To begin the school year, I had the hard job of picking 6 sports ambassadors to support me in ensuring PE was showcased throughout the school. As the new sports ambassadors, they were able to take part in their first leadership training day at Hertfordshire University. They had a very jam-packed day learning how they can showcase PE across the school through media and engaged in a variety of PE activities that they themselves can deliver in school. They learned about all the necessary skills to be good leader and learnt some important organisational skills, so they were prepared to start leading PE at SSAS.
The new Year 5 football team were the first team to represent the school this year. They showed amazing teamwork and resilience to get a result against a very strong Aboyne Lodge team. The team played a very good game, winning the match 5-1. Great start to the year!
The next event on the calendar was a girls’ tag rugby tournament at OA’s Rugby club. The girls braved the wet surfaces and really did well. This was a very exciting experience for the girls, as it was the first time that many of them had taken part in tag rugby all together! They had the opportunity to revise some tag rugby skills and play matches against other schools. All the children had smiles on their faces and had a wonderful afternoon winning all their matches. Well done to the girls in Year 5/6.
For our next school event, our Year 4 football team were lucky enough to be invited to a mini local football tournament at St Columba’s College. The boys put in a brilliant effort throughout the whole tournament. It was my first time seeing them play together as a team. The boys did what they needed to do, winning all 3 matches! I can’t wait to see them in action in the future.
The year 6’s took part in a mixed tag rugby competition at Old Verulamians. They displayed some excellent skills, teamwork and determination. Some of the year 6’s take part in tag rugby outside school, and their knowledge and understanding of the game really showed; they used this experience to navigate the rest of their team. They worked well together, resulting in them not losing a single game! So well done to all of them.
In our next event, Year 6 participated in a basketball tournament. We had a mixed team for this event. Their teamwork really got put to the test as the girls had to play the first half with the boys having to play the second half of games. The team were amazing, winning most of their matches and showing great team spirit after every game. Unfortunately, we narrowly missed out on winning the whole thing, but they put in a good effort which they should all be very proud of.
I took a group of Year 5/6 girls to an aspire and develop tournament at Oaklands College. The standard of netball was very high as well as the level of competition from other schools. The girls put in a really good shift, showing huge improvements through each match. Their passing and moving, transitions and goal scoring improved continuously. Unfortunately, the team failed to progress into the final rounds but came away with huge pride as it was a real team effort.
Our girls’ football team took part in a U11 tournament at Harvesters FC. There were 8 teams taking part in total, split into groups of 4. Our team were in a very tight group, but become victorious winning all our matches finishing top of the group. We ended up playing against Garden Fields in the semifinal. Unfortunately the girls missed out on the final, losing 2-1 conceding in the final seconds of the game. Our team was recognised for showing great ambition and teamwork throughout the morning. Well done to the whole team – they should be very proud.
We took some of our Year 3 children to a Speed Stacking competition at STAGS. Here the children took part in variety of races using the Speed Stacking cups. This tested how fast they can move their hands, as well as requiring lots of teamwork. The team missed out on representing St Albans in a finals competition, but it was a great experience for them as for some this was the first time representing the school. Well done, team!
The Y6 football team went to Harvesters FC to play in a local St Albans Tournament. As expected, the standard of football was high, and our players rose to the occasion magnificently. They won all their games, finishing top of their group. This was a great achievement, bearing in mind the quality of the opposition. Most importantly, the boys made it all the way too the final. The boys put in a brilliant team effort, narrowly missing out by a 2-1 loss to Garden Fields. We go again boys!
Our Y5 & Y6 children competed at the District Indoor Athletics competition at Oaklands College. They competed in numerous track and field events across the afternoon against all the schools in the district. Both the boys and the girls’ teams competed superbly; the boys unfortunately missed out on the next stage, but the girls managed to qualify for the next round finishing 3rd overall! This was an amazing achievement in a very strong field.
The Year 4’s took part in a quick cricket tournament against our local schools to see who would represent St Albans in the District Cricket Competition. As a collective they worked extremely well as a team with constant encrouragement from each other. They all played so well, producing some great runs and showing great technique when hitting a ball. Year 4 narrowly missed out on that top spot but definitely all deserve a massive pat on the back!
Our Netball team took part in the Local St Albans tournament this half term on a lovely Saturday afternoon and played brilliantly. The girls and boys demonstrated excellent teamwork and communication skills and found space, making good tactical passes throughout the whole tournament. The team narrowly missed out on making it through to the semis but they should be very proud of their efforts.
It’s been a great year so far, with everyone who has competed showing our school values of determination, unity and friendship. Well done to our teams, and good luck for the summer term!
Mr Wallace, Sports Coach