Sports Handbook 2023-24

The Sports Handbook is designed to provide parents and pupils with information, guidelines, kit requirements and tips on games and the PE curriculum throughout the school. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries.

Mr Simon Mussellwhite Head of Sport smussellwhite@chinthurstschool.co.uk

Mrs Katie Atkinson-Hunt Deputy Head of Sport katkinsonhunt@chinthurstschool.co.uk

OUR ETHOS

Chinthurst is always exploring ways to help the children unlock their potential by pushing boundaries and expanding horizons. This ethos is firmly part of sport too and in September 2021, the sports department pioneered the idea of fully mixed sports teaching throughout the school. Sport is no longer gender specific in Upper School and each child is free to choose what they would like to play without any prejudgment. It is a well-known fact that interaction between genders in a group sport encourages friendship and mutual respect, and we believe that mixing boys and girls in sport will have a significant and positive impact on how the children think going forward.

SPORTS TIMETABLE

Year Group Weekly Activities Specialists

Nursery (Little Chicks & Kindergarten)

Reception – Year 2

1 x PE lesson

1 x games afternoon

1 x PE lesson

1 x swimming lesson (all year round)

Mr Jacobs

Mr Mussellwhite

Mrs Atkinson-Hunt

Mr Jacobs

Mrs Gandey

Years 3 – 6

2 x games afternoons

1 x PE lesson

(swimming instead of PE in the second half of the autumn and summer terms)

WHAT TO WEAR & WHEN

Mr Mussellwhite

Mrs Atkinson-Hunt

Mr Jacobs

Children (except those in Little Chicks and Kindergarten) should come to school in sports kit on the days they have games and PE (see the table below). On swimming days, Lower School children should wear school uniform and should bring their swimming bags to school. Children in Upper School should wear their PE kits.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

GAMES LESSONS

LOWER SCHOOL

Children from Reception to Year 2 have one games afternoon a week taught by specialist sports staff. They focus on ball skills, object control and move on to skills needed for the sports played in Upper School.

UPPER SCHOOL

Children in Upper School have two games afternoons a week and the sports played change each term (see the table below). For the first few weeks of a term the children try out the sports on offer. After this, they are asked to choose which one they would like to play for the term. We allow a ‘cooling-off’ period, so if they wish to try one sport and then find they really do not enjoy it then, of course, they can switch to the other sport. We just ask that they refrain from switching each week.

Autumn Term

Football (Sep– Nov) followed by Rugby or Netball

Spring Term Rugby or Hockey

Summer Term Cricket

FIXTURES

Fixtures are generally held on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoons and sometimes Saturday mornings. There are occasions when fixtures, especially cup games, have to be played on other days, including Sundays. It is expected that if your child is selected to play for the school, they honour this selection. If a pupil is unavailable due to a family commitment, one week’s notice in writing or email is expected.

Fixtures can be found on the printed calendar and the sports website (https://sports. chinthurstschool.co.uk) where team sheets will be posted at least 48 hours prior to a match. Team sheets will display meeting times, venues, match start times and collection times.

Our aim is to provide matches for all pupils within the year, although this is not always possible with every fixture. We enter some tournaments, which unfortunately sometimes only involve ‘A’ team players, therefore on these few occasions, team selection is difficult, leaving pupils potentially disappointed. Managing success and disappointment is an integral part of participating in sport and we thank you in advance for helping us to manage this with your child. If you have any questions regarding team selection then please feel free to contact your child’s coach.

Fixtures are played both at home and away venues and we are proud of the support we have from our parents and we continue to encourage you to attend as many matches as possible. Our home venues for matches are either: Chinthurst School, Tadworth Leisure Centre or Tadworth Cricket Club (TCC). The addresses and postcodes of our opposing schools can be found at the end of this section.

MATCH TEAS

Match teas for both Chinthurst players and the visiting schools will be provided after each home game. It is an expectation that every player will stay for match tea whether it is at home or away. This is a vital part of school fixtures where the children get the opportunity to meet and converse with the opposition. Parents are also encouraged to attend match tea after fixtures, which at home takes place in the Sports Hall Foyer. We also ask for our parents to help us in serving these refreshments whenever possible. We are very grateful for your assistance with this.

AWAY LOCATIONS

We encourage parents to support our fixtures. In order to help you to find your way to our away matches, please see the addresses below:

Please note that these directions are for the school playing fields, not necessarily the school itself.

PE & SWIMMING LESSONS

NURSERY (Kindergarten & Little Chicks)

Children have one PE lesson a week with a specialist sports teacher. They focus on agility, balance, co-ordination and some football, rugby, athletics and hitting skills.

RECEPTION–YEAR 2

Children have one timetabled PE lesson and one timetabled swimming lesson weekly with specialist sport staff.

PE – The children learn important skills that support their physical development and lay the groundwork for the sports they will play in Upper School. These include throwing and catching, striking skills, ball games, gymnastics, invasion games, athletics and short tennis.

Autumn Spring Summer

Rec Throwing & Catching, Striking Skills and Ball Games

Year 1

Year 2

Throwing & Catching, Striking Skills and Ball Games

Throwing & Catching, Striking Skills and Ball Games

* This is subject to change.

Gym and Invasion Games

Gym and Invasion Games

Gym and Invasion Games

Athletics and Short Tennis

Athletics and Short Tennis

Athletics and Short Tennis

Swimming – In Reception there is a focus on water confidence and skills. The children are assessed for competence and grouped accordingly. They progress from swimming 5m front and back, to improved stroke work and by the end of Year 2, diving and swimming a length in all three strokes including correct breathing technique. They will understand the basics of personal survival and racing.

YEARS 3–6

Children have one timetabled PE lesson. The PE curriculum is below. For two half terms, they have swimming lessons during their PE lesson.

PE – The children learn skills that support the sports they are playing as well as gymnastics, athletics and basketball.

* This is subject to change.

Swimming – There is a concentration on perfecting the strokes, increasing stamina and competition swimming.

JG SWIMMING

JG Swimming is an independent, privately run swimming club based year-round in the Chinthurst swimming pool. The lessons (separately bookable and payable) very much complement the school swimming lessons and are an excellent way for children to gain a boost to their swimming standard, as well as their all-round water confidence. Lessons run daily before and after school and there are crash courses during the school half term and main holidays.

SPORTS CLUBS & SATURDAY SPORT

LOWER SCHOOL

Co-curricular cricket and tennis clubs are available at lunchtime and after school all year round (run by outside providers and separately payable). Details and booking are via SchoolsBuddy before the start of each term. All children are encouraged to come to Saturday Sport.

UPPER SCHOOL

All children are welcome and encouraged to come to additional practice after school on Tuesdays, which is run by specialist sports staff and focuses on the sports being played that term. Staff also run co-curricular cross country, athletics, American football and summer sports clubs, which can be booked via SchoolsBuddy. Outside providers run co-curricular cricket and tennis clubs (separately bookable and payable).

SATURDAY SPORT

On Saturday mornings, we offer an hour-long coaching session for all children from Reception through to Year 6. The focus is on the major sport for the term (football and netball in autumn, rugby and hockey in spring and cricket for all in the summer). Children may choose which sport they wish to participate in. The sessions are a combination of skills and games with the emphasis on fun!

We believe that our Saturday morning practices are unique and contribute to our success on the sporting front. They also provide an excellent opportunity for you, as parents, to meet some of the sports staff. Dates are published in the printed termly calendar and parents are asked to sign up via the school office. If the session is not taking place, then it will always be posted in the Week Ahead, which is emailed out from the school office. We encourage every pupil to attend, if possible. Also, the CPA provide an excellent coffee and bacon roll service during the morning!

CHINTHURST CRICKET ACADEMY

We have an onsite, privately run cricket academy run by Surrey County Cricket Coach, Mike Jacobs and many children have one-to-one nets sessions after school or during lunchtimes. This is separately payable. Booking is via SchoolsBuddy.

WHAT KIT DO I NEED?

The full kit is available at Stevensons in Epsom (formally Lester Bowden) or online via www.stevensons.co.uk. Special Chinthurst-branded base layer undergarments are available from www.playerlayer.com, however children are permitted to wear any brand of base layer.

• All sports kit should be correctly labelled.

• All pupils should have a full school tracksuit whenever they have sport.

GUM SHIELDS & SHIN PADS

The school has a link with a company called Opro who will offer mouthguard fittings that can be done at home and also offer the chance to have a Chinthurst mouthguard. Information will be sent to parents towards the end of the summer term. Gum shields are easily lost and therefore, we would also encourage you to purchase a couple of cheaper gum shields from your local sports shop, which can remain in your child’s bag in case of emergencies. If your child does not have a gum shield then unfortunately they will be unable to participate in a rugby or hockey match.

All pupils must wear shin pads when playing football by law. If your child does not have their shin pads with them, they will not be allowed to play a football match.

OPTIONAL KIT

Body armour (rugby)

Scrum cap (rugby head protection) – recommended

Running spikes (athletics)

KIT LIST (PE & GAMES)

PE LESSONS

• House PE top

• Blue shorts/skort

• White socks

• White indoor trainers

• School swimming trunks/swimsuit

• School swimming hat

• Towel

• Full school tracksuit

• Gum shield and shin pads for hockey (Years 5&6)

CRICKET

• Chinthurst cricket shirt

• Cricket trousers

• Chinthurst cricket jumper

• Cricket spikes or white trainers

• Cricket cap

FOOTBALL

• Reversible games top

• Blue shorts/skort

• Green socks

• Football or rugby boots

• Outdoor trainers

• Full school tracksuit

• Shin pads

RUGBY

• Reversible games top

• Blue shorts/skort

• Green socks

• Football or rugby boots

• Outdoor trainers

• Full school tracksuit

• Gum shield

HOCKEY

• Games top

• Blue shorts/skort

• Green socks

• Astro trainers or outdoor trainers

• Full school tracksuit

• Gum shield

• Shin pads

NETBALL

• Games top

• Blue shorts/skort

• Green socks

• Outdoor trainers

• Full school tracksuit

EARRINGS POLICY

In line with guidance from the Association of Physical Education, earrings should never be worn during PE, games lessons or matches. There is a risk of earrings getting caught and earlobes being damaged or puncture wounds caused to the neck and this is the reason for the ruling. It is in the children’s interest not to wear them on the days they have PE, games, swimming and matches. To save the risk of a child removing earrings and losing them, or not being able to remove them themselves and having to miss a PE, games, swimming lesson or match, it is best if they do not wear earrings on those days.

If children do wear ear studs, they must be able to remove them and store them safely themselves otherwise they will not be allowed to partake in physical activities.

OFF GAMES / PE

Parents must email Mr Mussellwhite (Head of Sport) or Mrs Katie Atkinson-Hunt (Deputy Head of Sport) if their child is to be excused from sporting activities. The email should sent on the morning of the activity to: smussellwhite@chinthurstschool.co.uk katkinsonhunt@chinthurstschool.co.uk

If a child is signed ‘off games’, then this would apply to all sporting/physical activities including lunchtime, break times and after-school clubs.

PLAYER CODE OF CONDUCT

ü Learn the rules and play by them.

ü Play for fun and enjoyment – not just to please your parents and/or teachers.

ü Be a good sport – win with modesty and lose with dignity.

ü Recognise and applaud all good play.

ü Respect teachers, teammates, opponents, officials and their decisions.

ü Arrive for training and matches in good time to prepare thoroughly and bring the correct kit.

ü Always warm up and cool down sufficiently.

ü Inform the teacher of any injury as soon as possible.

ü Inform the teacher if you will be late or need to leave early.

ü Inform the teacher in good time if you are unavailable for any match.

ü Be responsible for your own belongings and kit.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR PARENTS, CARERS & SPECTATORS

In the spirit of competition and fair play for all, please:

ü Encourage your child to learn the rules and play by them.

ü Respect the opinions and decisions of officials, coaches and managers.

ü Encourage children to play, do not force them.

ü Discourage unfair play and arguing with officials and players.

ü Praise your child’s efforts, whether they win, lose or draw.

ü Get to know your child’s coach.

ü Set a good example by recognising and applauding all good play.

ü Use appropriate language at all times.

Please do not:

û Coach from the side lines.

û Ridicule or belittle a child for losing or making mistakes.