Final drama in the hockey, and we swam to Hambleton!

Autumn is always a very busy term, and one during which we often experience so many different temperatures! The girls have been developing their hockey skills and the boys, rugby. Fixtures have been in abundance and, with 72 teams playing, we have seen every child from Year 4 upwards have the chance to represent Copthill in their core sport.

After covering my maternity leave last year, we are delighted that Mrs Young has remained with us one day a week, bringing much experience and enthusiasm to our sports department. We have also welcomed Mr Woodward, working part time to assist with games, fixtures and clubs, alongside his duties with our grounds and maintenance team. Welcome also to Mr Wilks, who has joined us on placement from Stamford College, and has been working in lessons with the children. Natasha, our gymnastics coach, has made a wonderful start with the different training groups and squads, and has already made an impact. 

This term, the ISA hockey tournament was, once again, held at the Olympic Park in London. It is such an inspirational occasion for the girls, and they far exceeded expectations, coming second in the plate final after negotiating two sets of penalty flicks! The girls played some lovely hockey and really pulled together as a team. Thank you to the parents who supported us on the day. We all shared in the girls’ excitement as the tournament went on!

The ISA Rugby team competed in cold conditions down at Bedford. The boys reached the quarter-finals, displaying some excellent teamwork and determination, and arriving back at school physically exhausted from an action packed day of rugby.

ISA Dance was again a huge success. This year, Miss Charlie accompanied the girls to the competition and their hard work was rewarded with third place overall. A wonderful achievement on a national stage.

Year 5 have now finished their swimming block, culminating with their ‘Splashdown’ event. The children swam an amazing 613 lengths. Milton took the win with an average length count of 18.1. In total, the children covered 15,325 metres which converts to 9.25miles, the equivalent of swimming from Copthill to Hambleton, in the middle of Rutland Water! We look forward to welcoming Year 6 to the pool after Christmas.

We have covered gymnastics and dance in PE lessons this term, and will be moving on to orienteering and fitness in the Spring Term. In our games lessons, boys move on to hockey and girls will be playing netball. With a packed fixture programme planned, we look forward to plenty of sporting action in 2020, starting with our pre-season training on Tuesday, January 7th for Year 4 and Thursday, January 9th for Years 5 and 6.

We have been pleased to reinstate the Weekly Mile on Friday mornings. A big thank-you to all the children and parents who continue to support this initiative. It is wonderful to encourage the children to be active and makes a wonderful start to the day before they sit down at their desks to focus on their studies. All parents and family are welcome to join us every Friday.