Sport For All
When I was pondering on what to write for this piece, I found myself reflecting upon my own sporting journey from my local primary school all the way through to my adult life. What I realised was that the majority of the sport I played was outside of school: tennis and swimming lessons, hockey and badminton training, to name a few (my poor parents provided a fantastic taxi service!). The opportunities I had in school were limited: a netball game here and there for those that went to an after-school club, one indoor futsal game, some inter-house tennis and a PE lesson once a week are all I can seem to recall. However, at Handcross Park, our Sports Department tries very hard to give all the children opportunities to experience a variety of different sports.
Last year, 2018/19, a staggering 731 fixtures were played by 110 teams, (55 girls’ and 55 boys’ teams), and that isn’t including the various swimming galas, cross-country and athletic meets and tennis matches throughout the year. We also host Be Trewe festivals and swimming galas, providing even more opportunities for our children to experience a fun and healthy environment and to experience competitive sport. Over the course of this academic year we have plans to host six Be Trewe swimming galas and 7 hockey, football, netball and rugby festivals; we will also be competing in other festivals hosted by other local schools too! However, we are extremely proud that we were one of the first prep schools in Sussex to be running these events.
As a Sports Department, we not only want the children to experience quality coaching and competitive sport at school, but also develop a life-long love of sport or being active. One of the greatest achievements you can experience as an educator is that moment when a child you are teaching or have previously taught tells you that they enjoy and have a real interest in your subject. Only recently did an ex-Handcross Park pupil seek me out whilst collecting her younger brother to tell me that not only was she playing for the U15B netball team, but she was also selected to represent her current school in recent athletic competitions. The sheer pride she displayed telling me was a reward in itself.
We want the children at Handcross Park to have an excellent sporting education and to develop the fundamental movements and skills required to play the various sports that we teach in the Games and PE curriculum. We also want the children to enjoy the process and have as many opportunities as possible to represent Handcross Park and wear their kit with pride.
Miss Katie Robinson
Head of Girls’ Games
