RGS A Guide to Sport Summer Term 2024

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.

Youtube Vision for Sport

Youtube Summer Sports Day

WELCOME

The spring term was incredibly busy for sport with more students representing the school in different sports than in any other term. Hockey, Netball, Swimming, Football and Rugby Sevens teams all made the later stages of national tournaments with our U13 boys’ Hockey team winning the National Independent Schools Plate competition and our 1st XI boys gaining second place in their National Plate competition. This means five of six year groups across both boys and girls made it to national finals for the first time in the history of the competition.

Seven students attended the National Biathlon Championships, six teams went to Rosslyn Park Sevens with four of them making the knock-out stages. Our U16 Netball team won the prestigious Gordon’s tournament, and we had 25 teams playing Saturday netball on several occasions this term. There really are far too many individual and team successes to report here so please take a look at the weekly sports bulletin to see what else has been going on.

As we look forward to the summer term, we are excited that Cricket, Athletics and Tennis will take centre stage and there is a lot more to get excited about with Sports Day being the highlight on Friday 14 June. You are all welcome to attend and I hope the

weather is (almost) as good as last year!

While the summer term is also the time for examinations, I hope you will join me in encouraging students to maintain the balance between schoolwork and sport that has got them into such a great position over the previous months and years. It is 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.

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 excel in their own way. Much of what we do revolves around creating meaningful and memorable experiences for students of which there should be many each term. We want to create an environment where all students from both RGS and opposition teams have a positive experience during fixtures. You will notice this means we may manipulate the way a game proceeds by making it harder for the dominant team or players or by facilitating some success for the slightly weaker team.

Watch our Vision for Sport short film.

Purpose: Sport will have a meaningful and memorable effect on the life of every student

Engagement : To ignite a passion for sport or physical activity in everyone that lasts a lifetime

Opportunity : Opportunities to sample and then to stretch all students in sport

Performance: Being the best you can beperformance is always what matters, not the result

Learner-Centred : Being learner-centred means putting the student first

Enjoyment : An unrelenting focus on positive experiences for all children and young people

INDIVIDUAL SPOTLIGHT

CROSS COUNTRY/ATHLETICS

Priory Athletic Club

RGS Cross Country and Athletics

FLORENCE T & LARA T

"We represent RGS Reigate Priory Athletic Club in district, county and inter-county athletics, competing in cross country in the winter and track and field in the summer where Lara’s favourite event is sprint hurdles and Florence’s is 800 metres. We train twice a week and compete throughout the year. With athletics, club hockey and school sport we need to eat and sleep well so that we may still be focused during school. We make sure we catch up on work as soon as possible when we miss any.

We have both been selected for the U13 Surrey County Cross Country team as well as being County medallists in cross country, hurdling and 800 metres. We look forward to moving into the U15 age group this year which will be push us further.

It was exciting to compete for RGS in the English Schools Cross Country Cup against the best runners in the country. We were proud of our team coming fifth and it was memorable for many reasons especially the team spirit and everyone’s determination.

We learn a lot from the advice of our specialist teachers and coaches who have reached prominent levels in their own sports. Who better to inspire us than them!?

On the athletics circuit, we meet some inspirational girls who are competing at national level and even representing England/Great Britain.

We loved watching the World Athletics Championships last year and are looking forward to the Olympics this summer when we will be supporting Keely Hodgkinson and Jessie Knight who we have been lucky enough to meet and be trained by at the Surrey Schools Development Camps."

RUGBY

Harlequins PDG, Harlequins DPP

RGS Rugby 1st XV

JACK N

"I have just finished my rugby season playing for the RGS 1st XV and now have 7s. I was recently selected for the Harlequins Player Development Group (PDG) after two years in the Developing Player Programme (DPP). This requires time away from home playing around the country. This will take a lot of commitment and hard work, with rugby training and matches every week along with GCSEs. I am incredibly lucky to have an older brother who went through a similar process sharing with me his top tips to go as far as possible.

I hope to achieve many more years playing rugby both at RGS and for Harlequins. I also aim to achieve a healthy lifestyle and gain strong discipline. I will achieve these through hard work both on and off the pitch. The RGS Sports team has helped me get to where I am today and I believe they will make me the best rugby player I can be. They've taken me outside my comfort zone by selecting me for the First Team which has given me a huge amount of confidence in my ability.

To balance rugby training and achieve good academic results takes a lot of effort. I often stay late at school to catch up on work I miss. Homework can be a struggle with training nights and weekend matches. Maintaining contact with my teachers is crucial as they provide lots of support.

My biggest influence at RGS so far is Henry R who has successfully balanced high level football along with GCSEs and his current A Levels. A role model in professional sport would have to be Marcus Smith. He was successful on a similar journey to that which I am currently on. He plays with flare and is not afraid to try something new."

CRICKET

Surrey County Cricket Club, Ashtead Cricket Club

RGS Cricket

"I currently play at county level for Surrey, for my club (Ashtead) and for school. Alongside training I do strength and conditioning at school and with Surrey to maintain and improve my fitness and stamina. It's a big commitment but I love it.

I want to be a professional cricketer and believe I can get there with proper training and by working hard. School provides great training to enhance my cricket skills. RGS Sports teachers and my teammates help me to learn and develop team building skills.

Two players who inspire me are Alice Capsey and Jasprit Bumrah. Alice started playing for England at 18 years old which I hope to achieve too, and Jasprit plays for the Indian cricket team, and is an outstanding bowler."

HOCKEY

Surbiton Hockey Club

RGS Hockey

"I play hockey for Surbiton Hockey Club Talent Academy, Surbiton Hockey Club and RGS. I am currently playing as a centre forward and am loving it up there. In the hockey school term I train four times a week with two matches on the weekend. In my position, having good fitness and speed is crucial so, in addition to hockey training, I play other sports and run once a week. It is also important I keep my energy levels up so I eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and get lots of sleep.

I hope to play at the highest level I can but obviously my dream is to play for Great Britain at the Olympics. I know that I will have to work extremely hard and be dedicated to my training to give myself as much chance as possible of achieving this goal.

I enjoy representing RGS in as many different sports as I can and being part of a team. I’m thankful for the high-quality coaching the school offers. Combining my time on the sports field and academic studies is one of my biggest challenges and to achieve this, I must manage my time efficiently.

In hockey, I admire Sam Ward who plays as a striker for Great Britain but a role model I look up to in sport is Bukayo Saka, the England footballer who has - through hard work and dedicationovercome challenges thrown at him so far in his career.

I would like to thank RGS for all the opportunities I have been given. I hope I can continue to make school proud of me over my final years and beyond."

HIGH PERFORMANCE SPORT

Supporting our pupils to aspire for the best they can be, irrespective of their starting point and with a longterm view of success is fundamental to our vision for sport. As part of this experience, and to supplement the excellent coaching during games and after school sessions, the High-Performance Hub (HPH) provides access to experiences and performance habits that are designed to support and challenge in equal measure.

The High-Performance Hub has continued to be a thread that many of our pupils use to support their sporting development. This term the ‘HPH’ has looked like lunchtime sessions every Monday, exploring sleep habits, psychological skills and pupil workload awareness, as well as a nutrition seminar where pupils were able to apply some theory into making their own healthy, energy packed snacks! These varied experiences have prompted conversations and interventions across pupils and staff and we look forward to further opportunities through the spring and summer terms. This focus on holistic development and ‘Great People Through Sport’ has underpinned the approach throughout.

For our senior male and female cricketer scholars and our high-performance indoor hockey squads, there have been weekly (or more often!) sessions throughout the off season to enable them to prepare for the upcoming competitive phases of their respective programmes. These have been well attended and allowed our coaches to provide an individualised and bespoke programme of development. In a similar vein, our Athletic Development programme has enabled boys and girls to access sessions pre, during and post school. It has been great to see so many First and Second Form students in particular attending these, laying the foundations for great movement and engagement in sport as they move through the school.

Mr Jack Emmerson Assistant Director of Sport, Performance

ENGAGEMENT SPORT

We understand that students join RGS with different sporting experiences, abilities and strengths. Embracing our vision for sports, our promise to Team Reigate is to always offer a diverse range of sports and activities, making it enjoyable and accessible for everyone.

Engagement at RGS has four main pillars within sport and PE:

Fixtures and Competitions

PE and Games Lessons

PE and Games lessons are the foundational blocks and the cornerstone of our engagement approach, they serve as the entry point for all students to connect with sports at RGS. We have embedded a pupil-driven pathway in PE, allowing students from the Third to Fifth Form to choose their intensity level using a chilli heat scale. This innovation has resulted in increased focus, elevated activity levels, and empowered students to have greater control over their PE experience.

While our games program follows a traditional model offering meteam sports to all, our commitment to diversity extends the program to include individual and contemporary sports. As students progress to the Sixth Form, the programme becomes entirely student-driven, enabling them to select their preferred sport or activity. The Spring 2024 Sixth Form games options include both traditional team sports like hockey, netball, football, and rugby 7s, as well as individual sports such as golf, squash, and mountain biking. We actively collaborate with our students to ensure their preferences are met, proudly incorporating activities like yoga, dance, open fitness sessions, and spin bike classes based on valuable feedback gathered from student voice sessions.

After School Clubs and Fixtures/ Competitions

Our after-school clubs and activities programme continue from where our games programme stops, we now offer over 60 weekly sports clubs where pupils can further develop their passion in sport and physical activities.

We acknowledge that many pupils want to participate in competitive sport and we encourage all our pupils to represent RGS in their time here. We arrange fixtures and competitions within our house community as well as with local schools to allow our pupils to showcase their skills.

Mr Craig Burgess Assistant Director of Sport, Engagement

CRICKET

The Cricket programme transitions into the competition phase this term, following a focus on physical preparation in the autumn term with dedicated Strength and Conditioning sessions that help enormously with learning and development in future months. This progressed onto more technical preparation throughout the spring term.

THE CRICKETER SCHOOLS GUIDE 2024

We are delighted to announce that RGS has been included in the annual The Cricketer Schools Guide 2024 for the eighth year running.

and

Girls

We are delighted that Miss Sophie Pout has joined us as Head of Girls’ Cricket at RGS alongside Miss Amy Gordon (recently appointed Surrey CCC Captain) and Miss Vicki Howard. Our coaching team continues to grow and develop our girls’ programme.

The Saturday fixtures programme is in place and live on the RGS Sports website . Once again, we have entered the County Cup at every available age group in both hard and softball formats in addition to the National Cups at U18 and U15 level. We are looking forward to seeing the impact that the enhanced level of winter training has in the summer term.

Collectively, the profile of girls’ cricket has increased to a level of demand that enables us to offer a full winter cricket programme. This term, there is once again a dedicated training session for each age group that students can access.

Boys

Boys’ Cricket year groups have their own dedicated session led by our Level 2 and 3 coaches, James Leck with Jack Bellars (South Nutfield CCC Captain) and Sam Taylor.

All fixtures, both midweek and Saturday blocks have been scheduled and updated on the RGS Sports website

Mr James Leck

Assistant Director of Sport, Operations and Head of Cricket

The Cricketer’s Schools Guide features the top 100 senior, the top 50 prep/junior and the top 20 all-girls schools in a bumper 164-page supplement. It follows an exhaustive process that saw many schools submitting entries. All entries have been judged against an extensive set of criteria, which included a compelling commitment to cricket in the curriculum, facilities, fixture programmes and coaching.

Head of cricket, Mr James Leck said:

“Cricket is very much part of the sporting offering for boys and girls here at RGS. We have excellent facilities at Hartswood, including three grass pitches, one artificial wicket, six artificial nets and grass practice wickets. The standard of coaching is high, and we cater for players of all abilities.”

ATHLETICS

First out the starting blocks this summer we are launching the RGS PB Meeting at K2 Crawley on Wednesday 24 April. It will be an open style competition and students are welcome to participate in events of their choice. We hope this will give our athletes an opportunity to set early season personal best times and distances which they can strive to better throughout the season.

Athletics Club is after school at Hartswood on a Monday and Wednesday. These weekly sessions are for all ages and abilities and students are welcome to attend one or both sessions to practice track and field disciplines. Please sign up on the activities lists. We encourage athletes to bring their spikes to Athletics Games and after school Athletics Club.

Girls’ and boys’ teams will be competing in their respective year group 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 Saturday 8 June at Kingsmeadow and representing Surrey at the ESAA English Schools Track and Field Championships, 12-13 July. Individual performances at the District Championships also count towards overall RGS team positions.

Intermediate and Junior boys’ and girls’ teams will be competing in the ESAA Track and Field Cup - the county round is in the second week of May (we are still waiting for the exact date to be announced). 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 will 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 in June and then National Finals in July. 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 maximize our overall points.

In addition to our championship competitions, our teams will be participating in friendly school fixtures. We will also be encouraging our athletes to try Combined Events competitions – the ESAA Combined Events Regional Finals is 22-23 June and National Finals in 21-22 September.

School Sports Day is on 14 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. Please do keep me updated on outside school competition results - we love to hear how well an athlete is doing for their club or county.

I look forward to seeing you track-side.

Mrs Tania Hillsdon Head of Athletics

and Cross Country

TENNIS

Tennis at RGS has been thriving with each passing year gathering momentum and fostering greater enthusiasm for the sport. As the summer term commences, it marks the official start of the tennis season.

This year, our collaboration with Reigate Prior Lawn Tennis Club has deepened significantly. Introducing tennis as a games option for upper school during the spring term represents a significant stride towards establishing a comprehensive year-round tennis program. Accessing their superb clay court facilities and coaching has proven immensely beneficial for our students. We are thrilled to announce the continuation of this partnership into the summer, expanding our court capacity and offering expert coaching for both our games and after school sessions.

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

All age groups have a challenging and competitive fixtures circuit with both boys’ and girls’ squads entered into:

• the LTA Tennis League;

• the Surrey Festival (a real highlight!);

• Saturday friendly fixtures.

At the Surrey Schools Festival, a highly anticipated event featuring numerous tennis-playing schools from the region, our U14 boys’ team stood out and were honoured with the sportsmanship award by the tournament organisers. Remarkably, this accolade was awarded to our U13 girls’ team the previous year. Witnessing our students being acknowledged for embodying genuine Reigatian values in their approach to play and competition is truly great to see. We hope to replicate our success not only in our performance on the court but also in our conduct.

For students who have a passion for two or more summer sports, we promote a balanced approach by encouraging them to integrate tennis with their other interests. Our aim is to schedule the majority of league fixtures after school during the week, minimising conflicts with other activities wherever possible.

Mr

Rob Field

Head of Racquets

CORE 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.

U14-U18 MUGA 16:00 – 17:30

U18

U15-U18

Friday

16:00 – 17:30 Invite only

16:00 – 17:30 Invite only

U14-U18 MUGA 16:00 – 17:30 Invite only

Frisbee U12-U13 Broadfield Lawn 16:00 – 17:30

SWIMMING / STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

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

CURRICULUM GAMES

GAMES

Games sessions are on weekday afternoons during periods 6 and 7. The sports played during the spring term are highlighted below. It is important to note that if you wish to play a different sport you do so during our extensive extracurricular programme. In curriculum games time we make sure that the pupils experience a range of sports with more choice evolving as the pupils get older and begin to select their preferred sports.

HIGH PERFORMANCE HUB

The High-Performance Hub (HPH) is a programme of talks, seminars, workshops and events that aim to engage pupils, inspire them and support their learning and performance.

“High Performance is simply being the best you can be.”

The hub will focus on developing an awareness of skills in specific areas that link to High Performance. These will all be designed to support our key aims as a department. For us, sport is the vehicle we use to help develop great PEOPLE.

How does the High-Performance Hub link to the Scholarship programme?

The High-Performance Hub (HPH) is fully inclusive and is open to all. The Hub supports anyone to achieve their potential, including Sport Scholars.

The Sport Scholarship programme is designed to support pupils who have been identified as having high sporting potential. These pupils are likely to attend many of the events and activities in the Hub. However, being a scholar includes a more managed process where pupils will be mentored and supported on an individual basis to meet their sporting targets. It would be an expectation of scholars to attend certain HPH activities and events.

High Performance Hub talks currently take place each Monday at 1.30pm in HC11- full list of topics is listed on the Sports Scholars Team.

What kind of events would the Hub feature?

We hope to use the Hub to develop: personal skills, such as reflection, organisation and time planning; psychological skills, such as grit and resilience, stress management techniques and visualisation; physical and health, such as, athletic development, strength and conditioning and the importance of sleep and recovery, and many more.

Can parents be involved?

Yes! We would like to invite parents to some of our talks and activities. These may be at school or on a digital platform like Microsoft Teams. You will be specifically invited to join your son or daughter for special events and so there is no need to contact school about these prior to the invitation.

How can I help?

If you know anyone who may be interested in speaking to our Reigatian community, please do pass on my details. We would be very pleased to hear from anyone who can offer an insight into any aspects of a High-Performance life. For more information, please contact Mr Browning at gjb@reigategrammar.org.

ENGAGEMENT IN SPORT

As we near exam season for many students, school life continues apace. Maintaining a healthy balance of activities alongside academia is, in our view, the best strategy to ensure wellbeing during this time. The summer examinations are part of a whole school year assessment of progress and from only part of the picture. In order that students continue to fulfil their extra-curricular commitments, such as sports fixtures, or music and drama performances, we provide in school curriculum time in the form of Learning2Learn weeks. We believe strongly that academic performance is enhanced by sustaining positive habits and maintaining balance. Please do encourage your children to hold these commitments and reassure them that everyone at school wants them to stay healthy and to keep doing the things they enjoy.

Mary-Ann Collins Senior Deputy Head

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:

1. Regional or national representation (or equivalent)

2. Illness or injury

3. Serious family matter (for example a wedding or a funeral)

4. Required attendance at another school event or detention.

Match days

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 that 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.

Behavioural 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 and 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.

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

Sporting Achievements

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.

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

COMMUNICATING WITH PE AND SPORT STAFF

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 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.

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.

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 and Cross Country Mrs Hillsdon teh@reigategrammar.org

Head of Athletic Development Miss Hoad ljh@reigategrammar.org

Head of Cricket Mr Leck jcl@reigategrammar.org

Head of Girl’s Cricket Miss Pout syp@reigategrammar.org

Head of Football Mr Burgess jcb@reigategrammar.org

Head of Golf Mr Rutland bcr@reigategrammar.org

Head of Hockey Mrs Wickham rjw@reigategrammar.org

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

Netball Co-ordinator Miss Cook llc@reigategrammar.org

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

Head of Rugby Mr Cooper doc@reigategrammar.org

Head of Swimming Miss Strudwick jxs@reigategrammar.org

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS OF SPORT

Operations

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

Mr Craig Burgess (Engagement& Specialist Sports) jcb@reigategrammar.org Performance

Mr Jack Emmerson (Academic/Examination PE, Performance) jbe@reigategrammar.org

DIRECTOR OF SPORT

Mr George Browning

gjb@reigategrammar.org

Thank you again for your support of sport and physical activity at RGS and for your encouragement to all pupils 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 the cocurricular opportunities available at RGS. With more than 80 sports clubs a week and many tours and sports camps running in holiday time they really do work hard to support the students.

I look forward to seeing you on the touchlines soon.

George Browning Director of Sport

Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2

01737 222231 admissions@reigategrammar.org

reigategrammar.org