There are weekly swim clubs for our stronger Year 5 and 6 swimmers. These clubs are ‘invitation only’.

Please contact Mrs Whyte (kwhyte@priorparkschools.com) if you have any queries regarding our school swimming programme.

PE: (Squirrels – Year 4)

Children in Squirrels to Year 4 have one PE lesson per week lasting for 30 minutes. These lessons include gymnastics, the components of fitness (agility, power, strength, balance and co-ordination), circuits, yoga, moving to music and multi-skills.

Those children who suffer from asthma must bring their inhaler to all PE and Games lessons.

GAMES: (Squirrels – Year 2)

Children in Squirrels to Year 2 have one Games lesson each week lasting up to an hour, depending on the year group. The emphasis is on learning the basic skills used in hockey, rugby, football, netball, rounders, cricket, tennis and athletics. Catching and throwing skills are also taught throughout the year.

GAMES: (Year 3 – Year 6)

Children in Years 3 to 6 are taught a range of core sports and play fixtures against other schools. The training sessions usually take place at Prior Park College.

• Autumn Term: Girls ‐ hockey Boys ‐ rugby (Year 3 boys = Touch Rugby)
• Spring Term: Girls ‐ netball Boys ‐ hockey
• Summer Term: Girls ‐ cricket Boys ‐ cricket Co-ed. - tennis
• Years 3 and 4 have Games lessons and fixtures on Monday afternoons.
• Years 5 and 6 have Games lessons and fixtures on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Wednesdays are the main fixture days for Year 5 and 6. Those children not involved with fixtures on a particular Wednesday will participate in a wide range of sporting activities to promote team-work and varied skill progression.

The children should always wear their normal Games kit (red polo shirt, shorts/skort, socks, trainers, half-zip top, tracksuit), unless playing in a fixture when they will need to bring the applicable clothing for that particular match. Parents will be advised in advance if the Wednesday Afternoon Activity will require alternative clothing such as swimming costumes. It is compulsory for the Prep children to bring their full school tracksuits during the cooler Autumn and Spring terms.

Mouth guards are compulsory for Prep Hockey and Rugby. Those children who do not bring their mouthguard will be provided with one (subject to availability) and the parents will be automatically invoiced the £5 charge. We won't be phoning parents during the day to bring in a replacement mouthguard. Shin pads are essential for Prep Hockey and Football. All children must have their own named and reusable water bottle to take to all Sports lessons and fixtures, as well as a school sun cap during the Summer term. The children are to supply their own sun lotion.

Those children who suffer from asthma must bring their inhaler to all PE and Games lessons.

Sports Fixtures

Matches against other schools come in many forms, all providing competitive experiences for all abilities. The school can provide all necessary sports equipment. Fixture information can be found on the information sheets attached to the school calendar and on the Sports notice board (situated on the wall by the steps going down from the drive-way to the playground). Amendments to the Fixture List frequently occur. The Sports notice board and calendar will have the most up-to-date details.

• One‐to‐one friendly: The Paragon against one other school.
• Festivals: Short matches against lots of schools on the same day.
• Tournaments: As for festivals but more competitive, with the aim of winning a trophy or medal.

We organise teams in a variety of combinations to suit the ability of the children and the event. Team lists may say:

U8, U9, U10 or U11: Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 or Year 6. Some children may be selected to play ‘up a year’ if appropriate.

Year 3 and 4: ALL children are included in each match. Stronger players may be selected for tournaments.

Years 5 and 6: Matches tend to be more competitive but all abilities are still catered for. Stronger players may be selected for tournaments. There may be occasions when fixtures don’t involve all children.

Teams are usually selected by ability. Attitude and behaviour during training and at fixtures also play a role in team selection. Please note that the coach’s decision on team selection is final.

It is common for teams to return from fixtures after school hours. This may be because the fixture finished late or we were delayed by traffic. The teacher with the team will liaise with the school receptionist if they are running late.

Please e-mail Mr Goodman (tgoodman@priorparkschools.com) or Mrs Whyte (kwhyte@priorparkschools.com) if your child is off Sport for any reason.

Attending the optional sports clubs is recommended as these allow the children to develop their performance and understanding of each sport.

While clubs are open to all children, regardless of ability, the Games staff may want to work with a specific group of children in order to train for a particular event. These clubs will therefore be ‘invitation only’. Club information can be found on the Sports Notice Board and on the school website.

All children in Years 3 to 6 are allocated to one of the four school Houses:

ABBEY       CRESCENT      HOLBURNE         MILSOM

There are House tournaments in a variety of sports every term and the annual Sports Day is held in the Summer Term. These are lots of fun and every child represents their House with pride and great enthusiasm.

Year 3 & 4 Games:

• Mondays ‐ pick up from school at 3.45pm. Collection direct from fixtures is also permitted.   

Year 5 & 6 Games:

• Wednesdays ‐ pick up from the school lawn at 3.55pm. Collection direct from fixtures is also permitted.
• Fridays ‐ pick up from the school lawn at 3.55pm if your child is not attending an after-school sports club at Prior Park College. Collection direct from Prior Park College after the clubs (promptly at 4.20pm) is permitted. Those children NOT collected from Prior after their club will be brought back to school for prompt collection at 4.30pm.

Children will not be allowed to go home with, or be supervised by, another parent unless the latter has that child’s parent’s permission and the school has been informed.

**Please note that the return time from fixtures may vary. Check the information sheet attached to the website calendar or the information on the sports notice-board for estimated fixture return times. Staff will always try to phone reception if we are drastically delayed.