This week pupils will have the opportunity to try activities not normally in the curriculum, for example, archery, judo or taekwondo. We will also have army training and top class basketball coaches in school. Do ask your children what they have done in PE that is different during the week.

We started the week on Monday 26 June by hosting the Primary School Area Athletics with competitors at Deer Park from primary schools across the Cotswold District on a perfect Summer's morning.  Our Games Captains and Young Leaders again performed to a very high standard, performing a range of different roles including finish line officials and race starters, plus leading field events such as speed bounce and the ball throw. The Primary school pupils demonstrated an excellent attitude to performance with many athletics records being beaten this year across a range of different track and field events such as speed bounce.

Mr Cumming, PE Teacher and Primary Sports Coordinator, said “The Primary pupils performed superbly and looked like they really enjoyed using Deer Park’s excellent sporting facilities! It was a great team effort this year with Deer Park’s Young Leaders and Games Captains excelling in their roles; with help from our School Games organisers and help with car parking from our Maintenance staff, Deer Park was able to offer a high quality Athletics event.”

The Deer Park Tennis 'Wimbledon' finals took place last week - presentations will take place in Sports Assemblies after Enrichment Week. Our Key Stage 3 Inter Tutor Group Rounders tournament takes place on Wednesday 28 June after school and should be finished by 5pm. Pupils have been selecting their tutor group teams for Sports Day on Wednesday 12 July. Which Tutor Groups in each year group will be the overall Inter Tutor Group champions this year?

Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Movement, believed that sport contributes to the harmonious and well-balanced development of the body, personality and mind. We all know that regularly doing some form of sport improves the way you feel, although it may not always feel so at the time! Whether you are competing at a high level, taking on a sporting challenge for charity, running regularly, cycling, playing in a team or walking every evening to keep fit and enjoy your surroundings, the benefits are numerous. Sports are good for learning accountability, motivation and dedication, experiencing success and failure, working well in a team, improving fitness, and boosting self esteem, amongst other benefits.

The Olympics and Paralympics come with a set of core values which encompass what these elite competitions are all about, proving that sport is not just about your ability.

1. Respect – fair play; knowing one’s own limits; and taking care of one’s health and the environment.
2. Excellence – how to give the best of oneself, on the field of play or in life; taking part; and progressing according to one’s own objectives.
3. Friendship – how, through sport, to understand each other despite any differences.
4. Determination – the drive and motivation to overcome both physical and mental barriers in order to achieve your goals.
5. Courage – having the self-belief and confidence to overcome adversity and face difficulty.
6. Equality – showing respect and humility towards all those around you in the spirit of fair play.
7. Inspiration – to be motivated by the achievements and actions of others and to be a positive example to others.

These Olympic and Paralympic values complement our School Core Values and are promoted by our PE Faculty. This Summer term our Athletics, Rounders, Cricket and Tennis teams have been in action against other local schools, with mixed results, but showing those all important values. On Tuesday 27 June we sent a team of over 70 athletes to the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham to take part in an annual athletics event against 9 other schools in the District. We wish them speed and strength.

Our annual Staff v Pupils charity cricket match took place on Monday 19 June, raising money this year for for Gloucestershire Cricket Trust, which supports the development of young cricketers in the county. Read the match report...

Continuing the cricket theme, on Monday 26 June we introduced our Spanish Exchange pupils from Colegio Argantonio in Cadiz to cricket with friendly matches after school, which resulted in a lot of fun and laughter. 

Sport in some form can be part of all of our lives, whether as an interest, hobby, passion or job. Some of our pupils may aspire to be professional sportsmen or women but there are numerous alternative opportunities for careers in sport, for example, sports scientist, personal trainer, nutritionist, physiotherapist, psychologist, instructor or coach, sports reporter or presenter, sportswear designer, product designer, architect, choreographer, events organiser and the list goes on! You can find out more about a range of sports and leisure industry careers on the National Careers Service.

External Facilities

At Deer Park, groundsman Mark Webb keeps the playing fields in top condition and if you have ever driven down the back drive and looked across the field on a summer's day just after a new marking up of the athletics track, how can you not be inspired by our expanse of green?

We are pleased to announce that the School Governors have committed to replacing the existing Astroturf surface over the summer holiday; the surface is being changed to a sand-dressed rather than sand-filled astroturf. This will be part funded by donations and also the surplus built up from the hire charges paid by external users. All pupils will have access to a top quality surface for lessons, clubs and fixtures throughout the year. External clubs that hire the facility will obviously benefit from this too. Watch out for a dramatic colour change when we return in September!

The new Astroturf compliments our fields with the two rugby and two football pitches, plus cricket nets, tennis/netball courts, a four court Sports Hall and a Gymnasium. Cirencester Deer Park School and its pupils have an excellent range of sporting facilities.