News


Popular PE


teacher retires


A popular PE teacher who has overseen


unprecedented athletics success at an Essex school is hanging up her whistle after 33 years.


Covid fallout continues to fell sports events


Fresh shoots of hope may be on the horizon – but school sport and young people’s health continues to be harshly hit by Covid 19.


Much like the summer timetable, the autumn schedule was ripped asunder by the virus with fixtures cancelled and competitions curtailed.


Rugby competitions became one of the biggest casualties of the coronavirus with the full-contact game proving impossible to negotiate in the circumstances.


The RFU’s prestigious National Schools U18 and U15 Cups & Champions Trophy and the new School Sport Magazine National Schools U14 Championships were abandoned.


It is still not known yet whether the popular Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens Tournament will be able to take place in March.


Athletics’ big competition, the ESAA’s Cross Country Cup, which attracts hundreds of entries from all over the country and was due to have its national final in December, had to be cancelled.


A spokesman for the ESAA said: “It became increasingly clear that it was not possible to transport pupils


across counties to compete in mass gatherings and feedback from schools indicated that they would be too busy trying to catch up with lost teaching time anyway.


“Existing entries will have their entry fee held over to be used to enter next year’s Track & Field Cup or Cross Country Cup.”


Schools’ swimming, one of the first sports to hold national


championships each school year, also sadly sank without trace.


The 63rd ESSA Secondary Schools' Team Championships, due to be held in November, and its qualifying events, were cancelled as were the 2020 Diving Championships, due to be held in December.


It was a similar picture with tennis’ U13 and U15 national schools’ championships, which also had to be abandoned for the first time in living memory.


Joining them on the sidelines are three popular raquet/bat sports as Table Tennis England and Badminton England’s National Schools’ Championships – due to be held this term - were both cancelled (the latter for the second year running) while England Squash’s National Schools' Championships is currently under review.


And while netball is hoping to resume school fixtures this term, it came too late for the School Sport Magazine National Schools U12, U13 and U15 Cups.


With very few games able to take place during the autumn, it was going to be impossible to fit the competition rounds into one term.


Therefore, all three cups had to be cancelled – with teams hopefully able to resume battle during the 2021/22 season.


Netball England bosses, meanwhile, were working hard behind the scenes to try and stage the longstanding U14, U16 and U19 national competitions later this term – albeit in a revised and shortened format.


However, one major sport was able to get its act together – despite the restrictions across the country.


And not only did the English Schools Football Association kick off their 2020/21 season with a full fixture list – but they managed to complete most of their 2019/20 finals in style, much to the delight of the schools involved. Check out pages 14-15 for a full round-up of the finals.


Sue Simpson, head of PE at Southend High School for Girls, is retiring from the sports department after leading countless teams to national success.


During her time at Southend High, Sue has overseen unprecedented sports development, including several English Schools’ Athletics Cups, national cross country titles and four appearances at the ISF World Schools Athletics Championships.


The school has also achieved four successive top 20 appearances in the annual School Sport Magazine best sports schools of the year list.


Her colleague and fellow PE teacher Sian Jenkins said: “It’s difficult to express in words what Sue’s contribution to sport has been both on both a local, county and national level. Her ambition and drive to see students achieve their best is really quite staggering.


“The amount of time she has dedicated to school sport is phenomenal and the kids have the utmost respect and admiration for her, along with fellow colleagues across the borough and beyond.


“All the students that have come through the Sue Simpson sporting pathway have benefited not only from her incredibly extensive knowledge and expertise, but also her passion for achieving the highest standards of competition.


“Sue is also very dedicated to the sport of netball where we have also had many successes at all levels across the many years, with students going on to play high level club as well as making international squads”.


Issue No.81 January/February/March 2021 SCHOOL SPORT 5


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