Sport in DASP
Spring Term 2013
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A very cold spring we have had here in Dorchester however that doesn’t stop the first schools from developing and progressing in there sports. Over the spring term there have been many extra sports delivered as well as the general curriculum sports already being delivered.
Sports this term around Dorchester have been:
- Badminton
- Tennis
- Street Dance
- Dance
- Orienteering
- Gymnastics (Floor work)
- Gymnastics (Apparatus work)
- Basketball
- Tag – Rugby
- Uni Hockey
- Invasion Games
- Multi Skills
- Engagement Ball skill sessions (For disengaged pupils)
Frome Valley this term has set up and started Play Ground Leaders in yr 3 that provide a fun game/activity 3 times a week at lunchtime for the rest of their school. It is hard for some of the yr 3’s as they have a lot of yr 4’s wanting to compete against the younger pupils in these activities but they yr 3’s are in complete control and handle the yr 4’s well. This has been a great start this year for frome and this is a cracking start for sports leadership if these playground leaders choose to do so at middle school.
Since last terms Tag - Rugby yr 3 and 4 festival a lot of the first schools have wanted more Tag – Rugby in their schools. It’s incredibly pleasing to see schools take up more sports like tag – rugby before or after a festival. It clearly shows that these small tournaments and festivals bring to light certain sports that schools want more of.
This term we have had 2 tournaments and festivals. We have held the Milborne DASP yr 3/4 Area Football tournament and the yr 4 Orienteering festivals around Dorchester.
The Area Football festival was held at Milborne St Andrews First schools and we had 12 Teams entered and had 15 yr 8 sports leaders from Dorchester Middle School to help record, score and referee the entire tournament. It was a furry of fantastic football watching from the sidelines. It was impressive to see so many parents/staff members come to Milborne to watch their sons/daughters partake in the area tournament. Milborne did take advantage of being the host by bringing out there yr 1’s to shout support to their yr 3/4 team whilst they were playing a match. A great atmosphere was delivered from this.
Damers played St Mary’s Catholic in the semis as did Milborne vs Piddle. The final was then between Damers vs Milborne and Damers become the victors this year. A big thank you should go to Milborne for hosting the tournament and an even bigger thank you must go to the yr 8 sports leaders from Dorchester Middle. You can see the cut out from the local echo from the hyperlink below
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/sport/10298830.Damers____delight_at_DASP_football_tournament/
The orienteering yr 4 festivals have been going round all of Dorchester for the yr 4’s in the first schools. The idea is for the yr 4’s to get to know the outside of the middle school they will be attending in September to help smooth transition and to beat away nervousness in September. Each first school will attend with all their yr 4’s coming to the local middle schools. This is not just bringing up 10 – 15 pupils in yr 4! It is all the pupils in yr 4! So for such a school as Cheselbourne there will only be 14 in yr 4 but as in a school like Damers you have 90 pupils attending! I really enjoy getting the yr 4’s into the middle schools as they all look excited and nervous as soon as they get there.
Using sports such as orienteering as a tool helps pupils education between schools and also gets them competing in a new environment that will be there environment in September.
In two of the middle schools this term (St Osmunds and DMS) they have been running sports leadership in their curriculum. Every pupil in yr 8 at both middle schools took part in learning how to sports lead and saw how a role model should act. Now it is always good to plan and organise in sports leading, but it’s not the same as actually sports leading to younger pupils. So that’s what we did!
Every class in yr 8 at St Osmunds either visited or had visits from Manor Park or St Mary’s pupils in most age groups. At Dorchester Middle all the yr 8 sports leaders either visited Prince of Wales or Damers first schools to lead simple based fun activities.
Every pupil in yr 8 always wishes to go back to their first school or just to a first school and they all get their wish. The first schools enjoy having the yr 8’s in, and for some first school teachers they enjoy seeing past pupils in a leaders role, leading a fun activity for the younger pupils.
Thomas Hardye pupils have also been planning and organising this term. They have been planning to run a seated indoor volleyball tournament at Thomas Hardye with their yr 10’s running the tournament. It was good to witness all 3 middle schools attend with 16 pupils each at THS. The morning started out with skill stations lead by the yr 10’s then in the afternoon the tournament began. It was not a middle school vs another middle school. The yr 10’s split the pupils up and collaborated 6 teams consisting on each middle school being in each team. Then the tournament began! Some impressive intelligent play was observed and more importantly some highly impressive team play between middle schools to achieve a point. A great morning and afternoon for the middle schools and a very bid thank you to the yr 10 BTEC pupils at THS as well as Ed Long and Chris Goulding for organising this treat for the middle schools.
Thomas Hardyes pupils didn’t stop just at the seated volleyball tournament, they wanted a new challenge. They wanted to get into Dorchester Middle School and teach the yr 8 some PE theory work. Now as a Sports leader it is quite easy to keep pupils attention if you are running something practically based but with PE Theory this made to task harder to do. THS pupils in yr 11 came to DMS and delivered a highly educational visit to 2 PE yr 8 groups that listened intently and enjoyed what was being delivered. In fact the pupils enjoyed it so much we wanted THS back down to DMS ASAP. So THS yr 11’s did just that. Only this time they brought an external moderator down with them. The DMS and THS PE staff discussed this and thought that instead of a moderator just reading through assignments the moderator can observe the yr 11’s teaching the PE theory to the yr 8’s. To say the moderator was impressed would be an understatement. A great feat of schools in Dorchester working together!
St Osmunds had a little treat this term already by being offered to take a tour of THS new leisure centre and be inducted into all the top of the range weight machines! Now this was a joy to be a part of and the news that this had happed spread through Dorchester boosting the community with the leisure centre in fact DMS grabbed the chance and went up next to take the tour!
It was very kind of THS leisure centre to allow a few of the middle schools to take a look at the brand new centre.
St Mary’s Middle school has had a packed spring term with yr 5 and 6 multi skills, intra house competitions and the ever great Pencelli outdoor yr 7 trip. Not to mention the usual rugby/football/netball match that was ran every week.
Now every term the middle schools host a DASP Pyramid festival where one middle school will host while the other two attend and compete in an array of sports. This term we saw DMS and Ossies host them successfully in the first half term. However it was Puddletown that really pushed the boat out for the fixture. We had the pyramid competitions in; Archery, Handball, Netball, Football and Orienteering! For an afterschool fixture the middle schools were spoilt for choice and brought 40 pupils from each middle school each to compete! It was a glorious afterschool spectacle of sport that I hope is replicated again and again.
This spring term has had the worst weather I’ve seen for many years but it’s always good to know that no matter how cold of what the weather is doing ..... sport continues strongly!
Mr L Dailey
DASP Sports Co-ordinator
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