End of Year Review: Extra-Curricular Sport Parent Contribution Scheme

Transcription

1 End of Year Review: Extra-Curricular Sport Parent Contribution Scheme We believe that the scheme for parents to make voluntary contributions to support extra-curricular sport has been instrumental in protecting our provision and enhancing it in the first two terms of The scheme was first mooted 18 months ago in response to a mismatch between tremendous enthusiasm at the school for competitive sport and an overstretch of resources which could not be relieved by parent and senior student assistance alone. Students, parents, and staff were all finding their experience undermined by a lack of capacity to run practices or accompany fixtures. We are, with the benefit of hindsight, pleased that we set up the scheme before education budget cuts got more overwhelming still. Income After an introductory first half term in the autumn run without charge, in October parents whose children were keen to continue extra-curricular sport were invited to contribute through Parentpay at the same time as confirming their permission for their young person to take part. A suggested sum of 50 for the year was suggested per player. 406 parents contributed a least this amount; 48 paid between the 1 registration and the 50 target; and 92 opted instead for the registration only route ( 1) which was built into the system following the consultation last summer. In many cases, parents who did not pay the suggested amount were perhaps contributing across two or more children, or have a child who is only a very occasional participant. We are very grateful to the small but significant number of parents (21) who contributed above the target sum, which helps to support the programme for people who are maybe less able to contribute. 22,952 was the total sum raised, very much in line with what we hoped given the number of students who take part. Expenditure The goal was, parents may recall, to pay for additional coaching and umpiring capacity, and we were delighted to be able to recruit Mr Eliot Smith, rugby coach, for 2 terms at 30 hours a week. We were not able to find any applicants for a secondary ruby coach post for a handful of hours per week. Similarly we interviewed and offered but ultimately

2 did not get a candidate to accept a full time 2 term lacrosse post; but we did manage to appoint a number of part time lacrosse coaches and umpires, including Miss Nicola Hooker who took the U15s all season and Miss Katie Lightowler who worked with the U12s and U13s for part of the winter. The amount spent on staffing was 14, Other spending came to made up as follows: 1. In consultation with myself, the PE dept. decided that as this sum was spent to a greater degree on rugby coaching than girls sport (because we had been able to hire a full time rugby coach but not a full time lacrosse coach), we could and should rebalance benefits by paying for all girls who wished to attend a free lacrosse camp run by outside expert coaches from SixbySix Lacrosse. Because we could guarantee a booking we were able to get this opportunity at a bargain price for the number of girls who benefited normally such an opportunity would cost 30 or so, and we put 220 girls through for The second such event has just happened on 6 th May, having had to be postponed due to bad weather. Having been there for much of Saturday, I feel it was an excellent addition to what we can offer as school staff. 2. Feeling that we should not roll over a large sum into but should use money paid this year to quick effect, we have also paid for new lacrosse goals, and coach training courses and necessary affiliations and kit for parent coaches, etc. These sundries came to The total expenditure for the year funded by the scheme was Remember that this is not the sole funding of extra-curricular sport. We are incredibly grateful to the Cecil Grant Trust Fund for supporting the cost of transport to fixtures; and to the teaching staff and parent coaches who give their time unpaid; and to the school budget and foundation for paying for the cost of fields maintenance and repairs. The surplus we are carrying forward is Sustainability and recruitment for We were delighted with the take up of the scheme in Take up was best in more junior years, where perhaps parents were used to primary schools having to charge for some extra-curricular sport provision. We hope therefore that we will sustain contributions at the same level, and have been advertising and looking to appoint on that basis. Unfortunately Elliot Smith has been inspired to begin a PE teaching degree, and is taking up a place following a summer playing rugby in Australia. However we hope he will be able to continue to assist us as he expects to take up a local university place and play club rugby for Bedford. We have advertised for a replacement to do similar hours to those Elliot worked last year. In lacrosse were able back in the winter to advertise early and recruit Miss Becky Dawson, an experienced lacrosse player and qualified coach who is looking in due course to progress to become a PE teacher. She will be working 30 hours a week for two terms. We have also re-appointed Mrs Nicola Hooker for another year part time. Finally, we continue to have a big take up of parents keen to help with rugby and some with netball; but we will also start the new lacrosse season with 5 parents helping run squads, 4 of whom have done a season his year, and two of whom are working on their umpiring qualification as I write. I know the three lacrosse parent coaches I have worked with this year found, as I did years ago, a wonderful new focus and an inspiring new challenge. Do contact Mr Harris or Miss Sayers if you too fancy a go!

3 Finally Can I thank all of you for your financial support? I hope this letter and the attached reports from the Rugby and Lacrosse programmes give a worthy picture of the outcomes from a student point of view. We intend to run the scheme again, with an explanatory letter in September and a request for contributions in October. In the meantime I am off to the rounder s, athletics, tennis, and cricket. Yours sincerely Paddy Storrie Deputy Head On behalf of the PE staff, coaches, and all student sportspeople

4 Lacrosse Once again it has been a busy but fantastic term for lacrosse at St George s. This term alone we have taken 11 teams to tournaments as well as play games against Putney, Uppingham, Abbott s Hill, Bedford, SAHS and STABs. All of this would not have been possible without our fantastic set of lax staff Mrs Shuler, Mr Storrie, Miss Wilkinson, Miss Hooker and Miss Theakston. This year we have also been lucky enough to be supported by a team of parent and student helpers. Our thanks go to Mrs Agg, Mrs Arnold, Mr Ball, Ms Sebastiane, Mrs Maclaren, Alice Slater, Sally Slater, Mai Ledsham, Livvy Best, Emily Talbot, Fiona Cameron, Ellen Chalkley, Erin Greer-Martin and Kathryn Hirst. Year 7 by Edie Ledsham Our first lacrosse season has been an amazing start to our time at St Georges. We have all put a lot of effort and enthusiasm into learning lacrosse and we ve had a great time. We have played in two tournaments, one at Bedford Girls School and the other at Abbots Hill and we have played many matches throughout the season. We ve had a good mix of wins, losses and draws, but most of all, we have had great fun and learnt lots and it s been a great way to meet new people. Thank you to the parents who got involved either by helping in practices, supporting us or driving your daughters to matches. A big thank you to Miss Wilkinson, Mrs Agg and the Y10 coaches (Fiona, Ellen, Emily and Livvy) who have helped us learn, improve and be the best we can be. County tournament MVP A Team Lizzie Mountain County tournament MVP B Team Corinne Kola-Balogun Year 8 by Grace Butler The season did not start out the way we had expected. Our first match was against lacrosse s Manchester United; Guildford. As our first game of the year and with some new members to our team, the match was a challenge. As the unbeaten team last year, it was sad knowing we would not be able to hold the same title for a second year in a row. Nevertheless we came back for our next games with a secure squad and played well irrespective of the team who we played against. All our minds starting to think about the biggest lacrosse event for us this year, Nationals. But first was Abbott s Hill tournament. We had nothing to prove yet there was no better way to show that we were ready for Nationals if we won this. So carrying war paint, antlers and the Armenian flag, we played our matches and won them all, even the group game against Wycombe Abbey. We went home, victorious, quite cold but with another gold medal around our necks. On the same day our B team entered the same tournament despite this being all A teams. The B team played so well and made the semi-final against Wycombe Abbey. In a close game they narrowly missed out on making it an all St George s final finishing 3 rd above many other schools A teams. A couple of weeks later it was the National Schools tournament and we were wearing a gift from Mr Storrie; brand new lacrosse shirts for the team on that special occasion. The competition was at Guildford so we knew there was a chance at playing them again, but we just had to take it one game at a time. First match against Berkhamsted. We had beaten them in the past but they came back with a vengeance and beat us 2-1. We knew we had to win the rest of our matches now to secure going through the next round. We did! We made it through finishing 2 nd in our pool with 26pts. In the last 16 game we knocked LEH School out winning 3-2 in golden goal extra time. Quarter final time now against Guildford and we knew

5 that even though we had worked hard all year this was a big test. After an incredibly close game we lost 2-1, knocking us out of the competition but we celebrated in style with pink Lucozade. One of my highlights was on the journey back to school singing High School Musical all the way back. Finally county tournament now the A team had won last year and the B team finished 2 nd so the stakes were high! Both teams sailed into their respective finals and guess who the opponents were Berko! The A team fought hard but unfortunately Berko were strong and we were Runners Up. The B team smashed it winning in the final 3-1 with 2 great goals from Jaimee Harter and a 1 st goal of the year for Bella Stocker. I couldn t be proud of what Year 8 have achieved this year and can t wait for the next season to start. County tournament MVP A Team Elodie Cowan County tournament MVP B Team Lauren Mills National Schools MVP Lucy Evans Year 9 by Anna Gifford Our season was looking good from the start with great wins from both the A and B teams. We have played extremely well together, working tirelessly during our Thursday training sessions. We have also been very committed to training on Monday mornings, (which can sometimes be hard, as they are so early). One of the most important days, later in the season, was the Nationals, where we took one Year 9 team to play other schools from all over the country. We didn t get off to the best start but brought it back, managing to draw against our biggest rival Berko, with one of our most outstanding performances of the day. We then played remarkably well for the rest of the tournament, coming 17th overall, after only just missing going through to the next round by one point. A week later we attended the Counties tournament with two teams. Again, both teams played extremely well. The B team won 4 out of 5 games and finished runners up, whilst the A team played particularly well in the match against Abbots Hill where we scored so many goals we lost count by the end. Overall, our year 9 lacrosse season has been fantastic both in terms of great play (we have improved massively as one squad) and team bonding. County tournament MVP A Team Tilly Collins County tournament MVP B Team Amelia Shortall National Schools MVP Anna Gifford Year 10 by Joselyn Hunt What a great year we ve had! The year started by being introduced our new coach Miss Hooker, who also coaches at Harpenden lacrosse. How lucky were we?! Miss Hooker brought a new perspective of skills and ideas to our team, improving each individual player. Although we trained to our highest ability, we had great fun doing so. Everyone who came to practise became part of a family, a family of friends for life (with bracelets to prove it!). Throughout the year, we have taken part in many matches ranging in a variety of success. As a team, we found that we played our best when we had fun, winning may have also played a small part in that enjoyment to. Even if we lost a match

6 we knew that we had played to the best of our ability and each achieved personal goals. As the season continued, we were lucky enough to participate in events such as the Christmas lacrosse tournament and the Saturday training session run by professional players and coaches from different lacrosse teams in the UK. I would like to give a big thanks to Miss Sayers, all the PE staff and helpers involved. Highlights of the year for me was playing at the indoor lacrosse tournament at St Albans High School. We didn t win but it was great fun to be a part of, as the sports hall was filled with a competitive atmosphere on and off the pitch. Another great moment was at the Abbots Hill Invitational tournament. As a team, we really came together and played some great lacrosse, which paid off in the end as we went on to win all our matches throughout the day and won the tournament overall. However, I think everyone else would agree that the biggest highlight of the year is always being able to go to Nationals at Surrey Sports Park. Speaking on behalf of the team, I can say that we all look forward to the National Schools tournament at the end of the season. We spent the whole day playing lacrosse against other schools from across the country, whilst being able to capture the memory with professional photos, taken of individuals and the team and bringing home some merchandise. Finally, congratulations to everyone who got MVP this year, especially Amelie Hurst who won MVP at Nationals. Also, on behalf of the team, we would like to congratulate Fiona Cameron on her recent selection to the U19 Scotland Team and wish her luck in the forthcoming Home Internationals tournament over Easter. Lastly, I would like say a massive thank you to our coach Miss Hooker, we have loved having her as a coach and will miss her next year when many of us continue into seniors. Also a big thank you to the Year 9 goalkeepers that have stepped up and filled the spot for us! National Schools MVP Amelie Hurst Seniors by Erin Greer Martin What an amazing season it s been. Our senior lacrosse squad has come such a long way since the start of the year where we didn't really know each other, but we've finished the year as a family unit that works together and achieves greatness. One of the highlights of the season was the game against the Old Georgians. As a squad we have never beaten them, but this year we nearly did it. It was the closest game there has been, with our current school team winning up until half time but sadly we were beaten towards the end. Following the Christmas holidays our attention very quickly turned to the National Schools Tournament, training three times a week to get match ready. All the effort paid off with a fabulous result from both teams. The 1st team got into the second division but were sadly knocked out in the semi-finals in a close game against NLC. Our 2nd team had a tough day but attacked it with full enthusiasm and made every team they played against work hard. The MVP s for the weekend were Flora Storrie and Aisling Hargadon for their all-round contribution and amazing play throughout the tournament. We've had some fabulous times as a squad with frustrating losses and rewarding wins but none of that matters, the team spirit and love of the sport is what really mattered and made it all so memorable. The work of Miss Sayers and Mrs Shuler was never ending, from early morning training to dark and wet evenings their commitment to the sport and to us students is amazing, I can t thank them enough. Obviously, we can t forget the side line support that has followed us from match to match, no matter what the weather or the limited knowledge of the rules, the parents have always been there.

7 There is nothing left for me to say other than to thank everyone who has participated this year, it s been my last year of playing lacrosse and I m so happy I've spent it with such a fab bunch of girls. Good luck next year everyone! National Schools MVP 1sts Flora Storrie National Schools MVP 2nds Aisling Hargadon Representative honours Congratulations to Mai Ledsham (Yr11) who has been training with the National Lacrosse Academy this year and has been selected to represent England U19s in a match against an American touring team. She was also selected for the South East Regional Squad and was the joint highest scorer in her team. Our congratulations also go to Fiona Cameron (Yr. 10) on her recent selection for Scotland U19A team to play in the Home International Series in Cardiff over the Easter holidays.

8 Rugby Review st XV training at Allianz Park With the exciting British Lions squad announcement made this week, it was great to see both Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje included. Both have been in exceptional form for club and country this season and merit their inclusions for the New Zealand Tour. With another St George s season now completed there has been much to celebrate and take positives from. It is absolutely vital that we take the opportunity to publicly thank the parent volunteers who give up such an incredible amount of their own time to ensure that as many boys get the opportunity to represent the school on a Saturday morning. Without them we would not even be able to run half of our rugby programme and I in particularly value their input. We were able to field 13 sides on a Saturday, which would have been 14 if Watford Grammar had not cancelled the U12D game which we won by default! Our review of the number of teams we provide and fixtures we play shows the following growth: no of scheduled fixtures u15b U14B U13B U13C U12B U12C U12D Total TBC We are really proud of this expanding programme at B, C, and D team level Back in July 62 boys went to South Africa for the two week tour of Pretoria and Cape Town, this has proved to be an immensely valuable experience for the playing sides and saw a quick start to the season for those teams. The 1 st XV battled hard this year and were a credit to the school. They played with an enthusiasm and commitment throughout and picked up good results, especially against schools have had beaten them in the younger age groups. A Huge thank you and well done must go to the captain Johnny Olive who worked tirelessly both on and off the pitch.

9 St Georges Veterans The 2 nd XV continued where they left off from last season with an almost perfect season. The large squad certainly rose to many of the challenges they faced and it was pleasing to see a number of old players returning to play along with the U16 boys looking to gain senior experience. Captained by Will Parsons, they have been a delight to work with. 2 nd XV Marshalled by the ever youthful Mr Barton, the U16 have continued to develop and many will now be pushing hard for 1 st XV places next season. Unfortunately we were let down by a number of schools who had promised a fixture on the Saturday block. Fly half Sam Leto and flanker Henry Andralojc both earned their opportunities

10 within the 1 st XV and this will have been a valuable experience for both. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Martin, Mr Cameron and Mr Rees for their work over the past 5 years. They have been crucial to the development of this talented group. Mr Barton now assures me he has officially retired from coaching and he has been instrumental in the development of St George s School rugby, maybe one more season Mr B? Senior Rugby Colours were awarded on the last day of the Spring term to Full Colours - Jonny Olive, Paul Greener, John Greener, Archie Radovanovic and Robbie Pope Half Colours Charlie Moffatt, George Clarke, Josh Arnold, Declan Carlean and Patrick Frost The U15 season has been one full of player development and progression led by Mr Rees and the energetic Mr Henderson. The side have been very committed to training and there is no doubt that this has enabled players to enhance. The champagne moments for them would have been their wins over St Columba s College and Richard Hale. This season also saw more consistency with fixtures for the B team which offered more opportunity to play. Inter Rugby Colours were awarded on the last day of the Spring term to Full Colours Alex Edwards, Ethan Coke, Joe Middleton, Ethan Cheung, Gethin martin and Ben King Half Colours Charlie Birt, Andrew Sinfield, Joe Gill, Sam Apsey, Will Pope, Jonathan Speller. This season we were able to recruit the services of Mr E Smith who acted as the schools rugby coach. I know the U14 players have really appreciated the time and efforts of Mr Smith and we wish him well on his future rugby career. He is currently in Australia playing in Sydney, and has enjoyed his time at the school so much he has decided to take a teaching degree next academic year. The U14 season has once again developed and a number of players maximised the opportunity to participate in the lunchtime skills clinics. These extra sessions certainly had the required effect on performances and it will great to see them enjoying their rugby. Once again Mr Cutler deserves many plaudits for his time and commitment. Inter Half colours were awarded to Hugo Douglas, Cyan Jones, Graham DuPlessis, Paul Maikovsky, Jamie Cutler.

11 Our U13 year have proved that rugby is not always about size and have played some outstanding games. Playing with pace and skill has overcome some physically big sides and numbers at training have been very positive. Able to field an A, B and C team due to the RFU new rules of play has allowed lots of boys opportunity and it is a shame that the C team could not get a few more games under their belt. The A team completed the season unbeaten, with a number of the B team players stepping up when selection and availability opportunities arose. The U13 played in two 7 s competitions and these were fantastic learning opportunities. In both competitions they finished third in their initial pool however topped the group after the new waterfall structure. A huge thanks to Mr Musselle, Mr Eke and Mr Thomas for their efforts. The new U12 cohort have certainly enjoyed their first rugby season and there are lots of positives from this season. Boys with limited or no rugby experience have been quick to learn and they too have earned a number of positive results. Being able to field 4 teams in this year group is a credit to the coaching staff of Mr Mackintosh, Mr Andrews and Mr Reddings who we thank for their work. The planning and organisation stages for next season are in full swing. Next season will see our most competitive fixture card ever with lots of opportunity for playing against quality opposition. It is with great pride that many well-known rugby schools are asking us for block fixtures and this has allowed us to push the players and their development ever further. I, along with a team of volunteers are also working to improve the rugby programme ever further and I am sure parents, visitors, and opposition will enjoy better refreshments pre and post games. We are also looking at how we can communicate even better with parents in regards to fixtures and selections without taking independence away from our players, something which we have really looked to enhance through our coaching and playing philosophies this season. I hope you have an enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing you in September for another very busy rugby season. Mr N Harris Head of Rugby