Pupils have enjoyed another busy and varied term of P.E. at Heritage.

The younger years have been concentrating on their ABC skills (throwing and catching games, working with hoops and with balls of different size and density)  and Gymnastics in The Leys Sports Hall.  Y2+ have been working on their swimming technique, looking at correct breathing, leg, arm and body positions and movement. Juniors have also been in the pool, working on their fitness and strokes.

It has been a strong term for Cross Country with all pupils in Y3+ trying to better their own personal times, with distances varying every 2 weeks.  The hard work paid off with 8 runners from Y3-6 competing in the annual Cambridge School Sports Partnership, Cross Country Championship bringing home 3 medals; 2 silver and 1 bronze.

Hockey has been enjoyed by Y3+ with 4 coaches streaming players and putting ball skills into practice in game play. Yr7+ have been looking at tactical play and movement of the ball, again in streamed groups with small sided games.

Seniors have been playing Water Polo.  Y7 & 8 are divided into 3 groups according to ability. [Group C can touch the floor and pass with 2 hands. Group B can’t touch the floor but can use 2 hands.  Group A can’t touch the floor and can only use one hand on the ball.]  They play intense 5 min, small games with a 5 min break to discuss tactics – what is and what isn’t working for them, and the opposition, all helped with questions and guidance from the coaches.

Yr 9-11 have also been playing Water Polo, focussing on defending and attacking in full size games. Out of the pool, they have been focussing on Basketball, looking at skills – shooting, dribbling, lay-ups and passes, progressing  from 1-1 games, 2-2 games to full size games of mixed abilities.

We hope all our pupils have enjoyed this varied and dynamic program of sport.

While on our Nature Walk, Year 2 found a heron in Hobson’s Conduit. We had a plan for something else on our walk, but the children were so entranced, we stayed to watch it for a good 15 minutes! We observed it standing very still and decided it was looking for fish and didn’t want them to know it was there. Then, it caught a mouse! We saw the mouse’s tail and back legs hanging out of its mouth for only a few seconds before it tossed it up and swallowed it whole! We watched the lump in its throat go down, down, down… This led the children to a discussion about the cycle of life and how it was probably a quick and painless death since the heron doesn’t have teeth. They then begged to come back in to do a water colour of the heron. We couldn’t have planned a more interesting or lasting experience than this.