PE and Sports
Archive
At Mandeville Primary School, we recognise that a high-quality physical education curriculum should inspire all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport. It should provide opportunities for children to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to engage in competitive sport and activities develops their competence and also helps to embed values such as fairness and respect.
Recent events have included...
Football
On Monday 8th July, on Reedings lunch field, 3 Year 5s and 9 Year 6s participated in the Reedings v Mandeville football match. They came from Mr Green's football club.
When we got there we did 10 minutes of warming up and then we started. The first half was very tense with no teams scoring but coming very close - including Lincoln hitting the post. At half time we all had a rest and a few of the Year 5s came on for the second half. For the first five minutes of the second half we were attacking until Reedings hit us with a counter attack and put in a good cross, which one of their payers tapped into the goal. 1-0 Reedings.
Reedings were quick on the attack and winning a corner almost straight from the kick-off and hit it in low. Henry tackled it off of one of their players and hit it long to Frankie who calmly passed it into the bottom corner. 1-1. Game on! The next 5 minutes were tense like the first half until we won a throw in in an attacking area and it was thrown to the back post where Lincoln was lurking to tap it in. 2-1 to Mandeville.
In the last ten minutes nothing big happened until the full-time whistle was blown. We beat Reedings 2-1!
By Julian, Joe and Ben (Year 6)
Track & Field Athletics
Four boys and four girls from each of Year 5 & 6 went to Leventhorpe at 9.30am on Tuesday 11th June 2024 to do a track and field athletics competition. There was a range of different events including shotput, discus, high jump and long jump for the field events, and 60m, 100m, 600m and 800m track events with a relay race to finish.
We came first and second place in all of our races. Joseph came first in shotput, Isaac came first in discus and Amelia and Frankie both came first in high jump.
Maisie found that is was best to pace yourself rather than going off really rapidly at the start. Halfway through the second lap the other runners who had gone too fast at the start stated to slow down and Maisie overtook them all to finish first in her race. On long races you had to save your energy so you could sprint the last bit, if you had enough energy left to do so. This was one of our tactics to win.
When we sat down after our races, it felt like we had no limbs left. They felt heavy , like they were falling off and it was really hard to get out of bed the next morning because we flet more tired than we have ever been before.
Lincoln fell over on the last lap of the 800m race and a boy from High Wych helped him up and gave up his position (and probably the win!) to do it. He showed really good sportsmanship, especially since he was from another school.
We saw a boy from another school in last place and we encouraged him and it made him start sprinting and helped him to cross the finish line. It felt great to help him by cheering him on like that.
We came first in the Year 5 competition, first in the Year 6 competition and first overall. It was an amazing day. We felt like we had just unboxed a special Christmas present!
By Maisie (Year 6) and Joseph W (Year 5)
Tennis
The name of the event we went to was the Mini Tennis Red Competition. It happened on Thursday 2nd May and it was held at the Bishops Stortford Lawn Tennis Club. There were four people from Year 4 from each of the eight schools.
Kitty thought it was fun because we decided not to put ourselves under pressure and this made her feel more confident. After two or three goes, Harper felt more confident. Bradley was scared in the first game but was excited by the third game because we used team work and all cheered each other on.
Ruzgar thought the matches were really fun because he was hitting good balls deep inside the court and that made it exciting. Bradley enjoyed the rallies because you had to keep running around, being really energetic. He used his agility to sprint around the court. The only really bad thing was that he drank all his water and then he was thirsty from running so much!
We played with orange balls and the surface was a kind of astroturf with sand in it. We weren't expecting that! We noticed that all of the different schools were having fun, like we were.
We were doing singles games, which we agreed was easier than doubles because we have only been practising singles and in doubles we might have crashed into each other and we would have had to call out more. Harper found it harder to do a bounce serve so she stuck to serving straight onto the racquet. It felt amazing to score an ace. We felt really proud of ourselves getting lots of aces. Harper got lots of aces in our lunchtime and PE practise sessions in the days before the competition.
In tennis, you have to remember to let the ball bounce before you hit it, if the other person is serving to you. If on the second serve, the ball doesn't go inside the court, it is the other person's point. Your first serve can be like a practise serve if it doesn't go in.
Harper thought it was incredible that Ruzgar scored the highest number of points in a game out of all the people that played in the competition. He scored 16 points! (The other person scored three). We all scored a good number of points. Sometimes we won by just one point.
Bradley was always in the ready position, ready to get to any part of the court quickly. Kitty impressed Mrs Brett by using her growth mindset to keep improving during the day. Harper noticed how much better Kitty got during the competition. She was thinking "I'm going to do this!".
We would all love to go to another tennis competition or any other sports competition. At Mandeville we really enjoy sport. This competition was a really great one!
By The Tennis Team
Netball
On 23rd April, eight Year sixes competed in the Leventhorpe netball competition. Our amazing team successfully came 2nd out of seven schools, only being beaten by Reedings.
First we played against High Wych, where Frankie scored the winning goal, resulting in a 1:0 match to Mandeville. Then, we competed against Spellbrook and we scored a massive three goals! They were scored by Lincoln and Frankie (twice). We nearly got another by Abi but it was declared offside. Next, we played St Andrews and that was a 1:1 tie made by Frankie.
After our three main matches, we were told to play in the finals against Reedings but we couldn't get past them so we achieved 2nd which is incredibly good. Overall, everyone says they had an excellent time participating in the fun event!
By Maisie, Ava D and Alice, Year 6
Quicksticks Hockey
On 7th March, some Year 5 children from Mandeville visited Birchwood High School for a Quicksticks Hockey competition.
In the first game we scored two goals (lovely jubbly!) and made some great chances. Our shooting was fabulous. We had quite a lot of very close chances by Fearne; and Joseph and Sydney both scored.
Our defence was fantastic. The opposition team were struggling to get through our defenders. Teddy, Sydney, Fearne, George and Sofia were especially good at defending. There was a lot of passing and getting around the players on the opposition. Lots of people are trying to go at you in the game so you have to look for more opportunities out in space.
Sometimes the opposition were so compact, with all their players together. We spread out and it helped us get goals from the far corners of the pitch.
We could hear teams cheering each other on, using good teamwork and sportsmanship. There was great communication on our team, which is important for letting your team know you're open for a pass, for example.
You really notice the fresh air when you're running up and down the pitch, breathing so hard.
Teddy was impressive making lots of space going backwards and always being ready. Fearne was really good at getting the ball forwards. She hit the post once and she had another shot on target that the other team had to stop.
We came third in our group but the top two teams tied for first place, so in a way we actually came second! We were very happy with that.
By Summer, George, Sydney, Frank, Teddy, Joseph, Bridget, Fearne and Sofia, Year 5
Football
For the football competition, we had to walk all the way to Leventhorpe and all the way back. It was a long way!
We saw some of our friends from other schools there and that made us happy. Some of them were people we play football with at our clubs, like SK.
Kian, Grace, Zac, James, Jackson and George all nearly scored goals for us. William was a really good goalie because he always kept his eye on the ball and picked it up to stop the other team from scoring. Michael was always remembering to stay in his position, protecting William from the midfielders and strikers from the other team. Jake was really good at passing and communicating with his team mates. Ayla kicked the ball out when she was defending and at other times she passed the ball to Grace so she could try and score.
We did a lot of passing because you can't always progress the ball towards the goal and this was the smartest way to try to score. We thought about different plans for each game and had a different captain for each game.
When someone gets hurt your team come running over to help you feel better.
We felt very lucky and also proud to be chosen to go to the football competition at Leventhorpe because lots of Year 4's wanted to go and lots of people didn't get to.
By Grace and George, Year 4
Sports Hall Athletics
We went to the BSP Sports Hall Athletics Competition at Birchwood on 18th January.
Our events were tiring but exciting and fun. We really enjoyed it and would like to go again, for sure, as it was an amazing experience with everyone cheering for their team.
While we were there, Harry said he was enjoying himself and couldn't wait to do more of the events. Fergus felt he didn't do very well but he still thought it was splendid. Julian found it all a bit scary but he was excited too, and Lincoln said he was scared too but found it was great once he got started.
In the obstacle course event, Olive tried her hardest at everything but found that the most difficult thing was going through the tunnel. Irina did her best too and said she found the hurdles were the easiest part.
We really enjoyed the competition, which was really well set up for all the different events. We think everyone did amazingly and, even though we didn't win, we are happy with the result.
By Fergus, Frankie, Ben, Ava D, Ava P, Natasha, Harry, Henry, Julian, Lincoln, Ivy, Olive, Oscar, Abigail, Irina and Alice, Year 6
Rapid Fire Cricket
On 30th November, we visited HECC for a Rapid Fire Cricket competition.
We tried to help our friends to compete more in the game. If you accidentally miss, your friends can say "don't panic" about it and the you get over it sooner. We learned that you should always communicate with the other fielders when you're going to get a ball.
We like Rapid Fire because everyone always supports you if you do something wrong. They make you better for by saying "you did a good job and there's always next time"; plus they give you tips for how to get better. Evelyn felt proud that she scored three 4's in the first match. She was practising and practising at school. She said "I didn't think I would score a 4 but I did it!"
Our favourite moments of the day were hearing the rest of the team clapping and cheering us on. It made us feel excited and joyful and made us want to get a good score. The team would tell us "well done" and we were patting each other on the back.
By Grace, Florence, Alfie G, Zac, Evelyn-Delilah and James, Year 4
Tag Rugby
On the 19th of October, Year 6 attended a tag rugby festival held in Bishops Stortford's rugby/football club. We were excited for what the day would bring us.
We arrived at the pitch at 12.30pm and left at 2.40pm. We went against lots of teams like Spellbrook, St Joseph's, Hillmead, Summercroft and lots more. Mrs Brett's team lost every game but at the end of the day the score did not matter - it was the taking part. Mrs Barrett's team also lost every game but drew at the last second. Mrs Bishop's team won every game and got an outstanding amount of trys. Altogether we scored 38 trys and won 4 games and drew one. Frankie and Lincoln were our top scorers. We were very glad that we were invited and had lots of fun. Everyone was kind and respectful. We all enjoyed our fun day.
By Oliver, Maisie and Rose, Year 6
Cross Country
On 17th October, we attended a Key Stage 2 cross country running competition at Leventhorpe, against four other primary schools (High Wych, Sheering, St Andrews and Reedings).
When we entered the field, we saw a big grassy area and a clear sky. It was a sunny day and it didn't even rain. The ground was firm so you could run a bit faster as it wasn't slippery and you didn't have to worry about falling over in muddy puddles. We sat in sections of the field with our belongings and prepared there.
We were the first team to arrive and when the other teams came we had to stay together in our Mandeville bubble. We did stretching and warm ups in the order of the races. The boys and girls were separated with the girls race first and then the boys race, for each year group, moving up through the year levels, starting with the lowest year (Year 3) first. The Year 3s & 4s ran 1km and the Year 5s & 6s ran 1.5km. We played warm up games with the sports leaders from Leventhorpe, who were very kind and supportive. They cheered us on saying "go on you can do it!". Francesca said this made her run faster. There were marshals at each pole telling you where to go and encouraging you to carry on. At first we didn't know where to go because it was a bit confusing but then the marshals would wave you on and guide you.
Ivy remembered, "...how hard it was. I felt as if I could stop at any minute and let the team down but I carried on going because I wanted to help get points for the team".
Francesca said, "I was tired during the race but I wanted to win so I kept on going, and I won my race."
Lily said, "Everyone was supportive. The sports leaders were sharing their tactics with us because they've done it multiple times before."
James said, "I felt like everyone was cheering everyone on no matter what position they were in: they could be first position, last position, or in the middle. I think everyone did well. Especially our school."
The cross country was fun and we tried our hardest and even if we hadn't have won, we would still have been so lucky to get to go, because not all schools got to. We would all love to go again very soon.
By Ivy (Year 6), Lily (Year 5), James (Year 4) and Francesca (Year 3)
Rounders
Year 4 played in a rounders tournament on the field at Leventhorpe School on 20th June.
The weather was boiling hot but we had our hats and some people froze their water bottles to keep cool.
We split into three teams: Mandeville 1, Mandeville 2 and Mandeville 3. We had to wear different coloured bibs so we knew who was on which team, and because every school we played against were also in red!
We got put in different positions. We had one bowler, four fielders on the posts, one backstop and rest of the fielders were in between the posts. We learned that you have to touch the posts as you go past them and if the bowler gets the rounders ball you have to stop running. If the fielders stump the ball against the post before you get there, you have to go out. When you bowl, you have to go underarm and if it's not between the batter's stomach and shoulders then it's a no ball. When the bowler got the rounders ball they had to shout "stop" as loud as they could to stop the batters from running. If the batter misses the ball then the backstop gets it and throws it back to the bowler, so the bowler can bowl again. If it's a no ball, the batter can run to the first post but then they have to stop. If you go all the way around the posts without stopping you score a rounder for your team.
It made Teddy feel proud when he scored a rounder because the team were cheering for him. Romee was happy when he scored his rounder because everyone was saying "You can do it, Romee!". Summer felt happy because it was so much fun. We felt joyful when we found out that Mandeville had won some of their games. At the end of the competition they gave us the results: Mandeville 3 was 5th, Spellbrook was 4th, Mandeville 1 was 3rd, Mandeville 2 was 2nd and Sheering was 1st. We got a certificate for participating.
By Teddy Pruden, Romee and Summer, Year 4
Tag Rugby
We travelled to Bishops Stortford Rugby Football Club on Thursday 15th June, by coach, to play Tag Rugby. Year 4 got split into three groups called Mandeville 1, Mandeville 2 and Mandeville 3. Mandeville 3 played 3 matches, Mandeville 2 played 6 matches and Mandeville 1 played 8 matches.
The weather was boiling hot but we had a gazebo to sit under to keep us cool. It was interesting that we were so good but the other teams were still hard to beat. We learned that you have to be competitive but also show good sportsmanship. The referees were all really kind but one of them, in particular, understood the rules really well. There were team captains for each match.
We saw lots of children from other schools competing. They were quite competitive and sporty but also quite nice. We smelled delicious hotdogs in the cafe near the toilets which made us hungry even though we had already had our lunch!
Some of us had expected the field to be smaller than it was, and others had thought it would be bigger. We heard chanting, cheering and sports leaders communicating with each other about what to do. When we weren't playing matches we could hear other children chatting about the game being played and what they could see. We could see the other Mandeville teams practising before their games too.
We would all like to go to another Tag Rugby festival because it was a great experience and it made us feel calmer that it was a festival (rather than a competition).
By Lucy, Nora & Bridget, Year 4
Tennis
On Thursday 4th May, four children, elected by a class vote, went to the Bishops Stortford Lawn Tennis Club to play other primary schools in a tennis competition. We really enjoyed it and we got to know all about tennis, including the rules and points. We were so lucky that Birchwood High School hosted as our umpires and that we were picked to go. We even got to use special Mandeville racquets that are only for competition use.
In our group, we came second out of five primary schools, and we only lost to the people who won the whole entire tennis competition. Richard Whittington Primary School won and Issy used to go to that school so it was nice for her to see her old friends again and compete against them as well (including scoring an ace against her friend, Evie).
Something we had to remember when playing matches included letting the ball bounce when you're served to. We invented a song (the theme tune to Frozen, which we changed from "Let it Go" to "Let it Bounce") and we sang it to remember. It helped. In a match, Isaac got a knee slide spot on and got a point from it! Isaac's "powerhouse" (his most powerful shot) won him a point too. George played Hillmead and did a backhand shot that scored a point for Mandeville. Lily got her serves into the box almost every time and the best bit of the day for her was hearing the most amazing news that we came second!
At the end of the game, even if you lost, you would still shake hands with your opposition and you got to compliment them and they would compliment you back, which felt supportive. The support from our team-mates, as well as our opponents, made us feel like we would burst with happiness.
After the tournament, all of us agreed that tennis is one of our new favourite sports.
By Issy, George & Isaac, Year 4
Athletics
On 25th April, a few lucky people from Year 5 and 6 walked to Leventhorpe School for the 'Primary School Games' athletics competition. We had an amazing Sports Leader, called Poppy, who led us out to the field and looked after us during the day; even playing Sticky Toffee and Bulldog with us between our events.
We competed on a spacious field with a curved track, poles blocking off different areas, and an L-shaped fence to protect people from the heavy shots. There was a long jump, high jump and discus too.
The Sports Leaders showed us what we were doing in each event. They demonstrated how to use the right technique for the field events. The first bit we did was the girls field events, which we had practised on Monday. We had three tries at the field events, except for the high jump, where you got 5 jumps, and three attempts at each level.
While the girls started their field events, the boys were starting their track events, and then we swapped activities. Finally, we did the relays at the end with the Year 5s first and then the Year 6s. We won both relays, which was really spectacular!
It was so exciting to be there. Maisie hadn't been sure if she would get to go but was relieved to get chosen, especially as most people wanted to do it and only four girls in our class could be chosen. We felt really welcomed by the Leventhorpers but they were so tall and we felt very little.
On the high jump and the long jump when you had your go the Leventhorpers and the children from other schools would cheer and clap for you and say well done. They would help you if you were getting it wrong too, and it made us feel happy.
Mr Palmer was really nice in the track events, showing us where to run and where and when you'll finish your race. He told us where to aim for, when to cut across to the inside of the track and explained that the bell meant there was one lap to go.
We won the competition. Our hearts were pounding and we felt gobsmacked but proud. Teamwork makes the dream work!
By Ava P, Maisie and Irina, Year 5
Hockey
On 23rd March, some Year 5 pupils competed in a hockey competition at Birchwood High School. One of the sports leaders lead us up to the AstroTurf; which must have been near where the Birchwood pupils eat because we could smell pizza!
We got grouped into seven to play the match, but everyone had at least two matches to compete in. We were successful because altogether we scored 8 goals (6 by Frankie and 2 by Ollie) and Harry, Elsie-Lea and Fergus were keeping an eye on the ball and intercepting it, in defence. Olive, Julian and Sophia were fantastic at passing the ball, and Maisie and Irina were amazing at staying in space (like space invaders!). Our captains, Frankie, Fergus and Elsie-Lea (who were voted in by our team), were perfect at encouraging us to keep going when the other team took a chance. Altogether the Mandeville team played three matches and we won them all.
We looked to see who was skilful on the other teams, while we were spectating. Then we used this against them when we played them. We blocked passes to the better players, by leaping quickly in front of them at the last minute.
Elsie-Lea felt excited to be there and wanted to play more matches. In fact, when she went home she told her mum she wanted to play in a hockey club because she enjoyed it so much. Oliver felt proud of the team because when he scored he felt the whole had helped him to get the goal by defending so well and getting the ball to him. Before the match, Ollie felt nervous that we might lose but in the match he felt energised.
We all felt it was so great to be able to come back to school and tell everyone that we won. We did an astonishing job because we won the competition we were in and none of the other teams even scored a goal against us. We were just too good!
By Ollie and Elsie, Year 5
Netball
At Leventhorpe School, on 14th March 2023, nine Year 6's took part in a netball competition against five other primary schools from the Bishops Stortford area. Amelie, Jess, Amelia, Poppy, Jasmine, Ayda, Max, William and Toby all took part and tried their hardest. Isabel and Charlie were reserves, which meant that if someone wasn't at school or able to make it on the day, then they would come along to take their place. The reserves practised together with the team at Mandeville's playground on the Thursday and Monday before the competition. It was great to watch the team grow and get better; especially as some of them had not played before and were lacking confidence to start off with.
The competition took place on Leventhorpe's three netball courts and we alternated between them throughout. We played five games and even though we didn't win all of them, we had fun. We beat a very competitive team, called St Andrews, which felt amazing. We felt really proud of ourselves.
Some of the things we learned about were pivoting and footwork (the foot we land on first is the one to pivot from), and that we must receive the centre pass in the middle third after the Centre player has thrown the ball. A lot of our team struggled with this but we got there in the end with it.
All of us really enjoyed working as a team, including the off court roles, who were helping us all the time and always involved. We got to play every position, so we got to see what each position felt like to play, and enjoyed having a break when it was our turn to do scoring, timing or being the centre pass marker. We loved wearing the school tracksuits. We felt so good in them and they were so comfy we didn't want to take them off!
We would love to do more netball and other sporting tournaments as it's incredible to get out and enjoy exercise together. Jess wants to do every single competition Year 6 get invited to because the feeling of helping your team is so wonderful.
We are also grateful to the staff at school who organise all these special sports events that we do. We all really love them!
By Jess, Amelia and Amelie, Year 6
Football
On Wednesday 8th February, ten students (6 boys and 4 girls) from Year 4 went to Leventhorpe to play football against five other primary schools (Spellbrook, High Wych, Reedings, Manor Fields and Sheering). There were a selection of Year 3 and 4 pupils from the other schools who we competed against.
The astroturf was enormous and it was so sunny that when we took our team photo we were squinting! We thought the Premier League outfits we wore were absolutely gorgeous. Sofia "felt like Christiano Ronaldo" but a girl version, and about 20 years younger!
We trained with Mrs Brett and some of the Year 6 buddies. Sofia explained, "I think the training was one of my key moments because I nutmegged a Year 6 goalie and it felt incredible!". We learned that even if you do the training, the game is still hard, but it doesn't matter whether you scored or not, it's about taking part and enjoying the moment with your friends.
When our team won a game, we enjoyed it because you get to celebrate with your friends. We are proud that we won 5-1 against Spellbrook in our opening game. When we took the lead in that game, we were relieved.
In the game against Reedings, Teddy P scored and that was a relief too, because then we drew against them instead of losing, and they are our specific rivals.
Joseph H was such a great goalie. It was absolutely brilliant because we could have lost at least 10-0 without him in one match. He was absolutely fandabbydozey! Teddy was also an amazing substitute goalie when Joseph needed a break.
Joseph W was a perfect striker and we're glad he and Teddy were playing up front for us. Jude was a really good team player. He was EVERYWHERE on the pitch - striking, in midfield and defending too - and he was passing to us, even though we are girls, and not all of the boys always do that. Teddy was really good at that as well. Fearne learned to be fantastic at passing and was interacting a lot with the ball by the final matches.
We would definitely love to go and have that experience all over again because it was fun and we're so lucky we got to take part. There were so many people who would have loved to go and didn't get the chance. It was a shame for them but we were so excited. We were just focussing on learning to play football and doing our best at the competition.
By Amelia & Sofia, Year 4
Cross Country
On Thursday 8th December 2022, Years 3, 4 and 6 entered a cross country competition at Leventhorpe School. Every year had eight children from their class who were chosen because they had stamina and knew what pace they needed to run.
Some Leventhorpers coached us to warm us up for the cross country. The Year 4's had to run the top and bottom field at Leventhorpe. It was a long way! We felt proud finishing the race and finding out how many points we had claimed for Mandeville. We learned that it doesn't matter what place we got, only that we tried our best. We loved that the Leventhorpe sports leaders were cheering us on.
It was fun cheering our team-mates on while they were running. When the Year 3 race finished, we felt nervous and excited because we knew we were next! We were especially proud of the Year 3's because they came first out of all of the schools (Reedings, High Wych, Spellbrook, Sheering and St Andrews).
It was amazing fun because even if you came last, you knew there were a lot of people in that race and you still got a lot of points for finishing the long distance run.
By Lily and Joseph, Year 4
Tag Rugby
On Tuesday 6th December 2022, ten people from Year 6 took part in a a tag rugby competition. It was held at Leventhorpe Secondary School and we were specially chosen for this sporting event. This made us all feel really proud.
All of us realised that the children from the other schools were really nervous, like we were, so it felt less like a competition and more like just having fun. Our confidence grew throughout a series of matches against High Wych, Spellbrook and St Andrews. We, sadly, lost to Spellbrook but we won against St Andrews (5-1!) and enjoyed a friendly draw with High Wych. We came in 3rd place against all of the other schools. Everyone cheering our names felt heart-warming. We really loved it that we all shook hands at the end of each game because it reminded us that it was a friendly competition and all for fun.
We learnt that you have to stay on your feet when you score a try, because the try didn't count if you dived. We would appreciate being chosen for another competition because of how amazing to felt to be there and how good it felt to represent the school.
By Isabel and William, Year 6
Rapid Fire Cricket
On 1st December, we visited HECC in Sawbridgeworth for a rapid fire cricket tournament. Eight people from our class (Amelia, Nore, Jazzy, Macey, Isaac, Henry, Bobbie and Zachary) competed in the competition. It was quite nerve-wrecking at the start but it was definitely worth trying our best because it was joyful and a once in a lifetime opportunity. We beat Reedings in the group results and we beat Summercroft with a sensational 55 runs in one of our matches.
We learnt that you could work your way through the cones in either direction, and to aim our shots better, which helped us get more runs. Our favourite thing about joining in was trying our best and giving up our time for such an amazing session of rapid fire cricket.
By Isaac and Macey, Year 4
Basketball
The Mandeville basketball team arrived at the competition just after one o'clock on Thursda, 10th November. The competition took place at Birchwood High School and 5 boys and 5 boys from Year 6 participated in the School Games Basketball Festival.
The first team we played against was Richard Whittington Primary School and we won 2-1 against them. The first basket we scored was from Dylan and the second basket was a very embarrassing own goal! The second game we sadly lost but Poppy scored one of the baskets and was very proud of herself. The next team we played was Northgate and we won, scoring four baskets by Poppy, Elodie, Max and Nathan. We lost the last game, but Milo scored.
The first half of every game was played by the girls and then the second half was played by the boys. We learned that you can dribble in basketball, because it is different to netball in that way. You can't dribble in netball.
The exciting part about the competition was that we got to play in proper matches against other schools. Lots of people on our team were really nervous but they played amazingly. Tommy gained more confidence as we started playing and we noticed this was true for lots of people, including children from the other schools.
We would like to do something like this again in the future because it was a good experience (especially, in case you might like to do something like this again when you're older) and it was so much fun. Most of the girls who went with us weren't 100% sure about basketball before we went, but now they definitely want to join the basketball club at school next term.
By Tommy and Poppy, Year 6
Mini Tennis
On Thursday 5th May, Ava P, Alice, Julian and Ben attended a Mini Tennis competition, held in Bishops Stortford Tennis Club, and came 4th. We had a lot of fun and played four games each against Hillmead, Reedings, Northgate A and Northgate B. Northgate A team won. We felt nervous but also excited. Altogether we scored 148 points and won 14 matches! The competition was SO CLOSE! Julian tied three ways with two other children for best player in his group. We learnt a lot about tennis, like let it bounce before you hit the ball and don't whack it too hard.
By Ben C and Alice, Year 4
Bee Netball
On Thursday 17th March, we arrived at a ‘Bee Netball’ competition at Birchwood High School. Eight children from Year 6 competed. One of our favourite moments of the day was when we beat Reedings 2-0. We all played really well because we used teamwork and strategy. We learned to improve our passing skills and that you don't have to win to have fun. We felt excited, energetic and a bit nervous at the beginning, until we beat Reedings! We would definitely love to do it all again.
By Oliver and Isabelle, Year 6
Rapid Fire Cricket
On the 2nd December, we played Rapid Fire Cricket with the whole of Year 4 on the school field. We played Rapid Fire in our P.E. houses. Blue house came in first place, then red, then yellow afterwards and then, finally, green. It was a very close competition.
In Rapid Fire you have to remember to hit the balls at the same time as your batting partner. It was fun batting and lots of people were enjoying doing that. The fielders have to wait until ALL of the balls are hit. It's easy to forget that bit! As the name suggests, you have to be very fast in Rapid Fire Cricket. You have to concentrate on hitting the ball when you're batting. I was scared of the ball hitting my head when I was fielding, but it didn't happen after all.
It was fun and we really hope we get to do it again.
By Irina and Frankie, Year 4
Tag Rugby
On Thursday 18th November 2021, Year 6 were invited to participate in Saracen's & Birchwood Tag Rugby Festival, held
in Bishop's Stortford Rugby Club. We played numerous games of tag rugby against many different schools. We were separated into three groups and played different skill levelled teams. During this experience, everyone had a fabulous time and improved on their skills from before this event. In the games, we would get together as a team and give good tactics to all. Most of us achieved our set goals for this tournament such as scoring a try, tagging opponents, and having a lot of fun. Some people even discovered new rules we didn't know about before. In the future, we all agreed we would love another opportunity like this one again.
By Ava and Olly, Year 6
Tri-Golf
"On Thursday 14th October 2021, ten classmates went to Tri-Golf at Birchwood High School. We used a chipper and a putter. We felt nervous and excited. When you first arrive, you are nervous but after you play 1 or 2 games, you're happy and you want to carry on. There were nine minigames and one rest. It's not about winning; it's about having fun. You were a bit under pressure thought because you had to be fast. We were sad it was over and nervous to see what place we came, and we came... 7th! We got certificates for being co-operative as well. The Buddies helped a lot with practising before we went. When we're in Year 6, we would like to be Buddies to and to help the next Tri-Golfers get ready for their competition. We would 100% like to go to another sports competition."
By Harry and Ivy, Year 4
Cross Country
"On Friday 13th March, a selection of people from Key Stage 2 went to Jobbers Wood in Much Hadham to compete in cross country. It was called Bishops Stortford High School Invitational Cross Country Race. We left at 11.30am and arrived at 12.10. We felt nervous at the start but a little bit excited as well. We set down our things and the year 4 girls started training because the girls race was in half an hour. At 1 o'clock the girls race began. At the end of the race, all the girls were exhausted. After a while, the year 4 boys race began. Everybody encouraged the year 4 boys. Once they were done they were ecstatic they all finished in the first 50% of the runners. We all felt very proud of ourselves for having run a mile but we all learned to control the pace to avoid sprinting off from the start, which would have resulted in early fatigue."
By George S and Ava, Year 4
Playleader Training
"On Wednesday 11th March, William, Martyna, Hannah and Joshua participated in a play-leader course at Birchwood High School. We started off by interacting with students from other schools. We told them out name, our hobbies and our favourite memory. At the start of the session we all felt quite nervous but very excited. We went through a PowerPoint presentation and learned how to be a good leader. After that, we worked with another school to make a game and set it out like we were on the playground. At this point we were feeling more comfortable than at the start when we felt nervous and shy. Finally, we let other children play our games and played other schools' games and gave them feedback on what they could improve. I think we enjoyed the day because we interacted with other children we didn't know before. We would really like to do this again in the future."
By Joshua and Hannah, Year 5
Rapid Fire Cricket
"We went to a Rapid Fire Cricket competition on Thursday 5th December. It was held at HECC. Mrs Brett and Mrs Barrett picked out four boys and four girls to come to this competition. We got into the semi-finals against Windhill 21 and we only lost by 7 runs. We had a good first game, which we won 62-33! All of the team members improved throughout the day. We mad a lot of progress working as a team and we really enjoyed it."
By Jacob, Oliver and Ava, Year 4
Tag Rugby Tournament
"On Thursday 21st November, ten children were chosen to compete in the tag rugby tournament at Leventhorpe School. Our first game was against Spellbrook and we won 5-3. Our second game was against St Andrews and we lost 5-2. In the next game we were against Hatfield Heath and we struggled. They were a really good team and they ended up winning heavily. After that we had a little team talk before we played the fourth game, but unfortunately we lost that game too. The next game was the game we really wanted to win. It was against Reedings. It could have gone either way but unfortunately we lost that one too. The next game was against High Wych. We lost it but it we could have won. The referee made some decisions that didn't go our way."
By Luis and Ethan, Year 6
Hockey Tournament
"On the 24thOctober 2019, Mandeville took part in a hockey tournament at Birchwood High School. Before we arrived at the pitches we all had our photo taken. Next, we were split into 3 squads of 10. We took our hockey sticks and went off to our separate pitches. We talked about tactics to our squads and sorted out who would play in the first match.
In our first match we didn't do as well as we hoped, but we still had lots of fun! Before our second match we watched other games and picked up new tactics. We did better in our second match but still made a few mistakes. We WON our third match! We were so pleased with ourselves! In our last match we still did great and drew! We kind of knew that we wouldn't be continuing in the top 4, but Mrs Brett (one of our coaches) checked anyway. We made our way back to the coach very pleased with ourselves. We came back to school and ate our very well deserved lunch!"
By Emily W and Joshua, Year 5 Maltings
Cross Country Competition
“On Friday 11th October 2019, selected pupils from key stage 2 went to Leventhorpe School cross country. We felt a little nervous and then, after doing the warm up run led by some Leventhorpe students, we felt better, more prepared and relaxed for our race. Then we watched and supported the other year groups. Next we were called over and Mr Palmer explained the course to us: Year 5 girls and boys do 2 laps of the Leventhorpe field. It was very windy and wet. Annabel came 4th, Daisy 5th, Jake 6th and Harrison came 16th. We all felt very tired. We waited for the rest of key stage 2 to finish and got our tracksuit back on. We scored 729 points! It was very fun.”
By Daisy M and Annabel, Year 5 Rivers
Tri-golf Competition
"We went to tri-golf. It was very (and I mean VERY) fun and we beat our mortal enemy, Reedings! Everyone loved it and Olly was a very good chipper and Romer was a very good putter. We came 4th out of 11 schools. When I told some people they were very happy. Please let us go again! Please!"
By Harry, Year 4
"We went to tri-golf. It took place at Birchwood High School on Thursday 10th October 2019. 10 pupils were selected from year 4. We came 4th out of 11 schools. It was really fun. I learned what tri-golf was. I felt excited, happy and nervous. We did lots of different, fun tri-golf games in the tri-golf competition. The people who were explaining what we needed to do were really good at explaining it. I would love to do it again or something like it. We had great team members. We LOVED it and would all love to go and do a tri-golf competition again."
By Sophie, Year 4
Tag Rugby Festival
"On the 3rd October we went to a tag rugby festival. First we had a quick break for lunch, then we got split into three groups. We were all excited to start the festival. It wasn’t about how many tries you scored it was about having fun and sportsmanship. We had small breaks after each game. It was so much fun we hope to experience this again. Thank you for reading our write up!"
By Ava & Jake, Year 5 Maltings
"Some Year fives went to a tag rugby festival on Thursday 3rd October 2019 at Bishop Stortford Rugby Club. We played 4-5 games of tag rugby. We learned how to show good sportsmanship and to play fairly. We felt confident and excited for the event. It was fun because we didn’t need to worry about winning because it was a festival not a tournament. We would love to do something like this again although we would also want someone else to get to have a go."
By Chloe W & Honey, Year 5 Rivers