This has been another busy sporting year at Greenlands. Our new Year 5/6 sports leaders got off to a quick start in September, setting up breaktime clubs for every class in school. These have been well attended by the children, who love the chance to play games like dodgeball, corners and bench ball while the older children referee.
There has been more success for our sports teams throughout the year too, with children in the juniors attending lots of events run by the Rotherham Schools Games organisation. Some of our biggest sporting successes this year have come in hockey. Things started with the Year 5/6 boys’ hockey tournament, where our boys’ team went through to the finals and finished
second. The girls went one better, winning the Rotherham final and progressing to the county championship, where they finished third! The Year 3/4 girls, Year 5/6 boys and Year 5/6 girls also won their respective Dinnington Hockey Festivals. Through all of this they were coached by Mrs Baird, who herself had an exciting year, playing for England in the International Hockey Masters tournament in the Netherlands.
There have been more sporting success stories through school too, with our Year 3/4 basketball team winning their competition (alongside another Greenlands team which finished third). Our girls’ football teams had a very successful year, with the Year 5/6 team winning the Dinnington festival and the Year 3/4 team finishing third in the #letgirlsplay trophy. In addition, we had good finishes in athletics, cricket, rugby and boys’ football events. Well done everyone!
Of course, sport plays a key part in our curriculum through PE lessons, but it has also featured heavily in our projects this year. One great example is our Year 3/4 Olympics event, which the children planned as part of their work on Ancient Greece. They created their own sports and tested each other on them, before presenting the event to parents. It was a real success!
As well as offering sport through the curriculum and in after school clubs, we have also run holiday clubs this year, with Mr Tweed running a successful multi sports club among others. The whole school also became experts in ice swimming for a short time, when we tuned into the World Ice Swimming Championships, live from Romania, to watch one of our former students compete. Everybody was very excited to cheer her on, and this led to great discussions about sporting role models.
One of our final events this year was Sports Day. This was a fantastic event and to make it even better, the sun shone! Every child in every class was active throughout the whole morning, with each class working their way around seven activity stations – these included some classics such as the sack race and some newer events like the water relay! Following this, every child took part in the relays, before everyone’s favourites, the parent and teacher races!
All in all, it’s been another busy and successful year of sports!
This year, the children have taken part in a wide variety of sporting events throughout the year. Such has been the success of our sports provision that we have achieved a Gold School Games Mark this year, recognising the depth and quality of our sports provision.
This year’s activities have included events through external providers such as Rotherham School Games, Rotherham United Community Trust and local school partnerships.
As part of our work with Rotherham School Games, this year, we have decided to focus on the “Inspire and Engage” strand. A group of specially selected Year 3 pupils visited Phoenix Gymnastics Academy to take part in a gymnastics taster event designed to give positive experiences to children who have had very little exposure to sport/physical activity outside of school.
The children rotated around a carousel of activities, manned by qualified gymnastics coaches and Year 9 Sports Leaders. The children experienced trampolining, bars, beam, vaults and tumbling on the air track and the fast track.
Another successful event the children took part in was a skipping event. It was designed for Year 5 girls and boys who do not usually represent their school in physical activity. The children experienced two hours of fun, learning different skipping skills, at a local facility. The event was led by Leedsbased Skipping Schools who have successfully promoted skipping as a way of developing a healthy, active lifestyle in children across Leeds and Sheffield. As a school we will be looking to work with Skipping Schools to develop skipping across our school through active lunch times, after school activities and in PE lessons.
Recently, a group of KS2 children were invited to Herringthorpe Stadium to take part in Rotherham School Games Festival of Sport. There were 10 different providers on the day; Rotherham Hockey Club, Rotherham United Community Trust, Stacking Cups, NovaCity (parkour), OnBoard Skatepark (scooter and BMX), Yorkshire Cricket (interactive zone), Rotherham Golf Club, Skipping School, Sheffield Giants (American flag football) and Sheffield Karate Club. The children spent 30 minutes at each station using specialist equipment and getting a real feel for a range of sports, many of which they had never experienced.
We have also attended some SEND specific events like the Panathlon UK Ten Pin Bowling competition at Hollywood Bowl. The competition provided an opportunity for the children to compete individually and as a team. All the children involved were really positive about the event and it helped to change some children’s perspective on sport and their ability to achieve in sport.
The highlight of the year for many of our children was taking part in the half-time cup on the pitch at the New York Stadium. It was a great opportunity for our pupils to showcase their talent. The children won their match against St Bede’s Catholic Primary School 1-0 with an amazing goal by Alex Fletcher. All the children were a credit to school and couldn’t wait to play in the next round. Sadly, we were knocked out in the second round.
A group of Year 5 pupils visited St Bede’s school at the end of July to take part in a mini-tournament against other local schools, where they enjoyed some more sporting competition.
As well as having all of these wonderful sporting opportunities, we were the lucky winners of the Premier League Primary Stars competition and won new kit for the whole KS2 girls’ football team! We were beyond thrilled that our application was successful and that the efforts that we go to include a wide range of the school community in sporting fixtures was recognised!
We have had a very exciting year of Sport at Thorpe Hesley Primary School this year, offering children a wide variety of opportunities in lessons and the wider curriculum.
Our committed staff have once again worked hard to provide children with a range of after school and lunchtime clubs. Miss Moran has delivered a football club to Year 2 children and a dance club. Mrs Caborn has delivered a Latin and Salsa dance club for children in KS2 and Mrs Morgan led KS2 dance classes in the junior building. All three of these groups performed at our school’s ‘Musical Extravaganza’ in July at Wingfield Academy.
In addition to this, Mr Binney has held a relaxation club in the hall during lunchtimes, giving children the chance to explore yoga and other relaxation techniques. This has taught them the importance of having both healthy bodies and healthy minds. During the Spring Term, Mrs Payne delivered a Year 4 basketball club which helped children improve their skills and prepare them for the Rotherham School Games tournament. Mrs Bailey has continued to promote healthy lunchtimes by providing structured sporting activities every lunch time including football and multi-sports for each year group throughout the week. To celebrate ‘The Euros’ in school, Mrs Bailey set up an in-house competition. This tournament was a huge success and proved very popular – for both boys and girls!
Children have taken part in a range of competitions this year. We began the autumn term with a visit to Abbey School for a cross-country event for children with SEND. We then went on to participate in a dodgeball competition and girls’ football competition, as part of the Rotherham School Games. We also began our RUFC community fixtures with the first round of the Half Time Cup. During the spring term, Year 4 children took part in a basketball tournament and Year 5/6 competed in a football tournament at St Bede’s Primary School. We concluded the spring term with the Year 5/6 sports hall athletics tournament at Cranworth Sport Centre. During the summer term, we provided football tournaments for Year 3/4 at Winterhill School and Year 5/6 at the Rotherham United’s New York Stadium. The Year 5/6 team completed their RUFC Half Time Cup journey by becoming runners up in the final. Our children have enjoyed playing together, representing the school and making memories with friends.
At Thorpe Hesley Primary School, we like to make links with local sports organisations and have had the pleasure of working alongside South Yorkshire Cricket (in KS1 and KS2), to take part in their ‘Chance to Shine’ and with RUFC for their ‘Joy of Moving’ programme for Year 5 children. These programmes have developed the skills of children and have worked as CPD for staff. In addition, Mr Gilpin has worked closely with KS2 children and staff to offer support in PE lessons across school.
During the summer term, as part of their curriculum topic ‘Going for Gold’, KS1 children have learned all about the history of the Olympics and Paralympics, and researched famous athletes including Wilma Rudolph. As part of the topic, children were visited by Paralympian Gavin Walker who spoke to them about his successes playing wheelchair rugby. Children showed great enthusiasm and asked lots of questions. In addition to this, children visited the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield and enjoyed taking part in a range of sporting activities.
Towards the end of the Summer Term, we held our annual sports days. Children were given the opportunity to participate in a range of sporting events at a competitive level for this year’s annual sports day. The days were split into separate events for Nursery, Foundation Stage, KS1, Year 3/4 and Year 5/6. Parents and carers were invited to come along to cheer on their children.
There is no doubt we have had a year jam packed with sporting experiences! We look forward to continuing the development of our students’ love for PE and sport as we go into 2024-25.
NCLT PRIMARY
VARSITY
New College Doncaster were the hosts of this year’s NCLT Primary Varsity event, in what was a scorching hot Wednesday in June.
A new format was introduced this time, which saw Year 4 students from Thorpe Hesley, Redscope, and Anston Greenlands mixed together in to 4 teams, all named after local sportspeople. Pupils played team sports in the morning and then took part in athletics events in the afternoon, all of which scored them points for the final overall standings.
Morning sports:
Boy’s football
Girl’s football
Boccia
Dodgeball
Benchball
Afternoon athletics:
60m sprint
Distance run
Balance race
Relay
Target throw
Speed bounce
Javelin
Broad jump
Sports Leaders and Sports Ambassadors from New College Doncaster volunteered to help run the event and did a fantastic job working with the primary school pupils. They took on many roles on the day including managing teams, officiating, and scoring.
After a great day of competition, effort, and collaboration, the final standings were as follows:
1st) Adams - 44 points
2nd) Fitzpatrick - 40 points
3rd) Burrows - 35 points
4th) Ennis-Hill - 31 points
Brinsworth Academy
Football
Sport has continued to develop rapidly over the past few years, particularly within girls football. The girls have thoroughly enjoyed participating in competitions throughout the year. The Year 7/8 girls football team participated in the EFL cup in October and made it through to the semi-finals in a tough field against 18 teams. We have worked hard at Brinsworth to provide equal opportunities for the girls, and we rewarded them with a trip to Wembley in June to watch England vs Iceland to inspire them further.
Rotherham plate winners were Year 11,10 and 7. All teams successfully competed in the finals where they all demonstrated outstanding teamwork and commitment. Well done to all the plate winners!
Netball
We have had an excellent uptake this year, where we have had three full teams competing in the Rotherham schools’ fixtures weekly. The Year 9 girls reached the Rotherham School Cup final, securing first place, taking away the Rotherham plate.
R Block
In line with our inclusive ethos, we provided extracurricular opportunities to all students including those who access our R Block provision. These activities include boxing, cycling, boccia, football and dragon ball. We have taken students from our R Block provision to these events to encourage participation with other school students, enabling them to develop and demonstrate great resilience and sportsmanship.
Underbank
All the Y9 Sport Studies students attended a day trip to Underbank as a part of their assessed coursework. They took part in a range of activities including climbing, orienteering, kayaking and paddleboarding. The students had to do a risk assessment for the day and then evaluate how successful they were in each activity regarding leadership, teamwork, confidence and resilience.
This is our second year running the Duke of Edinburgh bronze award. Working toward this Award has made a noticeable difference to the students' engagement and extracurricular attendance. Students have attended regularly in period 6 to plan a 13km hike around Birchover, to learn how to cook using the cooking stoves and to develop their first aid skills in preparation for their assessed expedition. The students have demonstrated resilience throughout and outstanding commitment to the course.
D of E
Sports Leaders
Over the past two years we have been developing our sports leaders’ confidence in planning events and enhancing their organisational skills. The training we have been doing with the students this year has enabled them to run a range of competitions and organise a sports day for feeder schools.They have shown outstanding leadership over the year.
Sports Day
Through the support and hard work of our sports leaders we held sports day for the Year 9 and 10 cohort at the English Institute of Sport. This was a great opportunity for all students to participate in a range of athletics events in an interform competition. This was an incredible experience for students who wanted to opt in to attending the National Sports Centre.
In 2023-2024, Dinnington High School celebrated remarkable achievements in sports, highlighted by an incredible sports tour in India, football victories at national and regional levels, a thrilling ski trip to Bormio, and impressive performances in athletics. Notable successes included triumphs at the Coalfields Regeneration game, the EFD Sport and Education Schools Cup, and the inaugural Secondary Schools Varsity. Individual students excelled in football, athletics, and ice hockey, showcasing their talents on both national and international stages. The year also featured a vibrant sports day and an enriching visit to Sheffield Hallam University, underscoring the school’s commitment to fostering athletic excellence and community spirit.
India Sports Tour
In July 2023, our students embarked on an unforgettable sports tour in India. They proudly represented Dinnington High School, competing against local teams in football, cricket, netball, and hockey. The tour included visits to major sights in Delhi, Jaipur, and concluded with a memorable visit to the Taj Mahal.
EFD Sport and Education Schools Cup
Football Achievements
Coalfields Regeneration Trust - Game On!
Huge congratulations to the Year 10/11 boys’ football teams for their outstanding performances at the Coalfields Regeneration game national finals. Both teams reached the semi-finals, with our second team winning the tournament. They will be playing at Manchester City, representing England in the Coalfields Regeneration Cup against Wales and Scotland this summer.
Our Year 8 boys' team competed in Nottingham, securing third place in the group stage. Special recognition goes to Travis for his exceptional performance, winning the Player's Player award, scoring eight goals in five games, and earning Ben Osborn’s signed football shirt.
Rotherham Schools Football Cup
The Year 11 boys narrowly missed out in the final against Wickersley.
Notable Individual Achievements in Football
Boys Football:
Rydder Walker: Playing at Mansfield Town Academy and for South Yorkshire School Boys.
Harrison Langford: Representing Sheffield Wednesday.
Lucas McAnspie: Playing at Sheffield United.
Tommy Cawthorne: Selected for Rotherham School Boys.
Girls Football:
Ruvarashe Samupindi (Y7): On trial at Sheffield United.
Alicia Windle (Y10): Signed by Leeds United.
Ski Trip to Bormio
In March 2024, Year 8 and 9 students had an exhilarating ski trip to Bormio in the Italian Alps. Their remarkable progress allowed every pupil to participate in the end-of-week ski race. Their determination and improvement were truly commendable. We are eagerly anticipating next year's trip, with 68 pupils already signed up to join the adventure.
Athletics Success
County Schools Championships: Mikey Bacon, Hayley Bacon, and Edward Rose won medals. Mikey and Hayley were selected to represent South Yorkshire at the English Schools Cross Country Championships in March. Additionally, Mikey was chosen to run the 1500m, and Henry Parker the 200m, for South Yorkshire at the English Schools Track and Field Championships in July.
Y7 Athletics Team: Won the Annual Inter Schools Athletics Championships, outperforming other schools from Rotherham.
Dinnington’s Victory at the Inaugural Secondary Schools Varsity
Dinnington High School proudly claimed the overall title at the inaugural NCLT Secondary Schools Varsity, excelling in multiple sports, including boys’ and girls’ football, athletics, tag rugby, and netball. This achievement underscores the dedication and skill of our athletes and coaches.
Dinnington High School Sports Day 2024
We hosted our first full sports day in a long time, involving all pupils in Years 7, 8, and 9. The event featured track and field athletics, fun races, an inflatable obstacle course, and an ice cream van. The day was a resounding success, filled with energy, sportsmanship, and community spirit. Well done to everyone who participated and contributed to making Sports Day 2024 an unforgettable experience!
Y7 Bike Day
Well done to all the students in Year 7 who participated in the Bike Celebration Day! They all did amazingly in both the races and orienteering activities. Huge thanks goes to the students who were kind enough to let others borrow their bikes; we couldn’t have done it without their kindness and generosity. Each and every one of them was a
Duke of Edinburgh
16 pupils in Y10 completed their Bronze DofE expedition in the peak district. They experienced mixed conditions include a very wet second day. They all completed the award and should be extremely proud of their achievement.
Other Notable Highlights
Y12 Visit to Sheffield Hallam University: Our Year 12 sport students thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Sheffield Hallam University.
Y9 at EIS: Our Year 9 sport students had a great time at the English Institute of Sport (EIS).
Yorkshire Schools Championships: Congratulations to Charlotte and Maddison for winning the Under 19’s Yorkshire Schools Championships in Gym Acrobatics.
Ice Hockey: William Durgan was selected for the England National Team Programme. William will play for the AAA U14s in a tournament in Finland in April, having been recommended by his club coaches from Kingston Sharks in Hull.
Kyle Bower travelled to Slovakia to represent England in Ice Hockey.
Y7 and 8 Boys Football Team after beating Wingfield in the Schools Cup.
Y11 Netball team at the Y11 Tournament.
Congratulations to all our students for their hard work and dedication. Here's to another year of outstanding achievements in sports!
Boys Football
Boys football has again proved extremely popular this year with an excellent uptake from our Key Stage 3 students. The boys have participated in Rotherham schools’ cup, the ESFA and the South Yorkshire cup.
Y8 football team – Rotherham plate winners
The Year 8s did brilliantly to successfully qualify for the Rotherham plate final, beating St Pius in the semifinal. The boys then faced Wickersley in the final at St Bernards and were 4-2 winners. All were outstanding in this brilliant achievement by all our boys.
Y9 football team – Rotherham plate winners
The Year 9 boys faced St Pius in the semifinal of the Rotherham plate and had a resounding 7-0 victory to take Wingfield through to the final against Clifton. The boys were 5-1 winners in what was a fantastic game. The boys were brilliant throughout the game, showing outstanding ability and teamwork, and ending the 1-0 game as winners.
Girls football
This year we have had lots of girls participating in football enrichment for the first time. The girls have participated in Rotherham schools' fixtures and the English schools’ cup competition.
Our Under-13s competed in the U13 Utilita Cup Rotherham schools’ tournament and finished group winners without conceding a goal. The girls were unfortunately knocked out by penalties in the semifinal of the competition but were brilliant throughout and really enjoyed the day.
Our U15s also took part in a Rotherham school competition. The girls performed excellently during the day, finishing in third place overall with three of our girls (Elizabeth Froggatt, Bronte Webster and Gabriella Rodgers), successfully scouted for a talent identification event. All our girls deserve huge congratulations!
Netball
We have had an excellent uptake this year with lots of girls trying netball for the first time and taking part in the Rotherham schools’ fixtures. All the girls showed great commitment and improved throughout the season.
Indoor Athletics
Both our Year 7 and 8 girls and boys performed brilliantly at the Rotherham schools’ indoor athletics events held at Clifton. Our Year 7 girls were the standout performers, finishing overall in third place out of 10 schools across South Yorkshire.
Cheer
The Cheerleading Team started training in September with students from Y7 to Y9, most of whom had never done any kind of dance, cheerleading or gymnastics before. All of their hard work and dedication to training, both in the week and at weekends in preparation for the National Schools Cheerleading Competition, definitely paid off. The girls finished tenth in all of the schools in England and are now training for Level 2. Miss Rodgers, along with the team's captain Ellie and vice-captain Isabelle, are so incredibly proud of the team and of the routine that was created to showcase their undeniable talent.
Rugby
We welcomed Rotherham Titans again this year who delivered various rugby sessions to our boys and girls in Year 8. This was a great opportunity for our students who really enjoyed the sessions and made great progress with their rugby skills.
Sherwood Pines
Our Year 9 students attended a day trip at Sherwood Pines where they selected to take part in a variety of activities including Go Ape, nets adventure and Bushcraft. The main purpose of the trip was to help the students develop some of our key philosophies in PE including teamwork, leadership, confidence and resilience. Both days were brilliant and all our students behaved impeccably throughout.
Our Year 8 students attended the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield for a full day in November. Each student represented their forms in various team building activities and fun games during the morning session, as well as competing as a form in various indoor athletics events in the afternoon. It was a brilliant day enjoyed by both staff and students alike, with amazing resilience and team work shown throughout the day.
Sports leaders
Our Y9 Sports Leaders have worked closely with a group of SEND students from Abbey School and Horizon this year and have also helped out at various primary events such as a colour run and ‘step into sport’ event. They have been an absolute credit to Wingfield and demonstrated incredible leadership, empathy and enthusiasm throughout all the events. They are also due to assist the PE team with the running of our sports day this year. We are immensely proud of them all!
NCLT SECONDARY
VARSITY
After two postponements due to bad weather, the first ever NCLT Secondary Varsity event was finally able to take place in June and was hosted by Dinnington High School. Sport Leaders from the sixth form at Dinnington volunteered to lead, score, and officiate the events on the day, and they did a fantastic job.
Brinsworth and Wingfield brought across their Year 7 teams for a brilliant day of team sports and athletics, with each event carrying points in the overall standings. The morning sports (and winners) were:
Boy’s football (Dinnington)
Girl’s football (Dinnington)
Badminton (Wingfield)
Tag rugby (Dinnington)
Netball (Dinnington)
Athletics in the afternoon included 12 different events:
Boys/girls 100m
Boys/girls 200m
Boys/girls 800m
Boys/girls 4x100m relay
Boys/girls Javelin
Boys/girls Broad Jump
Points were scored based on where each school’s best finishing athletes placed in each event.
Dinnington stormed to victory, claiming the first NCLT Secondary Varsity crown! The final overall standings were as follows:
1st) Dinnington - 59 points
2nd) Wingfield - 40 points
3rd) Brinsworth - 30 points
After the huge success of this year’s event, the plan is to expand to more than one year group in the 2025 competition.
The 2023/24 academic year has seen some great sporting achievements at New College Bradford, and our students have benefited from outstanding personal development opportunities in sport (as recognised by Ofsted in our recent inspection). The number of students active at college has increased again and rugby league has been added to the competitive sport offer for both boys and girls.
Sporting Achievements
1st Team Men’s Football - 1st in AOC Yorkshire West B
2nd Team Men’s Football - 5th in AOC Yorkshire West D
Women’s Football - 3rd in AOC Yorkshire League 2
Netball - 6th in AOC Yorkshire West B
Basketball - 5th in AOC Yorkshire League 4
T20 Cricket - 2nd in AOC Yorkshire League
Men’s Football Invincibles
New College Bradford 1st Team footballers completed the ultimate achievement this season, winning every single one of their league matches! Coached by the highly experienced Anthony Gallagher, the team only conceded 4 goals all season and will now be promoted into Yorkshire West Division A for next year’s campaign. This will see them take on some of the most established college 1st teams in the region, a great accomplishment for NCB in just their 5th year of competing.
Rugby League
For the first time since opening, students have been able to take part in rugby league whilst studying at New College Bradford this year, supported by our partners Bradford Bulls. The Bulls captain Michael Lawrence has run the men’s team, who have played in multiple friendlies as well as the college varsity event. Ellie Smith has coached the women’s side who have competed in several regional festivals in
Turing Sport & Culture Trips
After a very strong application and interview process, 26 students were selected for the opportunity to travel to Italy and Malta to complete coaching work placements and experience a different culture. Whilst on these trips, students developed strong organisation and leadership qualities, as well as the ability to communicate with participants who don’t speak English as their first language. They have also been able to visit some fantastic cities and landmarks including Florence, Valletta, San Marino, and the silent city of Mdina. Students were also able to attend the Euro 2024 qualifier between Malta and Ukraine at the national stadium!
Guest Speakers
A number of high profile and experienced professionals in the sports industry have visited students at New College Bradford to deliver talks and practical workshops. Premier League referee Andy Madley spoke to students about working in professional football and what life is like as a high-profile official. From the FA, Pav Singh and Lee Ashforth have delivered talks and workshops on coaching and other career opportunities that are available in the field of sport.
Primary Dodgeball Event
NCB hosted a highly competitive and well attended primary school dodgeball event on behalf of British Dodgeball. Students studying on the Sports Leaders qualification completed a level 1 dodgeball qualification in the morning which prepared them to lead and officiate the event in the afternoon. 10 primary schools were in attendance and accompanying staff gave glowing feedback about the organisation and leadership of the New College Bradford students.
Enrichment Awards
The achievements of the year across all enrichments were celebrated in an event in June, hosted by Bradford university once again. Awards were presented for each of the competitive teams, as well as some for outstanding achievements. Men’s 1st Team Football won team of the year after their unbeaten season. Ed Smith and Isma Ahmed won male and female performers of the year respectively, and Isaac Sunley won the sports personality of the year.
Participation numbers
140 in competitive sport 90 in participation sports
There has been lots to celebrate this year in sport at New College Doncaster. Competitive teams have excelled, facilities have developed, and students have been provided with incredible opportunities and experiences once again.
Competitive Sport
Sporting Achievements
Men’s Football 1st Team - 2nd in AOC Yorkshire West A
Men’s Football 2nd Team - 1st in AOC Yorkshire West C
Men’s Football 3rd Team - 1st in AOC Yorkshire West D
Netball 1st Team - 1st in AOC Yorkshire West A
Netball 2nd Team - 5th in AOC Yorkshire East B
Basketball 1st Team - 1st in AOC Yorkshire League 2
Basketball 2nd Team - 5th in AOC Yorkshire League 3
Rugby Union - 4th in AOC Yorkshire League
New College Doncaster have had their most successful year in competitive sport since opening in 2017 and have made huge strides in the quality of their sport provision. Out of 8 teams competing this season, an amazing 4 league titles were won, along with several other teams going close in their division too. The newly branded NCD Sports Academy, and investment in facilities and specialist equipment, has attracted talented athletes to study and compete at the college, as well as improving the quality of training sessions and match preparation.
Turing Malta Trip
After a thorough application and interview process, 20 sport students were selected to participate in the Turing funded sport and culture trip to Malta in October 2023. This was an amazing opportunity for them to gain sport related work experience abroad, meet new people, and take in a different culture. Students delivered PE lessons in local primary and secondary schools in Gozo, as well as organising sport competitions between themselves and a nearby sixth form in the area. In their spare time, they visited local points of interest and took part in excursions such as a boat trip to Blue Lagoon, E-bike and Segway tours on the coastline, and visits to Victoria and Citadella. To top it off, the group were able to attend the Euro 2024 qualifier between Malta and Ukraine at the national stadium!
NCLT Primary Varsity Hosts
In June, New College Doncaster hosted the second ever NCLT primary school varsity event, which was a huge success. Year 12 sports leaders and sports ambassadors were tasked with running team sport and athletics events, officiating, scoring, managing teams, and chaperoning visitors around college site. The day ran smoothly thanks to their hard work and enthusiasm, and Trust primary staff were extremely complimentary about their contribution to the event.
Sports Awards
With lots of achievements to celebrate, the annual NCD Sports Awards were held in April at The Hilton Inn at Doncaster Racecourse. The event was very well attended, and it was a great evening of music, food, and presentations. Each team coach gave a review of the season before announcing winners of their individual awards. The team of the year award was very difficult to decide on this year, but ultimately went to 1st Team Basketball for their fantastic league win and Varsity performance. Tom Dawson and Ella Ryan won make and female sports personality of the year respectively, and Tom Rich won coach of the year for his league win with the men’s football 3rd team, as well as his great social media work for the NCD Sport Academies.
Participation numbers
150 in competitive sport
80 in participation sports
Sport has continued to thrive at New College Pontefract this academic year. Numbers participating in physical activity have grown significantly, the amount of competitive teams has increased, and a variety of amazing experiences have been provided for our students.
Sporting Achievements
Men’s 1st Team Football - 2nd in AOC Yorkshire Championship
Women’s 1st Team Football - 3rd in ECFA Premier League
Mens’s 2nd Team Football - 4th in AOC Yorkshire Central
Women’s 2nd Team Football - 3rd in AOC Yorkshire League 1
Men’s 3rd Team Football - 6th in AOC Yorkshire West B
Men’s 4th Team Football - 2nd in AOC Yorkshire West C
Men’s 5th Team Football - 2nd in AOC Yorkshire West D
Netball 1st Team - 3rd in AOC Yorkshire League
Netball 2nd Team - 2nd in AOC Yorkshire West A
Basketball 1st Team - 3rd in AOC Yorkshire League 2
Basketball 2nd Team - 4th in AOC Yorkshire League 4
Rugby League 1st Team - 3rd in RFL Yorkshire Regional West
Rugby League 2nd Team - 3rd in RFL Yorkshire Regional East
Mixed Hockey - 3rd in AOC Yorkshire League
Badminton - 3rd in AOC Yorkshire League
Indoor Cricket - Regional champions. National Semi-finalists
T20 Cricket - 2nd in AOC North East Division
Volleyball - 3rd in regional championships
Golf - 4th in AOC Yorkshire League
AOC Sport Yorkshire Champions
For a second year running, New College Pontefract have been crowned Yorkshire champions of the AOC Sport points competition. Points are scored based on number of active teams, regional/national championship success, and final league standings. Pontefract finished 8 points clear of Wyke in second place, and 15 points clear of Greenhead in third. Retaining the title is a demonstration of all the hard work staff put in, as well as the great commitment and talent displayed by the students.
Turing Sport & Culture Trips
After successfully securing Turing funding for the 23/24 academic year, 40 students were given the opportunity to travel to Italy and Malta to complete coaching work placements and experience a different culture. Whilst on these trips, students developed strong organisation and leadership qualities, as well as the ability to communicate with participants who don’t speak English as their first language. They have also been able to visit some fantastic cities and landmarks including Florence, Valletta, San Marino, and the silent city of Mdina.
Growth in Participation
This year, more students than ever have taken part in sport and physical activity. This is thanks to the addition of several competitive sport teams and participation opportunities. Mixed hockey, men’s football 5th, and women’s football 2nd team were included on top of last year’s offer, activating a further 40 students. A very popular and well organised internal 5-aside league held at A1 football factory has seen 16 teams and over 100 students take part. This has been a fantastic participation opportunity for those that didn’t make it into a competitive team, or who wanted a more casual playing option.
Sports Awards
This year, NCP sports awards were held at Pontefract RUFC following their recent renovations. It was a great event which involved speeches, awards, and a competition between teams which ran throughout the event. This included knockout darts, a plank off, and a sports themed higher or lower quiz. Attendees had a great time, and Basketball 2nd Team were the competition winners. Men’s 1st Team football won team of the year, Jacob Varley and Erim Thorpe won male/female sports personality, and Mark Flores won coach of the year.
Participation numbers
260 in competitive sport
160 in participation sports
NEW COLLEGE
VARSITY
The third annual NCLT College Varsity event was held in March at the University of Hull, who were brilliant hosts once again and allowed us access to all of their fantastic sports facilities for the day. The atmosphere at the event was brilliant, with students supporting their teams, and sporting their college colours.
All three colleges competed across 9 different sports, with the introduction of rugby league on top of last year’s competitions. Here is the list of each event that took place along with this year’s winning team:
Men’s football 1st team (NCP)
Men’s football 2nd team (NCP)
Women’s football (NCP)
Basketball (NCD)
Netball (NCP)
Rugby 9’s (NCP)
Indoor Cricket (NCB)
Badminton (NCD)
Volleyball (NCP)
The result in each fixture, from all 9 different sports, contributed to the final overall standings. Here’s how it ended up this year:
1st) New College Pontefract - 50 points
2nd) New College Doncaster - 42 points
3rd) New College Bradford - 25 points
Congratulations to New College Pontefract who retained the college varsity title for a third year running, which was secured by winning both of their games in the volleyball finale. The level of competition is growing every year and each event is getting closer and closer. Will anyone be able to steal the crown from NCP next year?
