Why Sports Day will stay forever.

The sun made an appearance this week for our spectacular sports days this week, and even the blistering heat could not put our children off participating to the best of their ability.  I see a huge difference in our pupils in just a year – the running is much faster, the jumps are much higher, the skills far more developed, but their love and commitment to House and Team remains steadfast as always.

The reason that sports day is such an important day of the year, and a staple in the calendar, are the huge benefits it brings to pupils.  Our students participate for themselves, and for the glory of their house.  They have an opportunity to be successful.  And when they aren’t – they learn to lose graciously and congratulate the success of others.  They learn to be excited for something, and to contain their emotions in the face of loss.  They develop patience through dedication to improvement for the next time.  They learn the value of a team, and what it means to belong to something.

It doesn’t always work out perfectly – we get our fair share of tears, and the odd accusation of less-than-fair behaviour.  But they learn to get over it and move on.  We will keep sports day forever, because it is the opportunity to experience all of this in our formative years that prepare us to be well-balanced adults.

A huge thank you to teachers and parents for their support throughout the year with sports, and our utmost gratitude to Mr. Leaver and Miss Stewart for striving to provide these amazing and fun developmental opportunities for our children.