Yoga in Year 1Year 1 learned some basic yoga poses and breathing exercises in their movement/dance lesson today. The poses and movements Steph taught them are very beneficial for developing strength and flexibiity as well as giving the children some time to pause and focus on their breathing and thoughts in their... otherwise busy day! As we have a slightly adapted timetable at the moment, our lower years pupils are having sport and movement lessons every day. See more
Years 7-12 Activities day trip to ‘Behind the Scenes’ at Twickenham Stadium13 Students spent the day at Twickenham Stadium, where the activities started with games aimed at developing understanding of the different fitness requirements of the various positions: Speed – Endurance – Power – Agility and Strength. One game involved selecting animals and super heroes in what... might be their best positions, from which a formidable team comprising Spiderman at full-back; a bull, rhinoceros and grizzly bear in the front row; cheetahs on the wings and The Hulk at No. 8 emerged. Catching and passing would have been the main limiting factor, but they would have posed an intimidating physical challenge for their opponents. A session with the Rugby Football Union’s Anti-Doping Manager was a role-play, with the students being treated as if they were academy players on an elite sport pathway. They learned what they should expect if they were subject to testing under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code. Their consensus was that it seemed intrusive, but necessary, in order to combat the scourge of drugs in sport and to ensure fair play. The session took place in the media room at the stadium, so the students had a light-hearted opportunity to role play being the head coach, answering questions about selection and tactics for an imaginary up-coming test match. With the England team away in Japan for the Rugby World Cup, the students had a one-off opportunity to view the gym where England players train, rehabilitate after injury and warm-up before test matches. They took in a range of equipment, from hi-tech tools for measuring and facilitating recovery, through to Olympic weightlifting platforms and weight stacks. The tour of the World Rugby museum at the end of the trip was the highlight for many of the students. They enjoyed the inter-active displays that gave them feedback on their prowess in the physical attributes needed to play rugby. See more
Rugby skills in Years 1 and 2 to mark the launch of the Rugby World Cup 2019Years 1 and 2 took to the pitch this morning to learn new rugby skills ahead of the start of the Rugby World Cup. It was the perfect introduction to the sport for some of our younger pupils and an opportunity to put the world cup into context. The pupils played ‘steal the egg from the nest’ to hone... their skills in ball control, they ran a slalom with the ball and scored a ‘try’ at the end to start to build their sense of how the game is played. The groups will continue to expand their knowledge of the sport as they work together over the next six weeks. See more
Sixth form Boxing Club launches for the Autumn termPupils in Years 12 and 13 are being coached in non-contact boxing as part of the Autumn term clubs programme at Hampton Court House. Director of Sport, Roy Headey, is working with the small group of sixth formers to build their technique as well as giving them all important instruction in hand-wrapping... and conduct to ensure all the students are safe. Each sixth form boxer is given their own wraps and gloves as part of the programme and they follow a specially crafted programme which will guide them through basic technique before moving on to more complex combinations. The later start time in Years 12 and 13 means the pupils can take part in lunchtime clubs and activities. The newly formed boxing club is not only giving the sixth form new skills and techniques but provides an aerobic and anaerobic workout for the whole body. See more
Upper years girls coached by World Champion Katey ByrdThe girls in Years 9 to 11 enjoyed their first rowing lesson of the year. The high ratio of coaches to pupils means the girls receive intensive coaching during the two-hour period they spend at Molesey Boat Club, with a mix of rowing on the river, technical training in the indoor tank and functional... strength work in the gym. The expert coaches include Katey Byrd, who has been selected to represent Ireland in the Olympic Weightlifting World Championships in Thailand at the end of this month. Katey will be competing in the 71kg weight category and is Ireland’s only competitor at the World Championships. As an accomplished athlete and strength and conditioning coach, Katey is a wonderful mentor for the upper years girls.See more https://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Y9-11-firls-rowing2019.mp4
Middle and Upper Years Sports Day 2019The sun was shining on another successful Middle and Upper Years sports day yesterday. This year the event was held at school with a selection of new events for pupils and their families to enjoy. Our school houses; Garrick, Halifax, Twining and Wright competed in track and field events for years 5 &... 6, 7 & 8, and 9 to 13 heats and finals. Old favourites like the 200m relay, javelin and sprint races were accompanied by new competitions such as shot put relay, 60m sprint and triple jump. The focus of this year was not on results and medals but on technical merit with prizes awarded to individuals who demonstrated the best technical competency irrespective of their place in the competition. The highlight of the day was the final event, the five minute run, which was new for 2019. Four representatives of each house ran as many laps as possible for five minutes with points distributed for the amount of laps run. The competition was nail-biting as the narrow point difference between each house meant there was a jostle for places throughout the afternoon but as the final scores were announced it was clear that the winning house was Wright with 637 points. Technical certificates were awarded to: Javelin – Maya Y7 Discus – Saurin Y8 Discus Bowl – Ben T Y6 Shot – Ulvi Y8 Baton change – Ben Y6, Mohammed Y6, Filip Y6, and Cora Y5 Triple Jump – Freddie Y10 Long Jump – Anna Y6See more+3
Early and Lower Years Sponsored Run for Refugee ChildrenChildren from Pre-Nursery to Year 4 took part in the sponsored run on Wednesday 22nd May to raise money for the first school in France to be set up within a refugee shelter, in Ivry-sue-Seine. This camp has welcomed families since 2015 and the school helps the children to learn French and adapt to French... culture. The children generally stay between two weeks and two months in this school before finding a more permanent place to stay and integrating into a public school. Unfortunately, the children’s shoes are usually in very poor condition when they arrive at the refugee shelter, having travelled far from Africa or the Middle East to escape war and famine. Some Year 9 children from HCH gave a presentation on this school in an assembly and are raising money through an online platform as well as through the bake sale that was held on Monday 13th May. We are now adding to their efforts by contributing proceeds from the Run for Refugee Children. The Year 9 pupils will use the donations to buy shoes and will send them directly to the refugee shelter. It was a joy to watch our youngest pupils take part in the sponsored run with such a firm understanding of the cause they are fundraising for. The pupils rose to the challenge and even our youngest students in Nursery and Reception class managed to run in excess of 20 laps of the field. See more