Ambition, resilience and kindness to the fore

Ambition, resilience and kindness came to the fore at yesterday’s two Sports Day events. Across the day, the assembled spectators saw children display these three incredible values: from cheering for all competitors to helping up a fallen friend, our Sports Day events gave our pupils the platform to demonstrate many of the Foundation’s core values.

In the morning, our youngest pupils were full of excitement and ready to put all of their hard work into practice. Surrounded by a supportive crowd, the children took it in turns to compete in a series of fun-filled races. The focus of the morning was on “having a go”, and most importantly having fun. In the glorious sunshine, the children did exactly that. Kindergarten 1 pupils, including the children in Rainbow Room, competed in a 30m run and a simple “obstacle”. This was a truly Hawford event, best demonstrated by the additional presence of our Year Six prefects, who were on hand to support and encourage their youngest peers. It was truly heart-warming to see children in Year Six, who are reaching the end of their time with us, patiently encouraging Kindergarten children overwhelmed by the occasion towards to finish line.

The children from Kindergarten 2 took part in a 30m run and an ever so slightly more complicated obstacle race. They had all arrived for the occasion in their group colours and were led by their Kindergarten Key Teacher. The camaraderie and friendship was clear to see. Going into the relay, there was a relaxed sense of competition and the children raised deafening cheers for their teammates.

A majority of our Reception children are now Sports Day veterans, having competed in at least two previous Sports Day events during their time in Kindergarten. The children demonstrated maturity beyond their age and were excellent role models for the Kindergarten children. All of Reception have been working exceptionally hard all term perfecting their techniques for Sport Day. The children enjoyed taking part in the 30m run and an obstacle course and went head to head in the relay, as Mrs Leatherdale’s class battled it out against Miss Lane’s class. This year it was Miss Lane’s class who took the honours!

After a wonderfully sunny picnic on the lower fields, it was time for the Pre-Prep Sports Day event. Years One and Two were in fine spirits as they arrived at the field. The first event on the track was the optional 200m for Year One. There was a strong field for the girls’ and the boys’ race, but Alice H and Alex V respectively took the honours. This year, Year Two children were invited to take part in an optional 400m race. This race involved two laps of the 200m track, which is long way on little legs. Cassian W and Tilly C were the winners, demonstrating excellent resilience. Fearne B showcased kindness in a particularly touching moment: after witnessing a classmate fall, she immediately stopped to help her classmate to her feet before continuing with her race.

Next up were the obstacle races. The children were required to navigate their way to the finish, with a number of obstacles thrown in. They had to balance a hoop on their head, move through a plastic hoop, balance a tennis ball on a racket and their make a sprint for the finish line.

Finally the children competed over the shorter 30m / 50m distances. They were grouped based on the time trials that had taken place during PE lessons. Again, all of the children demonstrated great resilience, kindness and ambition. There was plenty of grit and determination on display from everyone.

The afternoon was wrapped up with the class relays. In Year One, Mrs Rand’s class went to head with Miss Lake’s class, whilst Mr Roberts’ class took on Mr Marsland’s class. On the day, Miss Lake and Mr Marsland’s classes were victorious.

It was an exceptional day, yet another occasion that demonstrates how very special a school King’s Hawford truly is. Thank you to all of the supporters who joined us for the afternoon.