A Guide to Sport- Summer Term 2023

SPORT AT RGS

Reigate Grammar School is renowned for its sport and prowess on the games field. Our aim is to provide all students with a sports programme that will foster a lifelong involvement in sport.

Watch our Vision For Sport film at http://rgs.to/ visionforsport

DIRECTOR OF SPORT

WELCOME

The Spring Term was incredibly busy for sport with Hockey, Netball, Swimming and Rugby Sevens all in the late stages of National Competition. Our International Exhibition Hockey Match was another great success and thank you to all those who came to support.

We have five National quarter-finalists with our Netball and Hockey teams throughout the spring with three teams still in competition at the time of writing. This is a great achievement and testament to all the hard work the pupils put into their training. We also had National Champions in Biathlon with Eva M winning the U19s and Gabi H winning the U17 competition. Gabi also went on to win the National Fencing title the following week to become a double National Champion!

As we look forward to the Summer Term we’re excited that Cricket, Athletics and Tennis will take centre stage, although there is a lot more to get excited about with Sports Day the big

highlight of term on Friday 16 June. You are all very welcome to attend and I hope the weather is (almost) as good as last year! While the summer term is also the time for exams I hope you’ll join me in encouraging pupils to maintain the balance between school work and sport that has got them into such a great position over the previous months and years. It is really important to us that we have strong teams throughout the summer and for those that have been looking forward to this term all year to have their chance to shine.

I do hope you enjoy the summer as much as we will and look forward to seeing you all on the sidelines soon.

George Browning, Director of Sport

Sport continues to evolve at RGS with increasing emphasis on our vision to develop Great People Through Sport . Being part of Team Reigate is about being part of something bigger than yourself and we hope that all students will have the chance to shine. We want all students to experience sport in line with our six missions to create great people, shown here. Much of what we do revolves around creating meaningful and memorable experiences for the students of which there should be many each term. We want to create an environment where all students have a positive experience during fixtures. This means both RGS and opposition teams. Being part of Team Reigate is about being part of something bigger than yourself and we hope that all pupils will have the chance to shine in this environment. Watch our Vision for Sport short film.

To find out more about how sport is developing at RGS please use this link to view the latest Pilgrim Review.

SPRING TERM REVIEW

HIGHLIGHTS

Here are a few highlights from the Spring term. A full review will feature in the next edition of the Pilgrim Review, and you can read the dedicated sport updates in the Headmaster’s bulletin each week.

much Sevens success, including four bits of silverware heading to school, the teams have been hugely successful this year. The girls programme continues to grow and RGS are proud to host the biggest girls festival in the region in conjunction with UR7s. The girls will head to Rosslyn Park National Sevens in all age groups in the last week of the summer term.

HOCKEY

It is worth noting that our continued partnership with Reigate Priory Hockey club gives so many of our pupils a chance to play additional hockey locally, and our new partnership with Top Premiership Hockey Club Holcombe allow us to bring outstanding coaching talent to the school on a daily basis. With three current internationals coaching on every session, it is no surprise that we remain in three National competitions at the quarter-final stages, at the time of writing.

NETBALL

Our Netball teams had a strong end to the season with two teams reaching the late stages of the National competition. Our U14 girls lost by one goal to Epsom College in the quarter-finals while our U15s went one better to reach the semi-finals before losing out 43-40 to an excellent side. They will go in to next year full of confidence.

Read more about the Cricket Tour to UAE in February and watch our short film with highlights from the trip!

for the third consecutive year and putting on an equally impressive performance at the National Independent Schools Bath Cup. With 20 pupils representing school at the National Biathlon Championships, we also came away with two National Champions!

RUGBY

With four RFU Level 3 coaches on the staff at RGS, the school is as well resourced with top coaches as any in the region, and more than any other day school in the country. It is perhaps why the 1st XV remain the highest ranked Co-Ed Day School in the country according to the Daily Mail Trophy League, the National competition. With

SWIMMING

Our swimmers have gone from strength to strength winning the Senior Girls competition at the Surrey Championships

FOOTBALL

Football continues to grow at RGS, with the senior boys side reaching the latter stages of both the ISFA London Cup and the Trinity School’s Cup. At the time of writing, they lost out on penalties in the semi-final of the Trinity School’s Cup to City of London and are still in the semi-final of the ISFA against Bede’s taking place before the end of the Spring Term. The development of a new partnership with South Park FC, using their 4G pitch for both training and matches has seen the programme go from strength to strength. Junior and intermediate boys have had a number of competitive fixtures against a number of local schools in the area, which has seen the emergence of the next generation aspiring to achieve the successes of the senior side this season. Our Junior Girls have continued to dominate local District tournaments, retaining their title in the process. Whilst the Intermediate Girls continue to progress through the ISFA competition, remaining unbeaten at the time of writing.

SUMMER TERM PREVIEW

OUR VISION

We love watching students succeed and often winning a narrowly contested game brings smiles and excitement. But we need to remember that sport is not a zero-sum game where there must always be a winner and a loser. It is our intention to restructure the way we think about sport so that we can create opportunities for all pupils to have a great experience. This way the score simply takes care of itself. I would be extremely grateful if you could continue to support us and your child in their sporting journeys by reinforcing these points, among many others that you will pick up on as your child moves through their years at RGS.

George Browning Director of Sport

We encourage all pupils to head outdoors for sport in the summer term for Games and so our Senior programme will continue to be as diverse as ever with the reintroduction of sailing, as well as paddle boarding and trail running for those that wish to try something new. The traditional sports of athletics, tennis and, of course, cricket will run as the key sports during lower years Games sessions.

We are looking forward to welcoming back the students for the Summer Term, in 2023 and we have an exciting term of sport about to get underway with many cricket, athletics and tennis fixtures going on as well as our usual co-curricular programme of sport. One of the highlights of the sporting calendar will be Sports Day, scheduled for Friday 16 June. More information will follow on this soon. In the meantime, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a few key parts of our sport programme.

At RGS, we strongly believe in the power of sport to develop students into the best possible versions of themselves. Indeed, our vision is to develop great people through sport in a selfless, supportive and values-based environment where students strive to be involved in something bigger than themselves. We want to help nurture risk-taking, determination, authenticity, selflessness and adaptability in all students, as this is how we believe we will enable them to flourish. The score always comes second to the performance, and we rarely talk about results. I thought it would be useful to outline a few key things that you might see as you watch

the students play as we strive deliver a modern approach to coaching sport in schools.

Once again, this term you will continue to see:

• Students taking responsibility for their own warm-ups, where possible, to enhance leadership and organisation.

• Students making decisions themselves, through collaboration with team-mates to encourage self-sufficiency and to develop creative problem solvers (this is often after guidance from teachers during training sessions).

• Teachers are unlikely to be shouting on from the side lines. It is important to us that the students learn during the game through their reflection and through the support of their peers. You will see less concurrent feedback from the side lines as students get older.

• The best players will not necessarily have more important roles than others. We want everyone to develop and therefore we must share opportunities with all students.

• Our intention is to create an environment where every student on the pitch has a great experience, both RGS students and our opposition. We want competitive games where the result hangs in the balance until as late as possible in the game. This keeps students engaged and enjoying sport as the perception of competence is important to all. We put collaboration with opposition above competition against opposition, so games can bring smiles and excitement.

CORE SUMMER SPORTS CRICKET PROGRAMME

CRICKET

The Cricket programme now transitions into phases of competition, following physical and technical preparation during the Autumn & Spring terms. We now look forward to seeing the students hard work come to fruition this season.

Finally the cricket season is upon us, and hopefully the weather will start to warm and dry up soon to see students’ hardwork over the winter come to fruition on the pitch. There is a full programme in place for all students’ ability and experience. During Games afternoons all students will be able to access cricket, whether softball or hardball at a level they choose to access. Both the Boys’ and Girls’ programmes continue to develop and grow, and we are pleased to be able to put out hardball B teams for the lower girls age groups every Saturday for the first time. In addition, the C, and where applicable, D teams for the boys have fixtures during their Games afternoons throughout the first half of term. On Saturdays, we have adapted the fixture list slightly where we play against other mixed independent day schools, who also have developing girl’s programmes. Being able to work in conjunction with other like-minded and progressive cricket schools will enhance the cricketing development and experience of all students. It is our desire to find the right level of development and challenge within matches. If with 5 overs to go in the match, all results are possible and every student has had the chance to contribute in the match – we are well on the way to creating an appropriate environment for learning and opportunity. In these scenarios it will provide students with the opportunity to make decisions under relatively safe pressure. The outcome, whether leading to success or not, will provide the opportunity to learn from mistakes in the process and improve as cricketers and people.

Our senior U18 Girls are looking forward to taking part in two National Cups, the School Sport Magazine T20 Cup and the Cricketer Paper 100 Ball Cup. Our U15 Girls are also taking part in the School Sport Magazine T20 Cup, where they placed third in 2021 reaching finals day, something we will be looking to emulate again. In addition, our U15 Girls reached the Regional stage of the Lady Taverner’s Indoor Competition and are hopeful of further success to potentially reach the National Finals day. At a County level at U15, U14, U13 & U12 – all Boys and Girls teams will have County Cups with the Surrey Schools Cricket Association. At a performance end, these competitions will provide students the opportunity to test themselves against the boys schools and oppositions in the county. Finally, at the top end of the school we are at the sharp end of academia with A-Levels and GCSEs on the horizon, whilst at various other points during the term each year group will also face end of year examinations. There is no better preparation for these exams than cricket: developing the abilities and powers of concentration to bat for two hours and compile an innings of great composure; or bowling a spell where every ball time after time is on the money and asking questions of the batter; to complement preparation for students’ exams.

It’s going to be a great summer, bring it on!

All fixtures, can be viewed here James Leck Assistant Director of Sport, Operations & Head of Cricket

September - October

Off-Season - Rest

November - December

Physical Preparation

January - February

Technical Preparation

March

Specific Technical Preparation

April

Pre-Competition

May - June

School Competition

July - August

Club Competition & Transition

To quote a renowned thinker in the world of sport & education:

‘ The world that teenagers inhabit is at the opposite end of the continuum from cricket. We live in a world of multiple stimulation, constant distraction, instant action, and unrelenting communication. The idea of being far away from social media to field for two hours is as far from the youth consciousness as it is possible to be. There is still value in patience and concentration. Of learning to focus on a single activity and to appreciate the value of slow. To be aware of the demands of a team which sometimes requires individual sacrifice for the benefit of the whole. Appreciating the achievements of others, and applying oneself. To mastering complex skills over a prolonged period.’

ATHLETICS

This summer’s track and field season is greatly anticipated, following the successes of our cross country and indoor athletics performances - highlights being the Junior Boys reaching the ESAA Cross Country Cup Finals, eleven of our runners selected to represent Surrey Schools Cross Country (with three students qualifying for the individual Nationals) and both our First Form girls and boys winning the Surrey County Sportshall Athletics Finals.

In the summer term, we will be running our Athletics Club after school at Hartswood on a Monday and Wednesday – both weekly sessions are for all ages and abilities and students are welcome to attend both or one session. Please sign up on the activities lists. We encourage athletes to bring their spikes to Athletics Games and after school Athletics Club.

We will be entering girls’ and boys’ teams, from First Form to Upper Sixth Form, into their respective District Championships. The Districts is the start of the individual pathway journey and, for Third Form and above, can lead to selection for the ESAA Inter Counties on 10th June and representing Surrey at the ESAA English Schools Track and Field Championships, 30th June - 1st July. Individual performances at the District Championships also count towards overall RGS team positions.

Our Intermediate and Junior Boys and Girls teams will be competing in the

ESAA Track and Field Cup, the County round is on 10th May. Each Junior team will comprise athletes from First and Second Form combined, and the Intermediate teams will be athletes from Third and Fourth Form combined. An athlete has to compete in two events; track and field, track and relay or field and relay. Performance times and distances equate to points and individual points are added to give the overall team total. Team positions and totals count towards progression to the Regionals and then National Finals. In this exciting team event, we could end up with combinations of a top 1500m runner also throwing the discus, or our number one javelin thrower running a leg of the relay, to ensure we try and maximise our overall points.

In addition to our championship competitions, our teams will be participating in friendly school fixtures, hosted at Hartswood and other schools. We will also be supporting and encouraging our athletes in open track events. School Sports Day is on 16th June and we very much hope all our students will participate and enjoy a day of wonderful sport at Hartswood. At all our events, home or away, parents are most welcome to watch and soak up the track-side atmosphere. As always, thank you for your support.

Tania Hillsdon Head of Athletics & Cross Country

CORE SUMMER SPORTS

Tennis at RGS has continued to go from strength to strength, and the Summer term see the official start of the Tennis season. The past few years has seen Tennis explode in popularity at RGS and it has been fantastic to see so many students with the passion to play.

Students will have to opportunity to choose Tennis as a games option from Third Form up, and all year groups have a dedicated after school training night on the MUGA or at Hartswood.

We are excited to continue to strengthen our partnerships with our local community partners, both Boom Tennis and Reigate Priory Lawn Tennis Club. These partnerships contribute to our provision of expert coaching during Games sessions and after school practices to stretch and challenge all students.

All age groups have a challenging and competitive fixtures circuit with both

boys’ and girls’ squads entered into the:

• Surrey Schools Tennis League

• Surrey Festival (a real highlight!)

• Saturday friendly fixtures

Last year our U13 girls reached the semi-finals of the Surrey Festival, and showed true Reigatian values as they were awarded the sportsmanship award by the tournament organisers. We hope to have similar success both in the way that we play, and conduct ourselves on the court.

For those students that enjoy two or more sports, we encourage them to balance Tennis with those sports. The majority of league fixtures will be organised after school during the week, in order not to clash with other activities where possible.

Rob Field Head of Racquets

CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMME SPORTS

Our co-curricular programme is extensive. It is not an expectation for students to attend all sessions! Indeed, we emphasise the importance of balance and rest. Students should be doing no more per week than their age in years as hours of participation (11 hours total for an 11-year-old - including all sport, not just school). They should also all have at least one day off completely. If the student is in doubt about what their sport loading should look like they should consult a member of the PE department for advice. Please also note that non-attendance for a good, pre-agreed reason will not affect selection for teams.

SWIMMING/STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

For a full list of all Sports fixtures and results, and all Co-Curricular Clubs please consult SOCS . You can read more about Specialist Clubs, Clubs and Activities and Sport in our online publications.

CURRICULUM GAMES

GAMES

Games session are on week day afternoons during periods six and seven. The sports played during the summer term are highlighted in the table below. It is important to note that if you wish to play a different sport you can do so during our extensive extracurricular programme. In curriculum games we make sure that students experience a range of sports with more choice evolving as they get older and begin to select their preferred sports.

CORE SPORTS

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

THIRD FORM FOURTH FORM FIFTH FORM SIXTH FORM

Girls NETBALL MULTI-SPORT (FROM H/T)

Boys HOCKEY MULTI-SPORT (FROM H/T)

COMMUNICATION

CHOICE: 4 OPTIONS

CHOICE: 4 OPTIONS

CHOICE: 8 OPTIONS

CHOICE: 8 OPTIONS

CHOICE: 17 OPTIONS

CHOICE: 17 OPTIONS

We encourage face-to-face discussion where possible and ask pupils to find the relevant member of staff in school. If this is not possible a Microsoft Teams message to the appropriate member of staff is preferred. During term time you can find all information regarding the fixture programme and team selection on our sports website www.reigategrammarsport.org and we endeavour to get the information up as early as possible to allow for forward planning as we recognise that weekends and evenings can get very congested. On some platforms, you may be required to sign-in using the password: TeamReigate7.

CONTACTS

If parents need to get in touch with a member of staff to discuss a matter, we ask that an email be sent directly to the relevant team coach or the head of that specific sport as far in advance as possible. For unforeseen events, such as illness, an email to the head of sport is greatly appreciated.

Head of Athletics & Cross Country – Mrs Hillsdon - teh@reigategrammar.org

Head of Athletic Development – Ms Hoad – ljh@reigategrammar.org

Head of Cricket – Mr Leck – jcl@reigategrammar.org

Head of Football – Mr Forbes - cff@reigategrammar.org

Head of Golf – Mr Rutland – bcr@reigategrammar.org

Head of Hockey – Mrs Wickham - rjw@reigategrammar.org

Head of Hockey Development & Tennis – Mr Field rjf@reigategrammar.org

Head of Netball – Mrs Bell – kjb@reigategrammar.org

Head of PE (Practical) – Mrs Trewinnard – dlt@reigategrammar.org

Head of Rugby - Mr Cooper - doc@reigategrammar.org

Head of Swimming – Mrs Cline – clc@reigategrammar.org

Assistant Directors of Sport:

Operations – Mr James Leck (BTEC Sport, Head of Cricket) – jcl@reigategrammar.org

Engagement - Mr Craig Burgess (GCSE PE, Engagement & Specialist Sports) – jcb@reigategrammar.org

Performance - Mr Jack Emmerson (A-Level PE, Performance) – jbe@reigategrammar.org

Director of Sport:

Mr George Browning – gjb@reigategrammar.org

SCHOOL REPRESENTATION AND SATURDAY SPORT

RGS FIXTURES

Playing sport for the school and wearing the RGS badge is a huge part of the school’s ethos and a privilege which we hope students both honour and respect. We play fixtures during the week and large block fixtures on Saturdays. On rare occasions there may also be competitions on Sundays. The majority of fixtures will take place in mornings but with travel time included these often take a large part of the day. If selected students are required to attend the fixture and it is our aim to make it one of the highlights of their week. We pledge to select all students who wish to play as often as we can and thus have as many teams per year group as staffing and facility availability allow. Should any student be unavailable for a fixture they must give as much notice as possible, and preferably more than a weeks advanced warning. This request for absence should be directed to the team coach so that he or she can keep a track of who is available to play. Whilst we understand there can be exceptional circumstances, we recognise four key reasons for requesting an absence from a fixture:

• Regional or National Representation (or equivalent)

• Illness or injury

• Serious family matter (for example, a wedding or a funeral)

• Required attendance at another school event or detention

FURTHER INFORMATION

MATCH DAY

All information regarding match days can be found on the sports website Students are expected to attend match day teas both home and away unless they have informed their coach this is not possible well in advance. Students should also consider the meet time to be the latest time of arrival. Generally, students should arrive for home games in playing kit with school tracksuit and hooded sweatshirt over the top. They should also attend match tea in their tracksuit and avoid attending in muddy/wet kit. Often when travelling away we will travel in school uniform, but again it is important to check the fixture details well in advance. We warmly welcome visitors to school fixtures; in fact, we believe it enhances the experience of the students. Please support the students, helping us to set a great example for them to follow.

BEHAVIOUR EXPECTATIONS

We encourage the highest standards of behaviour from staff, students and supporters, based upon our desire to develop great people through sport. We would like all involved in RGS sport to have only positive interactions with match officials, opposition staff and opposition players and that our conduct in and around the sports field reflect the values we hold dear as both a school and sports department.

HEALTH & SAFETY

First aid trained staff are present at fixtures and on games sessions. Additionally, a medical team or physiotherapists will be present at weekend fixtures. We have a reciprocal relationship with most of the schools we play, where the home team provides trained medical cover for all pupils. We use ‘Return 2 Play’ to support our medical provision focusing on concussion management: www. return2play.org.uk/.

Mouthguards are essential for hockey and contact rugby. Shin pads should also be used for all hockey and football training as well as fixtures.

KEY DATES

SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS

We encourage the highest standards of behaviour from staff, students and We would love to hear about, and celebrate, any sporting achievements your child has had recently. If you do have a story you wish to share, please let your child’s form tutor know and they will pass the information on to the PE department.

Thank you again for your support of sport and physical activity at RGS and for your encouragement to all students to be fully involved in the development of their own health and fitness. We believe it is a truly unique part of school life where the emphasis is so clearly on developing positive life-long habits. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues for their time and effort in supporting all of the co-curricular opportunities available at RGS.

I look forward to seeing you on the touchlines soon.

George Browning Director of Sport