YR7 Speedstacking Club

Our Year 12 CSLA students have really taken to their leadership roles this year.

Through their Sports Leadership training with Mr Volante and Miss Cashen they have been developing a wide range of leadership qualities and experience of a wide variety of sporting activities which they have been putting to good use within All Saints and the local community.

So far this year they have led and assisted with many KS3 lessons and clubs in All Saints with excellent commitment  and enthusiasm. They have organised and run a Fundraising Year 7 Penalty Shootout at All Saints. They have also assisted at the Kirkby Primary Gifted & Talented Club and will soon be going out into local Primary schools to assist with their PE lessons and after school clubs. In February they will be running one of the Kirkby KS1 Multiskills Festivals.

It is hoped that as well as the support they are giving to other pupils and staff, these Sports Leaders are also gaining valuable experience which they will make use of in Sports Volunteering and future employment in the Sport & Leisure industry.

This year we have piloted an active lunchtime programme with our new Year 7 pupils. We now have a Year 7 Yard, which only Year 7 pupils are allowed to access. This not only ensures that older pupils do not mix with the Year 7 pupils; it also gives the Year 7 pupils more room to take part in activities they enjoy. Many girls are taking part in the traditional past time of skipping while others are taking part in dance clubs over lunch. The Year 7 boys have been accessing the new Astroturf at Kirkby Sports Centre every lunch time to play football. There are currently 6 teams who take part in a league every day. Teams were picked by team captains and given a South American football team name and each team play each other twice in a week. At the end of the week the team with the most points is the winner and has their photo taken with the All Saints Active Lunchtime Trophy.

The tournament is lead by All Saints NVQ Sports coaches. They referee and time the games. The fixtures are put up on the Primary base window each day and pupils know who they are to face and where they are in the league. The response to the tournament has been outstanding with 46 boys consistently taking part everyday. The benefits we have seen from the active lunchtime are that pupils are engaged in an activity they love, whilst exercising for over half of their lunchtime. The social benefits are also being witnessed with pupils developing leadership skills, resolving conflict without aggression, and learning the benefits of team work. Discipline is very important to the success of this football tournament. There is a strict code of conduct up on the Primary Base window that all players must follow. Any poor behaviour results in a ban. After Christmas our aim is to bring in some other activities which will prove as successful as the ones we have piloted so far.

There have been mixed fortunes since Christmas in the boys football. After a promising start to the season our Year 7 boys have been knocked out of both National and Merseyside competitions. However they do hold the title of Knowsley Indoor 5-a-side champions. They will now go into the Merseyside section of the competition, where they will hope to progress into the regional finals. Our Year 8 Boys have had an excellent season so far. In the Merseyside cup Semi-Final held at Liverpool Academy Kirkby, they beat Halewood 3-1 with goals from Joe Shepherd, Josh Peake, and man of the match Sean Sartorius. All Saints will automatically go through to represent the region as one of the last 64 schools in the National Competition. Our Year 9 boys are also flying. They are now into the last 32 of the National Under 14 Cup with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Great Sankey (Warrington). The goals came from Chris Clarke, Ellis Appleton, and the winner from the impressive Liam Adlen. The Year 9 team are also going well in the Merseyside Cup, and as current Merseyside champions they have a great chance of reaching the Echo Cup Final.