Match Afternoons
All pupils from Year 3 onwards have a timetabled weekly match afternoon. All pupils will have opportunities throughout the year to represent the school in fixtures against other schools. We aim to have all pupils playing competitively every week. There may be occasions where your child will not be involved in a match. We do our very best to get as many teams out playing each week, however we have to fit with other schools numbers and match the teams equally. If your son or daughter does not have a match then they will have a double session of games which will include training and match play at school.
We appreciate that sport is very emotive - parents, pupils and staff all have opinions about what team they should be playing in or a certain position. Please be assured that staff continually observe and discuss the progress of all pupils and will always have pupils best interests at heart. We want lessons and matches to be positive and exciting experiences for everyone and by allowing staff the time to get to know every individual's skills and strengths, we can ensure pupils develop their skills at an appropriate level and enjoy playing competitively.
Many children play competitive sport outside of school, which we actively encourage, and it is very possible that your child plays in a different position externally. It is our job to educate children and give them the depth of knowledge and skills across all positions in all sports. As teachers and coaches, we are looking to produce very rounded individuals across all the sports that we teach. Having a good understanding of the various positions and skill sets are the foundation blocks of developing a confident and successful participant.
Team Selection
Years 7 & 8 will join together for fixtures and the teams will be chosen based upon ability, not age group. Occasionally we will play mixed (boys and girls) hockey and cricket matches and team selection will be as above. Years 3-6 will play within their own age groups (although may occasionally join another year group if required to fulfil a fixture). All children will be given opportunities to represent the school in competitive fixtures, whether this is in the A, B, C or D team. Team selection is at the discretion of the supervising member of staff. Please remember that children are continually observed and can move up and down teams. Regular department discussions take place to ensure children are challenged and playing at the level appropriate for them.
Team selection and participation may vary for external tournaments and national competitions such as IAPS.
In addition to competitive fixtures against other schools, Halstead St Andrew's runs a comprehensive inter House sports programme over the course of the year. All children will be given an opportunity to represent their House and participate in House competitions.
Overall, our aim is to produce children who are confident athletes and display good sportsmanship, respect, discipline and good conduct when playing matches.