Sports Summary

Well, you may think it would be hard to write about sport at Truro School over the last year, but I am happy to report that it isn’t.

DAN SANDERSON DIRECTOR OF SPORT

Yes, we have missed the amazing, full and varied sporting calendar of the past, and we even had to adapt Sports Day, but, because of our incredible facilities, we have been able to run sports clubs, house matches, PE and games lessons without much disruption. We even managed a few fixtures in football and cricket.

Our after-school programme has been a big challenge, but for all the right reasons. Since returning to school, we have seen many of our pupils return to clubs and embrace the time to be active and socialise with friends.

Trying to fit in all the year groups across 18 different sports has only been possible because of our resources. Exams were held in the Assembly Hall, allowing the Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Centre (SBA) to remain free for sport and exercise. Seeing our pupils make the most of their facilities has been pleasing to see, and I want to thank all our staff, coaches and volunteers who have run sessions and helped keep Truro School pupils active.

We have tried to recreate fixtures via our house matches, and the PE department has enjoyed the atmosphere around the house competition this year. They were very well contested, and seeing the desire to win house points created some excellent competition and close games.

Just as good to see was the sportsmanship and leadership shown by our pupils. Whether it was giving someone a second chance or the benefit of the doubt, the willingness shown by pupils to work out problems and encourage others was one of the key takeaways from this year.

The lockdown in January had a significant impact on games lessons, with a whole term lost. The girls missed rugby and football, and the boys missed hockey and netball. Despite this, we have managed to complete most of our curriculum. Swimming proved trickier to cater for, although every child could swim at some point in the year.

With the switch to online learning, we adapted PE lessons to look at different aspects of wellbeing. We shared Ted Talks and had year-group discussions on sleeping habits, hydration, emotional intelligence and reflection exercises. It was an excellent chance to look at ways to lead a healthy lifestyle in addition to physical activity.

Towards the end of the year we were able to host some fixtures. In cricket, the lower years played the Cornwall County agegroup sides. It was lovely to see the pitches and pavilion back in use, and we were even blessed with some cracking weather!

Truro School took several pupils to the Cornwall Schools Athletics Competition. Despite a reduced number of competitors, our pupils competed with other schools from across the county. A few of our pupils went on to compete in regional and national events.

The senior girls’ hockey and netball teams hosted a touring Wycliffe School, and played back-to-back matches on a Saturday morning.

Seeing our girls in action after such a long break was a welcome sight, and our thanks go to Mrs Newton for organising the fixture.

Away from school, we have been able to celebrate some fantastic student successes. Our international fencers have competed in the latter stages of the year. And, as restrictions eased, pupils were back competing for representative and regional sides.

We have Truro School pupils selected for Team Bath (netball), Exeter Chiefs (rugby) and South West regional performance in hockey. Toward the end of the summer, two pupils, Jacob L (Lower Sixth) and Jess B (2nd Year), qualified for the National Schools Athletics finals in the 400m and 1500m respectively.

In October 2020, perhaps the biggest crowning glory of our pupils’ achievements was for Finn Hawkins. He became the world champion in the u19’s iQFOiL event at Lake Garda in October. Finn also finished 2nd in the U21 event and 14th in the men’s competition out of 114. Finn will be focusing on competing at the Paris Olympics in 2024, and we hope he can achieve his dream. We are all proud of what he has achieved so far.

As we look forward to September 2021, we are planning a full and varied programme, with fixtures, competitions and opportunities for all our pupils at Truro School.

We will try our best as a school community to reach our potential. I know that we will win and lose but, ultimately, we are here to provide a positive experience for our pupils and instil the love of sport and physical activity for the rest of their lives. I look forward to seeing what the new school year brings and, as ever, thank you for your support and patience.