‘Nurturing Individual Excellence’

Sports News

Year 3/4 Swimming Gala - March 2024

On Tuesday 26th March 2024, a squad of 16 Year 3 & 4 children competed in the annual swimming gala hosted by Alsager Swimming Club. During the event, the children swam in a variety of races, including breaststroke, backstroke and front crawl. The team had some fantastic individual results, including a second-place finish in the 8-person cannon race. In the end, they came 4th overall. Well done to everyone who took part. 

Year 5/6 Swimming Gala - March 2024

The Alsager Schools – Year 5 and 6 Swimming Gala was held on Tuesday 19th March at Alsager Leisure Centre. Organised jointly by Alsager School and Alsager Swimming Club. Excalibur Primary School sent a team of 17 pupil (8 from Year 6 and 9 from Year 5) to the event.

The gala consisted of 8 individual races, along with 4 competitive relays and a fun canon relay to finish. Excalibur had a strong showing in the individual races, with 3 first place finishes for Emma (Yr 6) in the Girls 25m Front Crawl, Harriet (Yr 5) in the Girls 25m Backstroke and Ella (Yr 6) in the Girls 25m Breaststroke. Some fantastic team performances in the relays enabled Excalibur to win 2 out of the 4 relays, including an impressive swim from the Girls Medley Team who won their race by nearly a full length!

The final standings saw Excalibur taking a very respectable 2nd place with 42 points overall, which was just 5 points away for St Gabriels in 1st place with 47 points! Some were a little disappointed and frustrated at just how close the team had come to winning the trophy, they should however all be exceptionally proud of their achievements and the commitment, enthusiasm, and support that they showed for one another on the day. Well done guys, you did Excalibur proud.

 

Year 5/6 Netball Tournament - February 2024

On Thursday 8th February, a squad of eight Year 5 and 6 children participated in a netball tournament held at Alsager School. During the event, the children competed against four other schools, rotating positions around the court. The team played brilliantly, moving the ball effectively around the court and working hard to mark the opposition players. The matches were very closely fought but, in the end, we didn't win any matches. Despite that, the team showed perseverance and improved considerably throughout. Well done to everyone who took part.

Year 5/6 Netball League - January/February 2024

On Thursday 25th January and 1st February, our Year 6 netball team competed in the final two matches of the netball league against the other Alsager primary schools. Held at Alsager School, our team played against Alsager Highfields and Cranberry Academy. The team played brilliantly throughout, improving their skills in marking and movement. Unfortunately, they couldn't quite gain victory in either game and came joint 4th overall. Well done to everyone for showing perseverance and resilience throughout the games.

Year 2 Multi-Skills - January 2024

On Thursday 11th January, a group of Year 2 children visited Alsager School to take part in a multi-skills session ran by the schools' sports ambassadors. During the event, they took part in a variety of sports, including dodgeball, netball and athletics. Well done to everyone who took part and to our sports ambassadors, Ella, Joel and Emma, who led one of the activities.

Year 6 SSP Basketball Finals - January 2024

On Wednesday 10th January, a team of five Year 6s competed in the area finals in basketball. Following victory in the Alsager competition back in 2023, the team earned a place in the next round. During the tournament, they played against three other schools. They won one game and narrowly lost the other two. However, due to a fantastic second game where they scored nearly 10 baskets, they came runner up. Well done to Ella, Joel, Cooper, Oscar and Jacob.

Year 3/4 Tag Rugby Tournament December 2023

On Thursday 23rd December 2023, a squad of Year 3 & 4 children competed in the annual tag rugby competition held at Alsager School. The children represented Excalibur brilliantly, showing grit and resilience to try their best in every game.

Year 5/6 Basketball Tournament - November 2023

On Thursday 9th November, a team of five children competed in the annual basketball tournament held at Alsager School. During the event, they played against four other schools. Each game tested them in different ways but, through a combination of grit, resilience and basketball prowess, they were successful in winning every game. As a result, they have earnt a place in the next round of the competition which will take place at Congleton High School in December. Well done to Cooper, Joel, Oscar, Jacob and Harry.

Year 2 Multi-Skills Event Led by Sports Ambassadors - November 2023

On Thursday 2nd November, the new sports ambassadors took up their first challenge of designing and implementing an activity for Year 2 children from across the five local primary schools. Our sports ambassadors (Emma, Ella and Joel) were helpful, provided the younger children with demonstrations, gave clear instructions and adapted the activities where necessary. Mrs Thompson was very impressed! The Year 2 children that took part were polite, listened to instructions and gave 100% to each activity. Mrs Thompson was extremely proud of all the children representing Excalibur.

 

Year 5/6 Football League - September 2023


On Thursday 21st September, our Year 5 & 6 football team competed in the first match of the three-week football tournament at Alsager School. For their first match, they played against Pikemere. Excalibur go Torut in early with a deft display of quick-feet passing and made
it 1-0. Despite a hard-fought game, the opposition couldn’t equalise and we won our first game.

On Thursday 28th September, our team played again, this time against Alsager Highfields and St. Gabriel’s. Our first game saw us face off against Highfields, where we won 3-0. The game against St.Gabriel’s was tougher and neither side could break the deadlock, with the game remaining at 0-0.

Year 3/4 Tennis Competition - 18th May 2023

Last Thursday, four children from Year 4 attended the interschools Tennis competition at Alsager Tennis Club. They played brilliantly and worked together as a team to play multiple doubles matches. They won many of their matches and ended up in 2nd place overall! A great accomplishment from a great team!

Year 5/6 Badminton  - 11th May 2023

On Thursday 11th May, a group of five children from Year 5 & 6 participated in a badminton taster session at Alsager School. During the event, they learnt some basic skills of the sport before competing in friendly doubles matches against other schools. Well done to Ella, Cooper, Oscar, Joel and Isaac for representing Excalibur with such sportsmanship and effort.

KS2 Cross Country - 27th April 2023

A group of around 60 children in Years 3 to 6 participated in the Alsager Community Trust cross country competition. During the event, Years 3 and 4 ran one lap of both high school fields, with Years 5 and 6 running two laps. Everyone who represented Excalibur did us proud, showing a grit and determination throughout and displaying sportsmanship and encouragement to all.

Overall, Year 5/6 girls came first, Year 5/6 boys came second and Year 3/4 came 3rd. Well done to everyone. 

 

Trampolining Taster Session - 20th April 2023

On Thursday 20th April 2023, a group of four Year 6s attended a trampolining taster event led by a member of staff at Alsager School. Well done to everyone who took
part. You represented Excalibur brilliantly and did a great job with the gymnastics skills. 

 

Year 5/6 Swimming Gala - 21st March 2023

Organised jointly by Alsager High School and Alsager Swimming Club, this was the first gala to be held in over four years due to Covid.

A team of 16 pupils (11 from Year 6 and 5 from Year 5) took part in the event, many of whom had never experienced swimming in a competitive environment before. The fantastic atmosphere at the pool and the supportive nature that all the staff and competitors had towards one another, soon ensured that any early nerves or concerns were quickly overcome.

The gala consisted of 8 individual races, along with 4 competitive relays and a fun cannon relay to finish. Excalibur had a strong showing in the individual races, with 3 first place finishes for Emily in the 25m Front Crawl, Reuben in the 25m Breaststroke and Oliver in the 25m Butterfly. Some fantastic team performances in the relays enabled Excalibur to win 3 out of the 4 relays, whilst finishing 2nd in the other. Strong final leg swims by Emily, Oliver and Isaac allowed them to pass the swimmers in front of them to secure the wins for their team.

The final standings saw Excalibur taking 2nd place overall with 46 points which was only 2 points behind the winners. The children should be excpetionally proud of their achievements and the commitment, enthusiasm and support that they showed one another on the day. Well done, you all did Excalibur proud. 

Thank you to Mr Reid for taking the children. 

 

Year 1  Bronze Ambassador Multi Skills - 16th March 2023

Year 1 took part in a multi skills event led by the Year 6 Bronze Ambassadors from across Alsager. Year 1 worked brilliantly as a team to complete different activities such as obstacle courses. Our sports ambassordors (Oliver, Grace, Fin and Isla) did a great job of running an activity for the Year 1 children from the different schools to take part in. 

Thank you to Miss Taylor for taking them. 

Year 5/6 Basketball Competition

A squad of Year 6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust basketball tournament, held at Alsager School. The team performed brilliantly throughout, winning the first two matches. They narrowly lost out in the final two games. The team demonstrated excellent basketball play throughout the tournament, with superb use of space and a grit and determination at all times.

Well done to the whole team for representing the school so well.

 

Year 5/6 Dodgeball Tournament - 2nd March 2023

A squad of Year 5 & 6 children participated in the Alsager Community Trust dodgeball tournament. During the event, the team played against 
five teams, showcasing a range of dodgeball skills throughout. Well done to everyone who took part. 

 

Year 3/4 Dodgeball Tournament - 16th February 2023

Children from Year 3 and 4 attended a dodgeball tournament at Alsager School. The team performed brilliantly, showcasing some superb dodgeball skills to compete against the other teams. Well done to everyone who took part.

 

Year 3/4 Tag Rugby Tournament - 9th February 2023

A squad of Year 3 and 4 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust tag rugby competition at Alsager School. The team played well throughout, showing considerable improvement as the tournament progressed. Well done to everyone who took part.

 

Year 5/6 Tag Rugby Tournament - 2nd February 2023

A team of Year 5 & 6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust tag rugby tournament. Led by Mrs. Thompson, the children showed superb sportsmanship and grit throughout, listening carefully to the tactical instructions in order to do brilliantly. The team played against the four local schools, winning two games and drawing two more. Throughout the matches, every player worked together confidently, both in defence and offence. In the end, Excalibur were equal on points with another school and it went down to number of tries scores. We came runner up, with one 
less try scored than the opposition. A fantastic achievement!


Well done to Angel, Ella, Fin, Grace, Harry, Joel, Josh and Noah

 

Year 3/4 Hockey Skills - 26th January 2023

Miss Hilditch took a group of Year 3 & 4 children to participate in a hockey event at  Alsager School as part of the Alsager Community Trust  sporting events. During the session, they took part in a variety of skill-based activities where they got the opportunity to develop their dribbling, passing and shooting skills. Well done to everyone who took part.

 

Year 4 Dance Festival - 14th November 2022

To celebrate this year’s Commonwealth games, some children from Year 4 represented Jamaica at a dance festival. They practised really hard and worked brilliantly as a team, supporting and cheering each other on. Eventually, after many rescheduled dates, they showed this dance to many other schools from the area and had a great time!

Thank you Miss Forrester

Year 5 & 6 Netball League - 3rd & 10th November 2022

Over the last two weeks, a squad of Year 5 & 6 children have been participating in the Alsager Community Trust netball tournament. During the two sessions, the children competed in four matches. Throughout the tournament, the team showed grit and determination and worked brilliantly together.

Well done to the whole team and many thanks to Miss Forrester and Miss Hilditch for leading the team.

 

Year 3 & 4 Football Tournament - 13th October 2022

On Thursday 13th October, a team of Year 3 & 4 children competed in the annual tournament as part of the Alsager Community Trust. During the tournament, the team played against four other teams. The team played well throughout, including a 5-0 victory – Elliot was our hat-trick hero. Mrs. Thompson’s player of the match was Finn for playing in a position that he wasn’t used to and covering every inch of the pitch. Well done to the whole team for their great sporting attitude and resilience throughout – Mrs. Thompson said that they were a pleasure to take to the high school.

Year 5 & 6 Football League - 22nd & 29th September 2022

On Thursday 22nd September, our Year 5/6 football team competed in the first two matches of the Alsager Community Trust football league, which was held at Alsager School. The team faced some tough opposition but played brilliantly to come away with a draw and a win. 

Thursday 29th September, the team played with resilience and determination, ending the evening with two draws. The whole team played superbly throughout the four games. Well done to Noah, Grace, Isla, Finley, Harry, Angel and Lewis.

Thank you to Mrs Thompson for her superb management skills. 

 

Year 3 & 4 Tennis Tournament - 19th May 2022

On Thursday 19th May, a group of six Year 3 & 4 children competed in the annual Year 3 & 4 tennis tournament as part of the Alsager Community Trust. During the event, they competed in doubles matches against pairs from other schools. They performed well throughout the event, improving with each match and showing exemplary sportsmanship throughout. Well done to Alex, Willow, Ella, Joel, Pippa and Ethan. Also, many thanks to Mr. Bundy and all of the team at Alsager Tennis Club for hosting the event.

Year 5 & 6 Badminton Session - 12th May 2022

A group of Year 5 & 6 children attended a badminton workshop at Alsager School as part of the sports events organised through the Alsager Community Trust. During the activities, the children honed some of their badminton skills, before competing in games against each other. Well done to Jess A, Lily, Ewan, Reuben and Jack. You represented Excalibur brilliantly through your resilience and respectful attitude to all.

Year 5 & 6 Athletics Workshop - 5th May 2022

On Thursday 5th May, a group of Year 5 & 6 children participated in an athletics workshop at Alsager School. During the event, they took part in a variety of athletics events, including shot put, javelin and long jump. Well done to everyone who took part.

KS2 Cross Country - 28th April 2022

On Thursday 28th April, over forty Excalibur children from key stage 2 competed in the annual cross-country competition. There were three separate races (Year 3/4 mixed, Year 5/6 girls and Year 5/6 boys). Everyone who participated showed a superb resilience and determination to put in their all and keep running to the very end of the race. It was also wonderful to see the support the children provided, both to each other and to runners from other schools. There were also some fantastic individual results, with Emma coming 1st in the Year 3/4 race, Grace coming 2nd in the Year 5/6 girls race and Noah coming 1st in the Year 5/6 boys race. In addition to this, we had a number of top 10 finishers. As a result, we were crowned the overall cross-country champions for the first time ever! Well done to everyone who took part and to all the members of staff who made it possible to run the event.

Year 1 Multi-Skills Activity - 17th March 2022

On Thursday 17th March, a group of Year 1 children participated in an Alsager Community Trust multi-skills session at Alsager School. During the session, the children took part in a variety of different activities where they practised the skills from different sports. Well done to our Year 1s for excellent sportsmanship. All of the activities were organised by sports ambassadors from the local primary schools, including our very own: many thanks to Maisie, Ellie J, Tom and Jenson for running the sessions with such maturity and skill.

Year 6 Basketball Tournament - 10th March 2022

On Thursday 10th March, we competed in the Alsager Community Trust basketball tournament. We started the tournament strongly, securing comfortable victories against Alsager Highfields and Pikemere. We just missed out on victory on the third game but won the fourth against St. Gabriel’s. As we gathered in to hear the results, we knew it would be close. In the end, we drew on points against St. Gabriel’s, resulting in a final showdown. The game was neck-and-neck throughout, ending at 0-0. The only way to decide was a shootout, which involved five members of each team stepping up to take a shot. In the end, we just missed out on victory 3-2, taking the silver medal. Well done to Jacob, Tom, Ethan, Will, Jake, Jenson, Oscar and Harry – you showed determination throughout and applied those well-practiced skills in the tournament.

Year 5 & 6 Sandbach Netball Tournament - 9th March 2022

Following our victory at the Alsager Community Trust netball competition, we earned a spot in the next round: the Sandbach Sports Partnership tournament which was held at Sandbach High School on Wednesday 9th March and involved six teams, all of which had been successful in their own town tournaments. Despite losing the first game in our group, the team showed their true grit and resilience, not to mention their netball know-how, to defeat Quinta quite comfortably in their second game. This was enough to come runners up in the group and secure a place in the semi-final against St. Gabriel’s! 

Following a display of sporting resolve and teamwork, our squad secured a 7-5 victory and a place in the final. Playing in the final against the Dingle, the game was neck-and-neck for the most part. However, as the final whistle approached, the opposition just pulled ahead. In the end, we came runners up in a competition which originally involved around 30 schools. A fantastic achievement! Well done to Maisie, Maddie, Grace, Ellie S, Ellie J, Jess W and Bea. And an additional thank you to Leah who was a great support for the team during the Alsager tournament and throughout their practice.

Year 5 & 6 Netball Friendly

On Monday 7th March, we played a netball friendly against St. Gabriel’s Catholic Primary School. The teams both played with sportsmanship and a great amount of humour throughout. We won the match and we plan to make a journey to St. Gabriel’s for a rematch soon. Many thanks to Miss Birchenough from St. Gabriel’s and all of their team.

Victory at the Year 5 & 6 Netball Competition - 27th January 2022

On Thursday 27th January and 3rd February, a squad of Year 5 & 6 children competed in the annual Year 5 & 6 competition as part of the Alsager Community Trust inter-school events. They played four games against the other Alsager primary schools, winning every match and scoring an exceptional 42 points throughout. They have now secured a place in the next round of the competition. Details to be confirmed soon. Well done to Bea, Ellie S, Ellie J, Grace, Jess W, Leah, Maisie, Maddie. You all showed superb teamwork, resilience and unity to play with such consistency and skill throughout the competition.

Year 5 & 6 Hockey Skills Session - 13th January 2022

On Thursday 13th January 2022, a group of Year 5 & 6 children attended a hockey skills session at Alsager School as part of the Alsager Community Trust sports events. During the event, they took part in a variety of activities designed to develop their hockey-playing skills. This included shooting, dribbling, passing and lifting the ball. All of our children represented Excalibur wonderfully, showcasing our core values and working hard to improve throughout the session. Well done to Tom, Maisie, Ellie, Leah, Noah, Grace, Jacob, Imogen, Emmie, Isla, Maddie, Lily and Angel. All of the events were organised by hockey players from Alsager School, many of whom play for our local club: Triton Hockey Club. They provide training and match opportunities for a range of age groups, so please visit the website if you would like more details of how to join: https://www.tritonhockey.co.uk.

Elf Run in Aid of St. Luke’s (Cheshire) Hospice - 10th December 2021

Today, the whole school is taking part in a sponsored Elf Run to raise money for St. Luke’s (Cheshire) Hospice. The children will be doing laps of our school path, donned in their elf hats and ears. They will also receive a porridge pot courtesy of event sponsors Mornflake. Many thanks to everyone who has already donated to this worthy cause. Your children may bring in sponsorship forms (please bring them in no later than Tuesday 14th December 2021). There is also a Just Giving link where you can donate online: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/excaliburprimary-school-elf-run-2021.

Year 2 Activity Session led by Sports Ambassadors - 2nd December 2021

On Thursday 2nd December, our fantastic sports ambassadors (Maisie, Tom, Jenson and Ellie J) led sporting activities with Year 2 children from across the Alsager primary schools. For the second time this year, they represented Excalibur superbly, showing true leadership skills. A group of our Year 2 children attended the event and took part in five different activities which were led by sports ambassadors from all of the local schools. Our Year 2 children participated brilliantly. Well done to everyone who attended.

Year 3 & 4 Tag Rugby Event - 21st November 2021

A squad of Year 3s and 4s participated in the Year 3 & 4 tag rugby event, which was held at Alsager School Astro-turf. The team performed wonderfully, developing their skills as each game progressed. Well done to Emma, Ethan, Oscar, Joel, Blake, Jack S and Freddie. You all represented Excalibur with resilience, sportsmanship and unity. Well done.

Year 5 & 6 Tag Rugby Champions - 14th November 2021

On Thursday 18th November, a squad of Year 5 & 6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Year 5 & 6 tag rugby tournament. Playing against the four other Alsager primary schools, our team worked exceptionally well, displaying unity and resilience throughout. They listened and acted upon the advice given, both by Mrs. Thompson and by each other.

As a result of this, they won every single game they played and only conceded a small number of tries during the whole tournament. Well done to Jake, Ethan, Ellie S, Ellie J, Leah, Tom, Grace, Noah and Maisie and a special thanks to Mrs. Thompson for managing the team.

City 7s with Stoke City - 20th October 2021

Year 2 and 3 received a special visitor on Wednesday when a representative from Stoke City came into school to present them with free membership of the City 7s scheme. This opportunity gives each child in Years 2 and 3 a free ticket to watch a Stoke City match. Discounted tickets are also available for everyone else in school, including friends and family members. Envelopes have gone home with all children this week. In order to capitalise on this fantastic opportunity, envelopes with payment must be returned to the school office on Tuesday 2nd November 2021. For those of you who do attend, please send some photographs of the day to us at contact@excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk as we will be updating our City 7s display in school.

Girls’ Football Competition - 21st October 2021

On Thursday 21st October, a team of Year 5 & 6 footballers competed in the Alsager Community Trust girls’ football competition. Held at the astro turf at Alsager School, we played four matches against four different schools. With 16 goals scored across four matches, and without conceding a single goal, our team were, quite simply, sublime. Well done to Angel, Bethany, Ellie, Grace, Isla, Leah and Maisie. You showed great sportsmanship, resilience and unity throughout. Outstanding!

Year 3 & 4 Football Competition - 14th October 2021

On Thursday 14th October, a squad of Year 3 & 4 footballers attended the Alsager Community Trust tournament held at Alsager School. During the event, the team played well, winning their game against St. Gabriel's 2-0 and only narrowly missing out on victory in the others. In the end, they finished with a highly respectable third place. Well done to Josh, Finn, Freddie H, Jack S, Jack W, Jacob, Cooper, Joe and Harry

Year 6 Intra-School Hockey Tournament - 7th October 2021

Following four weeks of hockey lessons, Year 6 spent Thursday afternoon competing in an intra-school competition against their peers. They were organised into six teams, working through the group stages to battle for a place in the semi-finals. In the end, it came down to a nail-biting final that ended up at 1-1. A rematch will be played next week. Mr. Hancock was impressed with the sporting skills on display, with the teams working together to decide on positions as well as strategy during the game. Excellent effort, Year 6!

Alsager Community Trust Year 5 & 6 Football Tournament - 23rd September, 30th September and 7th October 2021.

We are truly excited that our inter-school competitions have returned and they kicked off in style with the Year 5 & 6 football tournament. Held at Alsager School astro-turf, our squad of children from upper KS2 competed in four matches over two weeks to battle it out for the coveted trophy. 

On Thursday 7th October, they played their final two matches. They lost their first match 4-1 but drew their second 1-1. With their previous results included, they came a commendable third place – bronze medal position! 

The team impressed throughout with their sportsmanship and resilience throughout. Many thanks to Miss Hilditch who managed the team and Mr. Cross for his training sessions and match day support. 

ACT Dodgeball - Year 3/4 - 24th February 2020

Year 5/6 - 5th March 2020

Two teams of children took part in the dodgeball competitions at Alsager High School. Both took part with great enthusiasm and entered the spirit of the the compeition. Great fun was had by all.

Year 3/4 - won two games and lost 2 games resulting in them coming 3rd overall.

Year 5/6 also came third in their competition.

Well done to all that took part.

 

 

 

ACT Netball Tournament - Year 5/6 - 6th February 2020

On Thursday 6th February 2020, our year 5 & 6 netball team took part in the second week of the Netball Tournament at Alsager School. 

After a fantastic start last week, we played our first match very well. Our teamwork, rotation of positions, defence and shooting was brilliant! However, by the end of the game we narrowly missed out on a win. 

Our next game was against Alsager Highfields and we very quickly secured our first goal. Then another, and another and another! Working very well as a team we ended the game victorious 8-0!

All our efforts meant that we were awarded third place overall. Well done to all those who played and particularly those who stepped in at the last minute!

 

ACT Sportshall Athletics - 16th January 2020

On Thursday 16th January, a squad of our athletes attended the Alsager Community Trust Sportshall Athletics. One of the biggest events of the sporting calendar, the competition involves children competing in a variety of track and field events, including obstacle, hurdle, sprint and middle distance races as well as chest push, soft javelin, speed bounce, standing long jump, standing triple jump and vertical jump.

This year's event saw fantastic performances throughout, with several top three finishes in the races as well as excellent scores across the field events.

When it came down to the results, all was up for grabs - we had no idea where we would come. As the positions and total point tally was announced in reverse order, we found ourselves in the top two. We came runners up, only just missing out on the top spot!

With one of our best Sportshall Athletics results in recent years, everyone who represented Excalibur did us proud! You showed those all-important skills of grit, determination and sportsmanship. Well done to Sofia, Felicity, Faith, Eloise, Lilla, Bo, Reuben, Jacob, Finley, Reilly, Euan, Joe, Archie W, Maisie, Ellie J, Adam, Calum, Zac and Ava.

 

Autumn Club Links Assembly - 18th December 2019

In the last week of the autumn term, Mr. Hancock introduced a number of children from Years 5 & 6 who promoted their out-of-school sports clubs to the rest of Excalibur. During the assembly, sports included basketball with Alsager Aces, football with AFC Alsager and dance at a number of the local studios, among others. The local guides and scouts were also included.

If anyone at school is interested in participating in a new sport or activity, then please make use of the local clubs page of our website or speak to Mr. Hancock.

 

Christmas Sports Celebration - 17th December 2019

On Tuesday 17th December, Miss. Robinson and Mr. Hancock led the school in a celebration of sport from the autumn term. Starting with a look back on the term, children stood up if they had participated in any of the events, including after school sports clubs, inter-school events and Fit Friday lunchtime activities. It was wonderful to see how many children from across the school had taken part.

Then, class and school records were announced in both field run and broad jump. Both events are now going into their fourth year, with several all-time class records achieved this term.

Many thanks to everyone who has made Excalibur Sport so brilliant so far this year - here's looking forward to 2020.

 

SSP Year 5 and 6 Basketball Festival - 5th December 2019

On Thursday 5th December, a group of 11 Year 5 & 6 children participated in the Sandbach Sports Partnership Basketball Festival. Held at Congleton High School, the event saw our two teams face off against a host of other schools from around the local area, including Sandbach and Crewe.

Throughout the tournament, the teams went from strength-to-strength, improving their positioning on the court as well as their shooting and marking skills. Well done to Euan, Rose, Josh, Henry, Calum, Zac, Dominic, Chloe, Eloise, Ben and Baden - you all represented Excalibur with a grit and resilience of which you should all be proud.

 

Sports Festival - Thursday 5th December 2019

A group of Year 3 children had the opportunity to try out a number of different sporting activities such as badminton, dodgeball, basketball, tennis and an obstacle course. A great time was had by all including Miss Robinson.

 

ACT Tag Rugby Tournament Year 3/4 - Thursday 28th November 2019

A squad of 10 children took part in the Alsager Community Trust tag rugby tournament. All of the children took part with great enthusiasm and ended up coming third. With each game that they played, they grew in confidence and improved on their previous performance. Well done.

 

ACT Tag Rugby Tournament Year 5/6 - Thursday 21st November 2019

On Thursday 21st November 2019, a squad of 13 Year 5 and 6 children competed in the annual Alsager Community Trust tag rugby tournament.

Our first match pitted us against St. Gabriel’s, giving us our first glimpse of our sporting prowess. With barely a mistake made, we dominated the game from start to finish, ending at 4-3. Our second game against Pikemere was tougher and tries were scored at both ends in quick succession. The game ended at 4-4.

Following a bye, during which we assessed the strengths and weaknesses of our upcoming opposition, we played against Alsager Highfields. Once again, the performances were outstanding and we pulled out a superb 5-3 victory.

Our final game brought us up against Cranberry. Currently unbeaten, this game was the de-facto final: the winner of the game would be crowned 2019 champions. The first play from Cranberry suggested they would be a tough team to beat. However, our outstanding defensive work, both individually and as a team, ensured we stopped them in their tracks, forcing them to make errors. With the ball in our grasp, we ploughed on strongly, scoring one try after another, each time stopping the Cranberry attacks in between. The game ended in victory! We were Year 5 & 6 Tag Rugby champions for the very first time!

With 13 players in the squad, we played with almost two completely different teams throughout the tournament, showing what superb breadth of tag rugby skills we have. It was truly one of the greatest Excalibur performances in memory so extra special congratulations to Archie W, Felicity, Reuben, Liam, Joe, Archie B, Rossi, Sofia, Adam, Henry, Millie, Ava and Rhys.

 

Sports Ambassador Year 2 Multi Skills - Thursday 14th November 2019

On Thursday 14th November, a group of ten Year 2s attended a multi-skills event held at Alsager School's sport hall as part of the Alsager Community Trust extra-curricular events. The activities were organised and led by the town's sports ambassadors. Our four ambassadors, Felicity, Eloise, Joe and Adam, ran a challenging possession game based on netball and basketball. The Year 2 children then took part in a variety of other activities, including football skills, agility courses and relay races. Throughout the sessions, the Year 2s showed the true Excalibur sporting spirit, showing an eagerness to improve at all times. Particular thanks to our sports ambassadors for providing such an engaging session.

 

ACT Basketball Tournament - Thursday 7th November 2019

On Thursday 7th November, our squad of Year 6 basketball players competed in the annual Alsager Community Trust basketball tournament. This year, the standard was the highest yet, with all teams putting in a highly competitive performance. 

Our first match pitted us against Alsager Highfields, where we were able to secure a confident victory. Our second match ended in a hard fought draw against St. Gabriel’s, setting us up for an uphill fight for victory. After a short break, we faced Pikemere, where we comfortably fought on to take an 8-2 lead over the opposition. Our final match, which would determine the outcome of the tournament, was against Cranberry. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a foothold and narrowly lost out on victory.

In the end, we fell a point short of joint first place, coming a well-respected third place. Next stop: the SSP tournament at the end of November.

 

ACT Year 3 & 4 Football Tournament - Thursday 17th October 2019

On Thursday 17th October, a team of Year 4 girls and boys took part in the annual football tournament. Our first game was against Cranberry. As our team found its feet, we secured a 1-0 victory. With one win behind us, the second game against St. Gabriel's found us putting more goals into the net, winning 2-0. Our next game without a break was a little more tricky, with tiring legs and a great save from Bethany we ended the game at 0-0. Our final game is where we showed how we could play football. With some great passes and vision from all players, Oscar secured his hat-trick. The final whistle blew: 4-0 to Excalibur.

With the expert knowledge and team management from Mrs. Thompson (aka Klopp) the team came second, only losing out on goal difference. Well done Year 4 - you did me proud. Every member of the team showed great team spirit.

Report from Mrs. Thompson


Football League - Week 3 - 10th October 2019


On Thursday 10th October, our football squad attended the final week of the Alsager Community Trust football league. Despite a huge amount of effort being displayed by all players, we just lost 2-1, bringing this year’s first football league to a close. Well done to Oliver, Finley, Rossi, Baden, Josh, Felicity, Archie W, Reilly and Reuben.

Congleton Rugby Club Contact Opportunity - October 2019

For three weeks during October, over twenty members of Year 5 and 6 attended a series of contact rugby sessions organised by coaches from Congleton RUFC at Alsager School. After two training sessions, the opportunity culminated in a World Cup tournament. Now, all participants have the chance to continue their rugby at Congleton Rugby Club. Well done to everybody who took part and to the coaches for arranging such high-quality, professional coaching sessions.

Additionally, on Thursday 10th October, Mr. Hancock led a tag ruby session with 18 Year 6s, all of whom did a terrific job of getting to grips with the sport in a short amount of time.


 

Football League - Week 1 - 26th September 2019

On Thursday 26th September, our squad of footballers competed in the first week of the Alsager Community Trust football tournament. This week, we had one match against St. Gabriel's.

The game started strongly, with the team coming together superbly to hit one in the back of the net. This was closely followed by another, putting us 2-0 ahead. Our opposition struggled to break through for much of the game, but goals were scored, resulting in Excalibur leading at 3-2.

In the last two minutes, despite being the stronger team through the vast majority of the game, we conceded a third goal, ending the match at 3-3.

The children performed brilliantly, showcasing their footballing skill and making a great start to the football league. Three games left to play!

ACT Cross Country - 19th September 2019

On Thursday 19th September, children from Years 3, 4 and 5 took part in the first ACT event of the year. Everybody showed great determination when tackling the cross country course. Miss Robinson and Mrs Weatherby were very proud of all of the children especially those trying cross country for the first time

City 7s Assembly - 9th September 2019

On Monday 9th September, we were privileged to receive a visit from Stoke City Football Club, who led an assembly all about their fantastic City 7s scheme. Offering all members of the school the opportunity to watch Stoke v Bristol on Saturday 14th September, the club representatives engaged the children with facts about the football stadium, team and players. After the assembly, our Year 2s were gifted with free City 7s membership for the 2019/2020 season, along with a free football shirt!

We hope that as many families as possible can take up the opportunity to visit Stoke on Saturday. Please remember that ticket orders must be received on or before Wednesday 11th September. If you do attend the match, please bring some photos into school and we will update our City 7s display.

 

Excalibur Sport Celebration Assembly - 18th July 2019

On Thursday 18th July 2019, Mr. Hancock led the final sports celebration assembly of the year. During the assembly, the children were treated to a montage of recent world-class sport, including clips from the netball, cricket, football, tennis and F1.

Then, the children revisited the sporting achievements of the past term, including Alsager Community Trust sports competitions and Excalibur's Sports Week.

Finally, the class and school record holders were announced for the Fit Friday events of field run and broad jump. Now at the end of its third year, Fit Friday has become an integral part of our active lunchtimes, with opportunities for children to both beat their personal bests and get on the top 10 leaderboards. This year has seen a large number of all-time class records being broken, as well as school records for the girls and boys broad jump and the girls field run.

Well done to everyone who has taken part in Fit Friday this year and particular congratulations to the class and school record holders. Get practising over the summer ready for the return of Fit Friday on September 6th 2019.

 

ACT Primary Sports Awards - 16th July 2019

On Tuesday 16th July 2019, the Alsager Community Trust Primary Sports Awards were held at Alsager School to celebrate the outstanding sporting achievements and contribution from across the town's primary schools.

During the event, awards were given out to a number of Excalibur children from across the school. In addition, Excalibur was recognised for achieving the School Games Platinum Award earlier in the year and for our success in the Sandbach Sports Partnership Rounders Tournament and County Basketball.

Well done to everyone, including pupils, parents, volunteers and staff who have helped make Excalibur Sport so great this year. Particular congratulations to the following recipients of the awards: Izzy, Sophie, Ella, Ben, Rudy, Harry, Will, Corey, Lewis, Maisie, Henry, Adam, Aimee and Nicolas.

 

Summer Clublinks Assembly - 16th July 2019

On Tuesday 16th July 2019, several members of our school shared their out-of-school sports club experiences as part of the summer term's Clublinks assembly. The rest of the school learnt about Alsager Shotokan Karate Club courtesy of Ellie S and Ellie J, Performance Studios dance provision with Ruby and Eloise, AFC Wildcats Girls Football with Holly and Alsager Cricket Club by Ava and Euan.

If any child is interested in joining any of these clubs then either talk to the children listed above or check out the local clubs page of the school website.

Mr. Hancock is always keen to learn about any other local clubs, so please get in touch if you think there may be clubs missing from the local clubs page.

 

Town Sports 2019 -  24th June 2019

On Monday 24th June 2019, a squad of children from across Year 2 to Year 6 competed in the annual Town Sports event at Alsager Highfields. During the evening, they competed in several events, including sprinting, skipping, bean bag race, long distance, obstacle and relays. The performances across the board were outstanding, with podium finishes across all events and all year groups.

As the results were announced, we knew we had performed well but had no idea where we would come. In the end, we came a fantastic joint 2nd place, equaling our all-time best position in the event.

It was wonderful to see our children supporting each other throughout, showing brilliant sportsmanship to each other and cheering on their teammates. Congratulations to everyone who took part!

 

SSP Year 5 & 6 Rounders Tournament -   2nd July 2019

On Tuesday 2nd July, a squad of Year 5 & 6 children attended the Sandbach Sports Partnership Rounders Tournament at Sandbach High School. During the event, we played against five other teams. Our first match against Buglawton displayed the true strength of our fielding skills and we won the game comfortably. We narrowly lost out on victory during our next match, but successfully beat Mossley A, Mossley B and Blackfirs B. Once again, the fielding was exceptional with the batting improving throughout the competition as well.

In the end, we came joint first on points, but lost out on victory due to having a smaller number of rounders than the winning team. This brilliant result builds on our historic success in the sport across both Alsager and Sandbach. Well done to Will, Nicolas, Izzy, Holly, Emily, Ruby, Rory, Ben and Harry - you did Excalibur proud!

 

ACT Year 5 & 6 Kwik Cricket - 20th June 2019

On Thursday 20th June 2019, a squad of nine Year 5 & 6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Kwik Cricket competition held at Rode Park Cricket Club. During the event, they played matches against three other schools, with each team member batting, bowling and fielding.

Our first match against St. Gabriel's was a close-fought game but ended in a narrow loss. Then, playing against Cranberry, the team really got into their stride. Following the taking of several wickets, we took our turn to bat. Six overs later, the game ended at a draw.

Our final match pitted us against Pikemere. Bowling first, we kept the opposition at bay, leaving us the opportunity to claim victory. With the final pair stepping up to the field, we needed more than 14 runs to claim the win. And we did it!

During the results, we were proudly announced as runners up - a fantastic achievement. Well done to Adam, Euan, Joe, Izzy, Kai, Emily, Ben, Nicolas and Sam C.

 

Year 1 Multi-Skills Event - 6th June 2019

On Thursday 6th June 2019, a group of Year 1 children visited Alsager School for a multi-skills session. The activities varied from ball skills to relay-style races. Well done to everyone who took part.

 

Year 4 & 5 Tennis Tournament - 6th June 2019

On Thursday 6th June 2019, four children from Year 4 & 5 attended a tennis tournament at Alsager Tennis Club. During the competition, the children played doubles matches against other schools.

In the end, Excalibur drew in first position with three other schools but lost out on victory on total points scored.

Well done to Adam, Archie, Annie and Bo - you did Excalibur proud!

 

SSP Year 3 & 4 Mini Tennis Tournament - 13th June 2019

On Thursday 13th June, a group of four year 4 children attended a mini tennis tournament at Sandbach High School. Each child had to play 4 matches against a number of different schools from Congleton. They all played brilliantly and each person improved their technique throughout the games. There were a few draws and some very close matches. Overall, Excalibur came 4th. All of the children were fantastic, showing great sportsmanship.

Well done to Annie, Bo, Calum and Zac.

 

ACT Year 3 & 4 Swimming Gala - 16th May 2019

On Thursday 16th May 2019, a squad of Year 3 & 4 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust swimming gala at Alsager School. During the event, the children swam in a variety of events, including individual front crawl, breaststroke and backstroke races and two relays: a 4 x 25m freestyle and medley.

All of the children swam brilliantly, with some fantastic individual performances as well as team results, including a second place finish in the eight-person cannon event.

Well done to everyone who took part.

KS2 Cross Country - 28th March 2019

On Thursday 28th March, a squad of over twenty KS2 children participated in the Cross Country event at Alsager School. During the event, there were three separate races, with the first five finishers from each school securing points for the team as a whole. Well done to everyone who took part and particular congratulations to Henry, Elinor and Harry, who were the first Excalibur finishers in their races.

As usual, the field is available during all lunchtimes where children may practise their running - just bring your outdoor trainers and get practising ready for next year's cross country.

 

Year 5 & 6 County Basketball Finals - 18th March 2019

On Monday 18th March 2019, our squad of Year 5 & 6 basketball county finalists took part in the Level 3 event of the Cheshire & Warrington School Games. 

Following successful teams for the past five years, never coming less than second in an Alsager or Sandbach competitions, and after winning the Sandbach Sports Partnership competition, we gained entry to the Basketball County Finals for the first time in five years!

The event took place at Ellesmere Port Sports Centre, a fantastic venue home to Cheshire Phoenix, known as the Nix, one of our local professional basketball teams.

Our first match was hard fought, resulting in a close game that had us leading for several minutes. Unfortunately, we slipped behind in the last seconds, losing by one basket. Our next two games were similarly close, and we couldn't quite get into our stride, exiting the competition at the group stages.

Getting to the County Finals is a huge achievement. With over a hundred schools in Cheshire and Warrington, being in the final eight shows what a fantastic team we have. Well done to Rory, Nicolas, Sam, Adam, Ben, Rudy, Will and Archie. You did Excalibur proud!

 

Year 2 Multi-Sports Event - 21st March 2019

On Thursday 21st March 2019, a group of eight Year 2 children attended the Year 2 Multi Sports Event at Alsager School as part of the Alsager Community Trust.

During the event, they participated in a variety of skills, including dodgeball, basketball, netball and football, as well as some running games.

The activities were planned and lead by sports ambassadors from across the town's schools. They all did a fantastic job but particular thanks to our very own Emily, Rudy and Will, who organised a dodgeball game for the Year 2s to get a flavour for the sport. Well done also to our Year 2s - Angel, Cerys, Ava, Lewis, Harrison, Ella, Imogen, Finlay and Isaac.

 

Year 3 Hockey Festival - 14th March 2019

On Thursday 14th March 2019, a group of Year 3 children participated in a hockey festival at Alsager School as part of the Alsager Community Trust. During the activity, they practised skills such as passing and dribbling, before moving into a small-sided game against each other. The brilliant activities were organised and ran by hockey players from Triton Hockey Club, as well as other Alsager School pupils.

Well done to Ellie S, Ellie J, Oliver, Oscar and Leah - you represented Excalibur wonderfully, showing some superb hockey skills throughout the session.

If any child is interested in starting to play hockey, Triton Hockey Club train on Saturday mornings at Alsager Leisure Centre from September to May. More information can be found on our local clubs page or the Triton website.

 

Year 5/6 Dodgeball Competition - 7th March 2019

On Thursday 7th March 2019, a squad of eight Year 5 & 6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Dodgeball Competition. After training during PE lessons, the team stepped up to play against four other schools.

During our first match, against Cranberry Academy, we couldn't quite get into our flow and narrowly lost out on victory. However, from then on we went from strength to strength. Our next game, against Alsager Highfields, started strongly, with the team working well to throw simultaneously. We won. 

Our following two games, against Pikemere and St. Gabriels, were equally impressive, with outstanding performances from everyone in our squad. In the end, due to an equal point difference, we came joint first! Fantastic! We have now won the competition for three consecutive years - ever since the competition began!

Well done to Nicolas, Kai, Sam, Rudy, Ben, Finlay, Felicity and Izzy.

 

Year 5 & 6 Hockey Tournament - 5th March 2019

On Tuesday 5th March, we took a squad of six Year 5 & 6 children to the Sandbach Sports Partnership Hockey Tournament which was held at Sandbach High School. During the afternoon, seventeen teams from several primary schools battled it out to be crowned champions.

Our first match started well, but we struggled to get into our stride, with the game ending 0-0. However, from then we went from strength to strength, winning the rest of our matches apart from one. There were some outstanding performances, both in defence and upfront, with superb teamwork and passing plays resulting in some excellent hockey. Well done Holly, Emily, Izzy, Adam, Nicolas and Kai - you displayed Excalibur’s sporting grit and attitude throughout.

Many thanks to the organisers of the competition and special thanks to our parents for supporting the event.

 

Year 5 & 6 Netball Tournament - Week 2 - 7th February 2019

On Thursday 7th February, we competed in the second week of the annual Alsager Community Trust Netball Tournament. Due to the choral competition taking place in Crewe, we took a vastly different team which rose to the challenge of competing in the two more challenging matches of the tournament.

With two matches left to play, the team went in strong, showing resilience and grit to keep working to improve throughout the competition. At the end, the results were announced. We came 3rd - a fantastic result! Well done to everybody who took part and particular thanks to those who stepped in at short notice - you did Excalibur proud.

Year 5 & 6 B Team Netball Competition - 14th February 2019

On Thursday 14th February 2019, a team of Year 5 & 6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust B Team Netball Competition. Playing against four schools during the event, our squad showed the true breadth of our netball skills at Excalibur. After a host of superb performances, we came runners up, narrowly missing out on the top spot.

Well done to Finlay, Daisy, Tegan, Izzy, Ella and Adam - brilliant performances all round!

 

Year 3 & 4 Dodgeball Training - 26th February 2019

On Tuesday 26th February 2019, a team of Year 3 & 4s trained in preparation for the upcoming dodgeball competition at Alsager School. During the hour-long session, they learnt the basic rules of dodgeball and the fundamental skills needed, such as throwing, catching and dodging. After some drills, the group got into a game to apply their skills. The tournament will take place later in the year so watch this space! Well done to Maisie, Calum, Sofia, Harrison, Tom, Will and Ava.

Year 5 & 6 Sportshall Athletics - 17th January 2019

On Thursday 17th January 2019, a squad of Year 5 and 6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Sportshall Athletics event at Alsager School.

During the afternoon, the children competed in a variety of track and field events, including sprint and long distance events, standing long jump, speed bounce and javelin throw.

Everyone who participated performed wonderfully, working hard through each and every event. They made Excalibur proud!

Year 5 & 6 Netball Tournament - 31st January 2019

On Thursday 31st January 2019, our Year 5 & 6 netball team took part in the first week of the Alsager Community Trust Netball Tournament at Alsager School.

Our first match pitted us against Cranberry Academy. Taking awhile to get into our stride, the game was close from start to finish, with the opposition getting an early lead before we drew even - the game ended a 5-5 draw.

Carried by the strength of the closing minutes of our first game, we went in strong against Alsager Highfields, pulling off some superb plays to secure victory by one point.

Well done to the team: Will, Nicolas, Eloise, Felicity, Holly, Ben, Elinor and Jess.

Autumn Term Excalibur Sport Update - 19th December 2018

On Wednesday 19th December 2018, Mr. Hancock led the termly Excalibur Sport Update, featuring a look back at the term's events and partciular successes. In addition, children across the school were awarded certificates for earning class and school records in Fit Friday's two events: Broad Jump and Field Run.

Congratulations to all of this term's recipients and many thanks to everyone at Excalibur that continues to make PE & School Sport a success.

Autumn Term Clublinks Assembly - 18th December 2018

On Tuesday 18th December, a group of Year 6 children led an assembly to promote the sports clubs which they attend outside of school. This term's showcases were Rudy and Ella with Sandbach Gymnastics; Will for Sandbach Rugby Club; Evan for mountain biking; Izzy and Sophie for Dance (Lynn Cox School of Dance and Angela Beardmore School of Dance); and Nicolas, Rory and Sam for Alsager Aces Basketball.

If any of your children would like to join these clubs (or any others) the information can be found on the school website under Sports - Local Clubs. Alternately, they can speak to any of the children above or Mr. Hancock.

ASM Year 5/6 Football Tournament - 17th December 2018

On Monday 17th December 2018, a squad of 10 Year 5/6 children competed in a football tournament held at Alsager School astro-turf and organised by ASM. During the event, seven teams took part in a full round-robin format (all teams played everybody).

Our first match started off well, with confident passing resulting in an early first goal. Unfortunately, two last-minute goals against us left us with a disappointing loss. However, our next matches went from strength to strength, with solid victories being assured through outstanding defending and exceptional teamwork and precision upfront. We won four consecutive matches, leaving us with one final match.

The team played well, securing a goal towards the close of play. Unfortunately, a quick break from the opposition left us scrabbling to recuperate and we conceded in the closing seconds of the game.

Results were announced the following day: we came runner up, a fantastic result and huge improvement from the tournament earlier in the year. Congratulations to Kai, Sam, Evan, Rory, Archie, Will, Nicolas, Harry, Ben and Rudy for superb grit and determination. And special thanks to Mrs. Thompson - Mourinho's replacement has been found!

Amaven Day - 13th December 2018

On Thursday 13th December, Mr. Cross visited school to run the Amaven physical literacy tests with the children in years 1 to 6. During the day, children were challenged to get their very best score in skills such as the broad jump with stick landing, agility, flexibility and throwing and catching. Scores will be uploaded by Christmas and will be available for parents to view through logging into their online locker. Login details will be sent home via a letter next week.

Well done to all their children for their hard work and many thanks to Mr. Cross for giving up his time to run the tests.

Rudolph Run in aid of St. Luke's Hospice - 11th December 2018

On Tuesday 11th December, the whole school participated in a Rudolph Run in aid of St. Luke's Hospice in Cheshire. Courtesy of the charity, everybody received reindeer antlers and bright red noses for the event, which involved the whole school doing laps of either the field or the playground. Dancing along to festive music, it was wonderful to see everybody getting into the Christmas spirit for a good cause.

Many thanks to everybody for making it such a success and for those who have already returned sponsorship forms. Please return all money raised by Tuesday 18th December 2018.

Premier Education Wellbeing Day - 10th December 2018

On Monday 10th December 2018, Premier Education visited the school to lead exciting sessions with all year groups with a focus on health and nutrition. During the lesson, the children were taught the fundamentals of healthy living, including the importance of exercise, eating well and getting enough sleep. The session culminated in a food tasting activity, where they had a go at trying vegetables that many of them had never eaten before.

Mr. Mercer, the Active Professional from Premier Education, commented on how impressed he was with the children at our school, both with their prior knowledge and with their enthusiasm and engagement with the sessions. 

Many thanks to Premier Education for providing the opportunity for our children and well done everyone for putting their all into the sessions.

SSP Basketball Tournament - 28th November 2018

On Thursday 28th November 2018, a squad of Year 5/6 children competed in the Sandbach Sports Partnership Basketball Tournament at Congleton High School. The event consisted of six teams from across the local area.

After five weeks of training, our first game pitted us against Marton, where we got the first opportunity to test our skills. The game started quite evenly, with both teams getting chances to score but failing to get the points. Then, a superb series of shots secured a 4-0 victory. What a great start! In our second game, we came face-to-face with Buglawton. Eight minutes later and we had bagged another victory.

Without a break, we headed into our next game against Quinta. Initially struggling against some strong shooters, we soon pulled ahead, securing our third consecutive victory. Our fourth game, and the last one before a break, put us up against Blackfirs. They hadn't yet lost a game and it was clearly going to be the toughest match of the tournament. Within minutes, Blackfirs had pulled ahead, using a greater physicality to force us off the ball. Eventually, we got into our stride, confidently equalising and ending the game a draw.

After two games of waiting, we faced our final challengers: Scholar Green. It was evident that victory in this last game would likely secure victory overall. The nail-biting showdown drew on. We scored first, and success seemed within our grasp. Then, Scholar Green equalised. With minutes turning into seconds, we knew that a draw wasn't going to be enough. Then, a composed shot from Rory sunk squarely into the net and we drew ahead. Victory was ours!

For the past six years we have entered the competition and never come less than runner up. Now, for the first time in six years, the trophy was ours! The team have now secured a place in the County finals in March. Congratulations to Rory, Nicolas, Archie, Adam, Sam and Ben - you did Excalibur proud! Many thanks to the organisers and to our exceptional supporters for the much-needed confidence boost throughout the tournament.

ACT Year 2 Multi-Skills Session - organised by Year 6 sports ambassadors - 15th November 2018

On Thursday 15th November 2018, ten Year 2 children visited Alsager School for a fantastic evening of multi-skills in the high school's sports hall. During the session, they participated in hockey skills, basketball skills, a game of dodgeball, an obstacle course and athletics activities. Everyone who participated put their all into every activity, showing determination to improve throughout the session. Well done to Oliver, Jack, Martha, Grace, Finley, Beatrix, Noah, Francesca, Josh and Emmie.

Each of the activities was organised by the four sports ambassadors from each primary school in Alsager. Our own ambassadors did a particularly impressive job, gaining the attention of every group of children that they taught and making Excalibur proud with their leadership skills. Well done to Emily, Izzy, Rudy and Will - you are representing our school wonderfully.

There will be another Year 2 multi-skills event in the spring term - a different group of children will then get the opportunity to participate.

ACT Year 5/6 Basketball Tournament - 8th November 2018

On Thursday 8th November, our squad of 7 basketball players competed in the Alsager Community Trust Basketball tournament. After a training session on the previous Tuesday, we were pitted against St. Gabriel's, a team that proved to be the toughest competition. Unfortunately, neither team could break the deadlock, with the full match going without a point until the last seconds when they received a free throw. We lost by 1 point!

Our second match allowed us to truly grow into our own, building on our defensive strengths while still struggling to score. However, it was our third match where we really got into our stride, with several baskets being scored, both via lay-ups and shots from further away. Our fourth match, against Pikemere, would be the game that decided our position in the tournament. After a tough fight, we broke through to score and ensure victory in our third game!

We came a very respectable runner up, only narrowally missing out on victory. Well done to Will, Nicolas, Archie, Adam, Ben, Sam and Rudy. You showed the true Excalibur sporting spirit, improving from game to game. Watch this space in a few weeks at the Sandbach competition.

If anyone is interested in doing more basketball, Alsager Aces is a thriving club that meets on Sundays, 4.00pm until 6.00pm for anybody in Year 4 upwards - £6 a session.

ACT Year 4/5/6 Girls Football Tournament - 25th October 2018

On Thursday 25th October, a squad of girls from Year 4, 5 and 6 participated in the Alsager Community Trust Girls football tournament. Our first match pitted us against Pikemere, where the team defended well but conceded two unfortunate goals. 

Over the next few matches, the team improved considerably, showing a solid determination and an eagerness to learn throughout the tournament. Our match against Alsager Highfields showed their true spirit, when Holly burst forth upfront to equalise with a well-placed shot into the back of the net. The sportsmanship displayed by the whole team was exemplary, with a thoroughly positive attitude throughout.

Well done to Sofia, Ava, Felicity, Holly, Izzy and Bo - you represented Excalibur wonderfully!

ACT Year 3/4 Football Tournament - 18th October 2018

Our first game against Cranbery Academy started quickly, with Excalibur in the dominating position. With lots of teamwork, Oscar opened the scoring with a beautifully taken goal. This was quickly followed with the second from Calum. 2-0!

The next two games proved to be slightly more difficult, which saw a more defensive side to our play. Despite losing both games, the team’s skills and determination shone throughout.

The final game against Pikemere proved to be tough with them defending very well. This lasted until the final minutes when Oliver’s through-ball left William with only the keeper to beat. We won 1-0!

The boys were a pleasure to take, showing determination and teamwork. Even more importantly, they showed utmost respect to the opposition.

Year 5/6 Intra-school Basketball Tournament - 15th October 2018

On Monday 15th October, Year 5 & 6 participated in an intra-school basketball tournament at school. Throughout Monday afternoon, upper Key Stage 2 was split into 12 teams which were pitted against each other in two groups. While the games raged on, the waiting players practised their shooting skills on the wall hoops and worked on keeping possession of the ball in small-sided games.

After a fierce competition which saw a vast array of basketball prowess, winning teams were announced from both group A and group B. In group A, team 4 and 5 were victorious and team 7 and 11 were crowned champions on group B.

The tournament was played with great sportsmanship shown throughout. The children were responsible for umpiring their own games and they supported each other wonderfully. Well done to everyone in Year 5 & 6 for showing that all-important Excalibur sporting spirit. 

 

Stoke City 7s - 1st October 2018

On Monday 1st October, representatives from Stoke City FC visited school to lead an assembly about an exciting opportunity for our children. During the assembly, they enthused the whole school with a short quiz about Stoke City and a cheering game which pitted one half of the school against the other. All children were then offered the opportunity to attend a Stoke City match for just £5.00.

In addition, the Year 2 children were given a City 7s Membership, including an array of goodies and a free ticket to attend the match. In all, children from our school purchased 91 tickets for the match - fantastic! Fingers crossed that Stoke win!

 

ACT Year 5/6 Football League - Week 3 - 11th October 2018

After two weeks of nail-biting football, the final week of the football league took place on Thursday 11th October. Our final game pitted us against Alsager Highfields. Despite starting well, we conceded in the first few seconds of the game. However, with a fierce grit and determination, the team fought on, slowly gaining the upper hand. Unfortunately, just before the half-time whistle, the opposition scored again.

During the half-time team talk, it was clear that morale was still high - the performance so far had been really good. As the whistle sounded for the second half, Excalibur showed their true grit, bursting forwards in the first few minutes. With a string of outstanding passes, Ben found himself one-on-one with the keeper and calmly placed the ball into the back of the net.

For the final few minutes, our team were the dominating force on the pitch. In the end they won the second half 1-0.

Over the last three weeks, the squad showed the true attributes of sportspeople - they showed grit, determination and the eagerness to improve their performance. Absolutely brilliant - you all did Excalibur proud. Well done to Rory, Evan, Ben, Harry, Sam, Nicolas, Archie, Rudy and Will.

 

Year 5/6 Football - Weeks 1 & 2 - 27th September and 3rd October 2018

Our first week of football matches took place on Thursday 27th September, with us pitted against St. Gabriel's for our first competitive game of the year. The game started well, but the opposition quickly gained the upperhand, confidently sending the ball into the back of our net. The game ended with a loss. Despite the obvious disappointment of defeat, the team took the opportunity to spend the next half an hour practising their skills and discussing improvements that needed to be made for the following games. It was fantastic to see that practice being put to good use the following week.

On our second week of matches, we had a tough two games, with the first against Cranberry. The team played really well together, trying hard to get into spaces for their team mates. Our defence was solid and we were unlucky to lose 1-0. 

Our second match was even tougher against Pikemere. After a lively team talk, the team agreed that they needed to always leave players in defence as well as players up front ready to score. All of the players really put this into practice and tried hard to work successfully as a team. Our defenders worked their socks off and played a vital role in keeping Pikemere’s score down to only 1 goal. The spacing really improved in the second match too and our midfielders and strikers worked tirelessly to get themselves into spaces. A fantastic run down the wing led to a brilliant shot which hit its target meaning that we managed a draw against our toughest opponents!

Active Kids

Over the past few months, Mr. Hancock has had the pleasure of working with David Acton from Active Cheshire to review our provision of physical activity at Excalibur. Our involvement with the organisation began with the Active Lives survey, which Years 2, 4 and 6 have completed during the summer term. The results from this survey will be collated with national results to help guide the direction of Sport England and government funding over the next few years.

As the lead organisation for physical activity and sport in Cheshire & Warrington, a representative from Active Cheshire then offered to visit Excalibur to gain a deeper understanding of the provision of physical activity and school sport. After spending some time with Mr. Hancock, and having a walk around school, David Acton praised the offer of physical activity at Excalibur. He has also produced an Active Plan with suggestions of what else we can be doing in school.

On Wednesday 18th July, David returned to Excalibur to handover a certificate to show that we have gone through the Active Kids diagnostic and have completed the Active Kids Pledge, striving to embed physical activity into school life. Many thanks to Active Cheshire for providing us with this opportunity.

 

Girls Football Friendly at Pikemere School - 18th July 2018

On Wednesday 18th July, we were invited to Pikemere School for a girls football friendly. During the afternoon, the teams all played against each other in a tournament, resulting in some wonderful performances from both schools. It was fantastic to see so many players turn out, representing Excalibur with grit and determination, showing their willingness to practise and improve in sport. Particular thanks to Eva for organising the teams for the event, and captaining her team so well. Well done to Daisy, Izzy S, Emmy, Annabel, Rose, Izzy T, Felicity, Holly, Eva, Lila, Emily R, Emily A and Elinor. Also, much appreciation to Mr. Ollier at Pikemere for hosting the tournament.

 

Amaven Physical Literacy Day - 17th July 2018

On Tuesday 17th July, Excalibur took part in their third Amaven Physical Literacy Day of the year. Each year group took part in a variety of different physical activities to see if they had improved on their previous scores. For Years 1 and 2 the activities consisted of the broad jump, throwing and catching and an agility test over twenty metres. In addition, Key Stage Two had the sit and reach flexibility test and hopping on both legs. With the assistance of Mr. Cross, each child in Years 1 to 6 (with Year 5 to follow on Monday) completed the tests wonderfully, showing the all-important resilience and determination to try their best. Well done to everybody who took part. Keep practising your skills over the summer and get ready for the first Amaven Day of the autumn term.

Individual scores are now available on the Amaven website and can be accessed via the personal online locker room of each child. In this area, there are individual exercise videos that can be completed at home. Login information sheets will be distributed this week to all those who have not signed onto the website yet. If you have signed on previously, but have forgotten your password, please speak to Mr. Hancock or your class teacher.

 

ACT Sports Awards Evening 2017/18 - 13th July 2018

On Friday 13th July, the Alsager Community Trust held its annual Primary School Sports Awards at Alsager School. During the event, individuals from across Alsager's five schools received a number of different accolades to celebrate their achievements over the 2017-2018 year of sport. The guest speaker for the evening was Olympic half-pipe skiing finalist, Rowan Cheshire, who spoke about her journey in the winter sport, including her recovery through an accident that left her with concussion. Rowan spoke about her determination to continue and get back on the skis, culminating in a 7th place finish in the Olympic final. On top of that, she was also a torch-bearer for Pyeongchang 2018. Rowan signed autographs and allowed the children to have photographs after the award ceremony.

This year of sport at Excalibur has been exceptional and every member of the school has played their part in making it memorable, including extra-curricular clubs, Fit Friday, competitions against other schools and Sports Week. Many thanks to you all. 

A particular congratulations must go to the following recipients of 2018's ACT Sports Awards:

Play Leader Award - Alice W, Emily A, Emmie H, Oliver F

School Games Values - Oliver S (passion), Corey P (self-belief), Jack S (honesty), George Howell (respect), Izzy (determination), Sophie C (teamwork)

Dedication to PE - Oliver J, Tegan, Reilly, Calum B, Maisie, Grace

Bronze Ambassadors - George H, Ben T, Izzy T, Eva B

Outstanding Contribution - Ben T, Eva B

We look forward to the next year of sport at Excalibur!

 

Alsager Lawn Tennis Club KS2 Tournament - 12th July 2018

On Thursday 12th July, a squad of four of our children competed in a tennis tournament at Alsager Lawn Tennis Club. Organised by head coach, Phil Ingram, the children played in doubles and singles matches against other schools in Alsager. Throughout the event, our children, most of whom do not play tennis regularly, improved constantly.

Our first two singles matches were against Cranberry Academy, with Ben and Will P stepping up to face the opposition. Both matches started quite evenly, with both sides gaining points. Then, almost simultaneously, the Excalibur duo pulled ahead and brought victory home. Alice and Emily played our doubles matches against both Alsager Highfields and Cranberry Academy. They lost the first one but, after a short practice session in between games, they grabbed victory in the second match. Phenomenal improvement!

Our final two singles games saw matches against Alsager Highfields. Will P struggled initially in the opening minutes of his game. However, before long he had gained the upper hand, utilising pinpoint serving with a calm placement of the ball around the court. He won 10-7. On the other court, and through a thoroughly practised display of tennis, Ben's final game ended with victory as well.

Moving into the clubhouse to await the results, we had no idea how we would do. In the end, we won the whole tournament, receiving gold medals and the pride of winning the inaugural Alsager tennis tournament. Well done to Alice, Emily, Ben and Will P - what an outstanding display of resilience and skill. Wonderful!

 

Mini Tennis Competition - Year 3/4 - 11th July 2018

On Wednesday 11th July 2018, Mrs. Bundy had the privilege to take Adam, Archie and Felicity from Year 4 and Bo from Year 3 to the Cheshire and Warrington School Games County Final where the children competed in the tennis competition. The event was held at Macclesfield Leisure Centre and in the first round they competed against Gorsey Bank, St. Joseph’s and St. Bedes Primary Schools. All children played with resilience and respect and showed what wonderful sportspeople they were being great ambassadors to Excalibur Primary School.

The children had the opportunity to meet and talk with the Olympic gymnast Craig Heap who was very friendly and kindly signed their t-shirts and they had their photographs with him.

The children gained second place in group C which was very commendable considering very strong competition. They were a delight to take and a credit to the school.

 

Excalibur Club Links Assembly - 11th July 2018

On Wednesday 11th July, and continuing the tradition of previous terms, a group of Excalibur sports people stepped up to share their love of sport and promote the clubs of which they are part. This term, we heard about the wonders of dance from Sophie, Tilly and Molly, specifically DefyGravity Dance Studio and the Haley Mullock Dance Academy. Taylor shared her experiences of horse riding at the stables at Balterley Green Farm as well as performances at the Betley Show - she even showed some fantastic rosettes from competitions. Ellie S and Bethany stepped forward to talk about Alsager Netball Club, a club that has opportunities for all ages. Izzy S, Ella and Ava demonstrated their gymnastic abilities in front of the whole school, displaying front hand-flips, backward rolls, cartwheels and round-offs. There are a whole host of gymnastics clubs in the surrounding area. George then shared his experiences of scouts at 1st Alsager Scout Group, where there are opportunities from the age of six to take part in a variety of outdoor activities, including camping, fire-building and water sports.

If anybody is interested in any of the clubs showcased during the summer term's Club links assembly, please check on the Local Clubs section of our school website, speak to our fantastic club ambassadors in school or speak to your class teacher or Mr. Hancock.

 

Football Friendly at St Gabriel's - Year 4/5 - 10th July 2018

On Tuesday 10th July, two teams of footballers visited St. Gabriel's Catholic Primary School for football friendlies. During the evening, the children played matches against teams from the host school. It was fantastic to see our Excalibur teams bond together as the event went on, improving with each fifteen minute match and showing that we have fantastic depth in our football squads.

Many thanks to St. Gabriel's for hosting and displaying such good sportsmanship throughout. Well done to Nicolas, Lila, Archie W, Finlay G, Rory, Kai, Evan, Felicity, Matthew, Finley and George.

 

Sandbach Partnership Rounders Final - 3rd July 2018

On Tuesday 3rd July, our Alsager-winning rounders team competed in the Sandbach Sports Partnership finals at Sandbach High School. Having won the Alsager Community Trust competition comfortably, expectations were high that victory was possible. Our first match against Marton showcased the skill of our team, with a solid fielding performance securing our first win. Our next match, against Middlewich, proved equally impressive, with both fielding and batting ensuring a confident victory. It then came to our last two matches, against Blackfirs and the Dingle.

 As the match against Blackfirs began, it became apparent that things weren't going quite as well. Batting first put us in a weaker position and we felt sure we hadn't quite done enough to win. However, when the score for that match was announced we had won by half a rounder. The last match was a final - the Dingle had won all their matches too - and whoever won would be champions. Again, batting first meant we had to pull out all the stops to secure victory. A series of outstanding batting performances ensured several full rounders while clever tactics clinched several half-rounders despite the Dingle's solid fielding. When it came to field, it was all or nothing. For the first few bowls, we kept their score to zero, only letting a few rounders past towards the end of the innings. As the match drew to a close, we waited with baited breath for the result.

 Through practice and determination, and after winning the Alsager competition for many years, it was announced that we had won the SSP Rounders competition for the first time! Absolute credit must go to the team who pulled out all the stops when it mattered most. Well done to Jamie, Issy, Emily, Will E, George, Ben, Dan, Oliver S, Izzy and Emmy - you all did Excalibur proud!

 

Town Sports - 28th June 2018

On Thursday 28th June, a squad of more than 30 children from Year 2 to Year 6 competed in the annual Town Sports event held at Alsager Highfields. During the event, the children participated in several events, including hurdles, sprint, bean bag sprint, sack, skipping and obstacle races. Throughout the evening, we succeeded in coming 1st, 2nd or 3rd in 27 races, including two relays. In addition, there were solid performances across the board, with everybody showing grit and determination at all times. Well done to everybody who took part.

 

Rounders Competition - Year 5/6 - 14th June 2018

On Thursday 14th June, a squad of Year 5s and 6s competed in the Alsager Community Trust Rounders Tournament held at Cranberry Academy.

During the tournament we played four matches against the other Alsager Primary Schools, starting with a tense game against Alsager Highfields. It took a little bit of time to get into the zone we needed, but before long the team fought hard to claim victory, producing some phenomenal batting that the opposition couldn't field against. Our second and third matches, against Cranberry and Pikemere, proved equally nail-biting. Through a combination or strategic fielding and exceptional batting prowess, victory was claimed securely in both games.

Our final match against St. Gabriel's would decide everything: if we won the trophy would be ours. Fielding first, we kept the number of rounders scored to a minimum, preventing half rounders through precise throws and excellent teamwork. During our turn to bat, a number of individuals produced more epic hits, securing one rounder after another. Others managed to clinch half rounders as well. In the end, victory in our fourth and final match was secured. We were tournament champions for the fifth consecutive year! Outstanding!

Well done to George, Oliver S, Ben, Issy, Dan, Will E, Jamie, Emmie, Emily and Izzy. They all displayed the true Excalibur traits of sportsmanship and perseverance. And the diligent practice over the last few weeks paid off!

 

Mini Tennis Competition - Year 3/4 - 7th June 2018

On Thursday 7th June, a team of Year 3s and 4s competed in the Sandbach Sports Partnership Mini Tennis competition, held at Sandbach High School. During the competition, our five players played in individual matches against opponents from four other teams from across the local area.

Our first match pitted us against Wheelock, and gave us the first chance to see how our players would fare against an opposition. Taking on board everything they had learnt in PE lessons, our players performed brilliantly, with three victories and one draw putting us in a very strong position. As we moved to our next match, confidence was at a high and we never looked back.

Our two toughest matches came towards the end, with Quinta A and Quinta B. Continually improving through the competition, we were able to keep our calm and pull out several victories and a draw against those teams. In the end, neither Quinta team was enough to stop the victories and we pulled clear as the tournament drew to close.

As we awaited the announcement of the results, we knew we had come in the top three but had no way of knowing where. In the end, we were victorious!

Over the last year, both Year 3 and 4 have done lots of tennis during their PE lessons, as well as our coaching session at Alsager Lawn Tennis Club during Sports Week. It was abundantly clear during the competition how useful that practice has been, with everybody that attended performing wonderfully. Even in the face of difficulty, they all kept working on, showing those all-important characteristics of resilience, determination and grit. As always, outstanding sportsmanship was displayed throughout. Well done to Bo, Felicity, Zac, Archie W and Adam.

Many thanks to the organisers of the competition for making it such an enjoyable experience for us all.

Multi Skills Afternoon - Year 1 - 7th June 2018

On Thursday 7th June, and after two successful multi-skills sessions with Year 2, the sports ambassadors of Alsager's primary schools stepped up to lead sporting activities for Year 1 children. During the session they participated in a host of different activities in Alsager School's sports hall, having a wonderful time throughout.

Mr. Morris, the Alsager Community Trust Sports Co-ordinator has already commented on how brilliantly our sports ambassadors led their group's activities - they are all a credit to the school!

 

Handball Festival - Year 5/6 - 24th May 2018

On Thursday 24th May, a group of 14 Year 5 & 6 children attended a Handball Festival at Alsager School. Organised and ran by sports leaders from the high school, the children were taught the basic rules of the game, including how to dribble and the various passes that can be used. They then got into teams and played against each other in friendly matches.

Well done to everybody who took part as they showed a brilliant amount of determination, learning a new sport in a short space of time and then applying their skills. Well done to Elinor, Emmie, Corey, Calum, Alice, Martha, Daisy, Holly, Issy S, Izzy T, Sam C, Dan, Ella and Ben T.

 

Racket Sports - Year 3/4 - 17th May 2018

On Thursday 17th May, a group of Years 3 & 4 participated in the Alsager Community Trust racket sports festival at Alsager School. During the event, they took part in a variety of different racket-based sports, including table tennis, squash, badminton and tennis.

During the event, everybody showed brilliant determination, with some new skills being learnt as well as practising others that they had done before in PE. Well done to Ben S, Evie B, Rose, Isabelle, Calum, Baden, Archie W, Ellis, Evie M and Euan.

Also, many thanks to Mr. Morris and the sports leaders from Alsager School.

If anybody is interested in taking part in more racket sports outside of school, please check on the Local Clubs page of our website, or speak to Mr. Hancock.

 

 

Netball Friendly - Excalibur v Alsager Hghfields - 15th May 2018

We were visited by two netball teams from Alsager Highfields, who joined us for a netball friendly on home turf. During the afternoon, we had two teams playing, including a Year 5/6 team and a Year 3/4 team. Both matches were close, with some brilliant netball performances from both schools. In the end, each school one won match.

The friendly was a fantastic opportunity for the children to practise their netball skills that they’ve been working on over the past few weeks. We were all very impressed with their determination during the tournament and their improvement from the first week. Well done to everyone and many thanks to Alsager Highfields for attending and to all the staff who made it possible.

 

ACT Swimming Gala - Year 3/4 - 10th May 2018

On Thursday 10th May 2018, a squad of Year 3 and 4 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Swimming Gala. The event was organised by Alsager Bridgestone Swimming Club. Everybody who participated performed brilliantly, including some fantastic individual results. During the event, they participated in individual freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke events, followed by a 4x25 medley (involving a mix of strokes) and a 4x25 relay. The event culminated with an epic, 8-person cannon event, involving four boys and four girls.

Well done to Annabel, Felicity, Ava, Millie C, Matilda B, Matilda S, Eloise, Emily, Rhys, Joe, George, Archie W, Liam and Nathaniel. You all did Excalibur proud!

Many thanks as well to all the staff that supported the event, and Bridgestone Swimming Club members.

 

ACT Orienteering - 3rd May 2018

On Thursday 3rd May, over 40 Excalibur children attended the Alsager Community Trust Orienteering Competition held at Alsager School. During the event, children worked in pairs to navigate their way around the high school site. They had to use their map-reading skills to find markers placed all around the area, jotting down the letter that corresponded to the marker's location. The aim was to complete the course successfully in the fastest time. With children from Years 3 to 6 participating, it was a fantastic event for all involved.

When it came down to the results at the end of the competition, we waited with bated breath, aware that we were most probably in the top two. In the end we came a close runners up, an outstanding result for everyone involved. Well done to everyone who took part - you did Excalibur proud!

Also, many thanks to the adults that supported the event, without whom it could not have happened.

 

ACT Year 5/6 Swimming Gala - 26th April 2018

On Thursday 26th April 2018, a squad of sixteen Year 5 and 6 children attended the Alsager Community Trust Year 5 & 6 swimming gala. During the event, children competed in three individual races (breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle), a 4x25 medley, 4x25 relay followed by an 8 person canon event.

There was some fantastic performances from everyone, with both our individual and groups events producing several top two finishes. In the end, we came runners up, well ahead of third place and just trailing behind the winners. With a variety of swimmers, from both club competitors and recreational swimmers, the result was incredible - some of our swimmers were even asked to join Bridgestone Swimming Club.

 

Well done to Ella, Sophie, Izzy, Isobel, Emily, Alice, Eva, Holly, Will S, Will E, Sam, Jamie, Jack, Harry, Dan and Oliver.

If anybody at Excalibur would like to join Alsager Bridgestone Swimming Club, then please contact them on alsagerswimmingclub@gmail.com. There are a variety of opportunities available for competitive swimming for different age groups.

 

Excalibur Sports Celebration Assembly - 28th March 2018

On Wednesday 28th March, we held our spring term sport celebration assembly. During the assembly, we took a look back through the past term of sport, both at Excalibur and at competitions in the surrounding area.

We celebrated the number of children that had participated in sports clubs throughout the term, including dance for Year 5/6 with Miss Taylor, hockey with Mr. Hancock for Year 3/4 and football for KS2 with AFC Alsager and ASM. We also celebrated the training sessions held after school for both dodgeball and netball.

Throughout the term we have had a variety of fantastic sports events held at Alsager School, including Year 3/4 Hockey and Year 2 multi-skills. We also celebrated brilliant results, coming 3rd in the Sportshall Athletics, runners up in the netball league and our victories in the Year 5/6 Reserve Netball and Year 5/6 Dodgeball tournaments. We also discussed the intra-school hockey and tennis tournaments held this term.

Finally, we announced the current class and school record holders for our "Fit Friday" events: field run, soft javelin and broad jump. Remember, all children have the opportunity to participate in sports activities on the field and playground throughout the week - each Friday, Mr. Hancock records official attempts at the school record events.

Congratulations to all of our class and school record holders and well done to everybody who has taken part in any of our sporting opportunities this year. You have all been outstanding!

May we also pass on our thanks to all of the staff, volunteers, parents and children that enable sport at Excalibur to thrive.

Trim Trail Opening - 23rd March 2018

On Friday 23rd March, we held our official opening of our fabulous trim trail. During the event, which took place straight after school, we invited all parents and children from Excalibur to join us in celebrating the arrival of our fitness trail. We had a great turn-out from all members of our school community. Short speeches were given from representatives of the school and from our parent teacher association (Friends of Excalibur). After that, the ribbon was cut by our sports ambassadors and all of the children enjoyed playing on the equipment for the next few minutes.

Since our official opening, the children have been thoroughly enjoying the trim trail (each year group from Year 2 to 6 have a lunchtime on the equipment each week). In addition, we are utilising it during PE lessons for all year groups, further encouraging and developing physical skills and confidence. I'm sure as we head into the summer term, that continued use and enjoyment of our children will be had by all children at Excalibur.

 

ACT Activity Evening - Year 2 - 22nd March 2018

On Thursday 22nd March 2018, a group of eight Year 2 children visited Alsager School to take part in a host of exciting activities in the sports hall. All of the activities were organised and ran by sports ambassadors from the primary schools. During the event, they took part in two activities involving hockey, throwing and catching games, football dribbling and relay races. Well done to Maisie, Leah, Bethany, Isaac, Stanley, Ethan, George and Tom.

Our sports ambassadors did a wonderful job of running activities for all the children across Alsager's primary schools. They devised and implemented the activities themselves. Many thanks to Izzy, Eva, George and Ben and, as usual, thank you to the organisers of the event from Alsager School.

 

Spring Term Clublinks Assembly - 21st March 2018

On Wednesday 21st March 2018, we held our second sports clubs assembly, where several children from Excalibur shared information about the clubs they attend outside of school. During the assembly, Emmy and George shared their experiences at Alsager Cricket Club and Oliver S and Will E stepped up to talk about AFC Alsager Football Club. After that, Oliver S talked about Alsager Aces Basketball Club and Ben explained how he played tennis at Alsager Lawn Tennis Club and the surrounding area. Finally, Izzy, Evie and Sophie shared a video of Oakhanger Riding Centre and Rudy showed his trophy for a recent street dance victory.

All of the children planned and presented independently, sharing both their own experiences of different sports and explaining the various equipment needed. Many thanks to everyone who presented.

If children or parents are interested in finding out more about any of the clubs listed above as well as many more, they can go to the Local Clubs section of the school website, take a look at the noticeboard at the front of school or ask Mr. Hancock or their class teacher.

 

Hockey Festival - Year 3/4 - 15th March 2018

On Thursday 15th March, fourteen children from Year 3 and 4 participated in the Alsager Community Trust hockey festival, which was held at Alsager School. During the event, the children took part in a variety of hockey skills, including shooting, passing and dribbling. They also took part in small-sided games.

All of the activities were organised by sports leaders from Alsager School, who did a wonderful job throughout. Many thanks to George for helping out as one of our sports ambassadors. And of course, well done to Archie W, Euan, Harrison, Ben, Bronte, Henry, Kaloyan, Maddie, Claudia, Joe, Taylor, Archie B, Ava and Xanthe. You all showed great hockey skills throughout, improving your skills on each activity - brilliant!

Triton Hockey Club

If anybody from Excalibur wishes to participate in more hockey, Triton Hockey Club, based in Alsager, runs training sessions on Saturday mornings - more information can be found on the "Local Clubs" section of the school website

 

Hockey Intra-School Tournament - Year 3/4 - 14th March 2018

For the past few weeks, around twenty members of Year 3/4 have been participating in a hockey club after school on Wednesdays. Each week, they have continued to improve, showing an increasing skill with dribbling, passing and shooting. They have also improved their teamwork skills and the tactics involved to win a game of hockey.

On Wednesday 14th March, the children participated in an intra-school hockey tournament. The children were separated into four teams, playing each opposition once. Games were incredibly close throughout, with several drawn games due to outstanding defending.

Well done to everybody who has taken part in hockey throughout the term and for competing with such grace and grit on Wednesday. In the end, two teams (red and blue) came joint first. Congratulations!

 

 

Intra-school Tennis Competition - Year 5/6 - 13th March 2018

On Tuesday 13th March, sixteen Year 5 and 6 children participated in an intra-school tennis competition held at Excalibur. During the event, children played in three separate courts, playing as many matches as they could in the given time.

In the second part of the competition, the top-placed finishers on each court progressed to the grand final.

Everybody who took part played brilliantly, with lots of outstanding tennis being shown. In addition, great improvement was seen across the tournament, with all participants showing grit and determination throughout.

Well done to Sophie, Matthew, Rhys, Ben, Nicolas, Tegan, Grace and Sam. Special congratulations to finalists Evan, Will E, Will P, Jack, Oliver S, Calum, Jamie and Dan. And well done to overall tournament champion: Oliver S.

 

ACT Dodgeball Tournament - Year 5/6 - 8th March 2018

On Thursday 8th March, a squad of ten Year 5/6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Dodgeball Tournament. Throughout the event, they played against the four other Alsager primary schools in five minute matches to determine the winner.

After playing the sport in PE for the last few weeks, and a training session after school last week, the team were keen to test their skills against an opposition. The first game, against Pikemere, gave us a taste of what was to come, with a fantastic display of dodgeball skill and tactics, leading to a victory secured in just a few minutes.

The next two matches, against Alsager Highfields and St. Gabriel's Catholic Primary School, were equally enjoyable, with all teams showing a good standard of dodgeball throughout.

Winning both matches, the team had a bye, before playing against the final team, and eventual joint runners up, Cranberry Academy. This match was more difficult, providing some nail-biting moments when defeat looked imminent. But the team struck back, securing a well-earned final victory, and the trophy for the second consecutive year!

Congratulations to everyone who took part - the diligent practice beforehand paid off and the grit and resilience during the tournament was exemplary. Well done to Oliver S, Ben Th, Ben T, Rhys, Jamie, Corey, Calum, Isobel, Izzy and George. Superb! And many thanks to the Alsager School staff and students who made the event possible.

 

Netball Tournament (Reserves) - Year 5/6 - 15th February 2018

On Thursday 15th February, a squad of seven Year 5/6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Reserve Netball Tournament. Held at Alsager School, the team played against four primary schools.

After several weeks of practice, both before and after Christmas, the team stepped up to play against their first opponent: Alsager Highfields. Victory was in sight early on, with Oliver S calmly securing several points and sending us into our second game with confidence.

The next two games, against Cranberry Academy and Pikemere School, proved equally exciting, with quality passes and team tactics resulting in two more victories.

The final game against St. Gabriel's Catholic Primary School finished the tournament wonderfully, winning the fourth game with skill, having improved their performance in each successive game.

In the end, the team didn't concede at all and were crowned the overall tournament champions! Well done to Alice, Emily, Ella, Elinor, Nicolas, Oliver and Will for showing such grit, resilience, determination and excellence throughout!

 

Netball Tournament - Year 5/6 - 8th February 2018

On Thursday 8th February, our squad of seven Year 5/6 children competed in the final week of the Alsager Community Trust Netball Tournament. After two clear victories last week, it was all to play for.

With our first match against a team that had also won both previous matches, it proved to be a tough game. As time drew on, we struggled, ending the match with our first loss.

Despite the obvious disappointment of defeat, the team showed resilience to keep going in their final match. Showing some of the netball brilliance that we had seen last week, the team moved comfortably ahead of Pikemere, winning by several matches to claim the runners up position in the tournament.

Well done to everybody who took part, all of which have worked diligently over the last few weeks. Well done to Isabel, Izzy, Holly, Eva, Ben, George and Jack and thank you to everybody who has worked with the team.

Netball Tournament - Year 5/6 - 1st February 2018

On Thursday 1st February, a squad of seven Year 5 and 6 children competed in the first week of the Alsager Community Trust netball league. During the afternoon we played two matches, the first of which was against Cranberry Academy. Playing over four five-minute quarters, we gradually pulled away from the opposition, scoring point after point through perseverance and teamwork. In the end we won the match comfortably, making a solid start to the tournament.

Our second match was against Alsager Highfields. The match started off evenly, with no points scored in the first quarter. But then, as the second quarter began, we pulled ahead, with a terrific display of consistent shooting. In addition, the defending was exemplary - we didn't concede during the whole game.

Throughout the afternoon every player showed an outstanding level of grit and determination, working diligently to ensure they did what they needed to do to help their team. Well done to Izzy, Isabel, George, Ben, Eva, Jack and Hollly.

Sportshall Athletics - Year 5/6 - 18th January 2018

On Thursday 18th January, a squad of Year 5/6 children took part in the Sportshall Athletics events at Alsager School. Over the course of the event, each participant took part in a maximum of 4 events (2 track events and 2 field events). Field events included standing long jump, standing triple jump, vertical jump, speed bounce, chest push and soft javelin. Track events included obstacle and hurdle relays and sprint and long distance events.

Throughout the competition, fantastic results were achieved across the board and it was inspiring to see the amount of effort that went in to each performance. Went it came to the results we came in the bronze medal position, coming third out of six teams. A well-earned result through a fantastic Excalibur team effort - they all showed resilience and determination! Well done to Leonie, Jack, Calum, Will P, Oliver, Eva, Will E, Alex, George, Emily, Isobel, Sophie T, Holly, Izzy, Sophie C, Alice, Evan, Nicolas, Ben and Rudy.

 

Club Links Assembly Autumn Term - 13th December 2017

On Wednesday 13th December, we held our first Clublinks assembly of the year, where six children from Excalibur shared their experiences of being members of sports clubs within Alsager and the surrounding area. The rest of the children were treated to two videos, several of Rudy's gymnastics and one of Sophie's recent dance competition, which she won. In addition, Nicolas stepped up to talk about Triton Hockey Club, Sam and Harry spoke about Bridgestone Swimming Club and Will presented about Sandbach Rugby Club. They all did fantastically, planning what they were going to say independently and with clarity, providing the rest of the school with the inspiration to join the clubs themselves.

If children or parents are interested in finding out more about any of the clubs listed above, as well as many more, they can go to the Sports Clubs section of the school website, http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/page/local-clubs/26404 , take a look at the clubs noticeboard at the front of school or ask Mr. Hancock or their class teacher.

 

Multi Skills Event - ACT - 7th December 2017

On Thursday 7th December, a group of KS2 children attended a multi-skills event at Alsager School. During the session, they participated in a range of different activities, including wheelchair basketball, indoor golf, short tennis, goalball, boccia, speedstacks and an obstacle course. The activities were led by Alsager School's sports leaders. Everyone that attended thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to take part in such a variety of different sports and physical activities and represented Excalibur wonderfully. Well done to Tegan, Ava, Finlay, Ben & Rhys.

 

Basketball Competition - Sandbach Sports Partnership - 7th December 2017

On Thursday 7th December, a squad of Year 5/6 children competed in the Sandbach Sports Partnership Basketball Tournament. After winning the Alsager competition several weeks ago, the team were confident that they stood a good chance of being contenders for the title.

Our first match, against Peover Superior, started strongly, with several baskets scored in quick succession and victory quickly guaranteed. We then won our second match against Scholar Green. Our third match against Quinta proved to be a battle for victory, with both teams struggling to score for most of the game. At 1-1 and with the end of the match nearing, Excalibur kept fighting to clinch a last-minute basket and win our third consecutive match.

By chance, our final match against Blackfirs proved to be the final - whoever won would claim the trophy. The first half went by without a basket, both teams defending valiantly to deny the opposition two points. Then, as the second half drew to a close Blackfirs pulled ahead by a couple of baskets and the match ended. Despite the obvious disappointment of narrowly missing the top spot, 2nd place was a huge success! Well done to George, Jack, Ben, Oliver, Dan, Eva, Charlie, Will E and Nicolas - you all did Excalibur proud, showing grit and determination throughout.

 

Basketball Festival - Sandbach Sports Partnership - 5th December 2017

On Tuesday 5th December we took three teams of basketball players to take part in a basketball festival at Congleton High School. Over the course of two hours, the teams competed against schools from across the Sandbach Partnership area. Winning some and losing others, everybody did absolutely brilliantly, honing and improving their basketball skills throughout the evening. Superb sporting attitude, including grit and determination, was displayed throughout the tournament - well done to Alice, Sophie, Rhys, Calum, Will S, Will P, Ben, Rory, Corey, Harry N, Harry B, Ella, Holly, Isabel, Emily, Martha and Sam.

 

Tag Rugby Tournament - ACT - Year 3/4 - 30th November 2017

On Thursday 30th November, a squad of Year 3s and 4s attended the Alsager Community Trust tag rugby tournament at Alsager School. Everybody who attended played brilliantly, displaying superb enthusiasm throughout and always trying their best.

During the tournament we played against three other schools. Despite our best efforts, we narrowly missed out on victory in each one. However, it was clear that the team improved in each game, supporting each other and they all had a great time!

Well done to Matilda S, Euan, Adam, Calum, Sofia, Josh, Liam, Archie W, Reilly, Millie, Henry and Joe and Rose: you did Excalibur proud with your endless grit and resilience.

 

Tag Rugby Tournament - ACT - Year 5/6 - 23rd November 2017

On Thursday 23rd November, a squad of 10 children from Year 5 & 6 attended the Alsager Community Trust Tag Rugby Tournament. Our first game started a little unsurely, losing by three tries. However, the rest of the tournament went from strength to strength. The next game showed some fantastic performances, with tries scored and outstanding defending. Victory was close, but it ended with a well-fought draw. Our final match was the pinnacle of our performance, with superb attacking and defending play that ended 3-2 and our first victory!

All of our players played fantastically, showing all the skills necessary for the sport and a fantastic attitude: they all showed grit and determination to keep improving throughout the tournament. Well done to Calum, Oliver, Izzy, Eva, Emily, Will S, Will P, Charlie, George and Jamie.

 

Tag Rugby - Year 5/6 - Intra-School Competition - 20th November 2017

On Monday 20th November 2017, Year 5 & 6 participated in an intra-school Tag Rugby Competition. The standard of performance was outstanding, with all players applying the skills that they’ve learnt over the past few weeks. The eight teams played in two pools to reach the final. Well done to everybody who took part and congratulations to the winning team.

 

Sportshall Athletics - ACT - Year 2 - 16th November 2017

On Thursday 16th November a group of Year 2s participated in an activity session at Alsager School as part of the Alsager Community Trust. From 3.30 until 4.30 the children tried out in a variety of sports and activities, including: dribbling in football, hockey and basketball; a game of dodgeball and a game of netball; relay races with sit-on skateboards; and sprints in between cones in an agility exercise. They all seemed to have a fantastic time, practising and improving their skills in each of the activities. Well done to Jacob, Will, Oscar, Oliver, Jessica, Ellie and Maisie-Lou.

The activities could not have happened without the expertise of the town’s Bronze Ambassadors (four Year 6 children from each school). They ran the activities in which the Year 2s participated and they all did a fantastic job. A special thanks and congratulations to our own Bronze Ambassadors, Eva, George, Izzy and Ben: they were commended several times on their professionalism and skill in running their activity, both with our school and four other groups.

 

 

Basketball Tournament - ACT - 9th November 2017

On Thursday, a squad of nine children from Excalibur took part in the Alsager Community Trust Basketball Tournament. Our first match, against Cranberry Academy, was our first opportunity to test out our skills against another school; we won convincingly with many lay-ups being scored and outstanding defending. Our second match against Alsager Highfields proved trickier than the first but victory was always within reach - we won the second match, never conceding a basket. Our third and final match pitted us against St. Gabriel's, where we conceded for the first and only time during the tournament. Victory was ours!

Throughout the tournament the squad showed the determination and grit required for success. Their practise, both during PE lessons and during lunchtimes, paid off! Well done to George, Will, Jack, Oliver, Ben, Eva, Charlie, Dan and Nick for taking Excalibur to their fourth successive victory in the ACT Basketball Tournament. Excellent!

 

Girl's Football ACT Competition - 2nd November 2017

On Thursday 2nd November, a squad of eleven players from Year 4, 5 and 6 participated in the Alsager Community Trust Girls' Football competition. In one word, they played incredibly. Over the course of the tournament, we played four teams. In their first match we conceded in the first couple of minutes. But then, with grit and determination, the team fought on to equalise by the end of the game. They went from strength to strength over the next three matches, beating Cranberry Academy 1-0 and drawing the other two games.

The scores were checked and the results were in. Three teams drew on number of points, leaving the victory down to goal difference. In the end we came joint runners up! Well done to Eva, Holly Lacie, Sophie T, Felicity, Izzy, Sophie C, Isobel, Daisy, Elinor, Emily A and Emily R.

 

Football Tournament ACT - Year 3/4 - 19th October 2017

On Thursday 19th October, a team of Year 3/4 children attended the Alsager Community Trust competition at Alsager School. During the tournament, they played against the other four schools in Alsager. All matches were incredibly close, with every player displaying grit and determination, constantly supporting their teammates throughout.

Despite not winning the tournament, and in a relentless onslaught of rain, the team improved with each game that they played. Well done to Archie W, Archie B, Euan, Josh, Zac, Rossi, Finley and Joe. There will be more matches this year, so keep up the fantastic attitude and you will continue to improve!

 

Autumn Term Intra-School Competition - Year 5/6 - 16th October 2017

On Monday 16th October, Year 5 & 6 participated in the autumn term intra-school competition. This term was basketball. Throughout the afternoon, every member of both classes participated as part of a team and competed against each other. Both courts were used and teams played in either Pool A or Pool B, with members of the classes umpiring the games. The winners of each pool then played in the final. When they weren't playing, teams practised their shooting technique by using the other baskets.

Team 1 & Team 5 reached the final, with Team 1 claiming victory by 2 points. Well done to everybody who took part for showing such exemplary sportsmanship and resilience throughout.

 

 

Football League ACT - Year 5/6 - Week 2 - 12th October 2017

With a tight draw the week before, we went into the second week of the football league with enthusiasm and determination. Our first match against Cranberry Academy was close all the way through, with both sides earning several shots at goal. As time drew on it became clear that it was going to go right down to the last minute. In the end, the match stayed goalless, with both sides taking away a point.

Our second match, against Pikemere, was another close contest, with us clearly dominating the first half. Jamie scored a wonder goal from near the halfway line, looping the ball squarely into the mouth of the goal. In the second half, things were tougher and we conceded early on - we were now drawing. Despite the continued efforts of our whole team, and some outstanding defending and goalkeeping, we couldn't prevent a winning goal from the opposition and we ended the match with our first loss of the league.

Despite the obvious disappointment at not being able to clinch victory, the attitude of all our players was absolutely outstanding. They all represented Excalibur with the grit, determination and sportsmanship needed of great competitors. Well done to you all

Football League ACT - Year 5/6 - Week 1 - 4th October 2017

With a tight draw the week before, we went into the second week of the football league with enthusiasm and determination. Our first match against Cranberry Academy was close all the way through, with both sides earning several shots at goal. As time drew on it became clear that it was going to go right down to the last minute. In the end, the match stayed goalless, with both sides taking away a point.

Our second match, against Pikemere, was another close contest, with us clearly dominating the first half. Jamie scored a wonder goal from near the halfway line, looping the ball squarely into the mouth of the goal. In the second half, things were tougher and we conceded early on - we were now drawing. Despite the continued efforts of our whole team, and some outstanding defending and goalkeeping, we couldn't prevent a winning goal from the opposition and we ended the match with our first loss of the league.

Despite the obvious disappointment at not being able to clinch victory, the attitude of all our players was absolutely outstanding. They all represented Excalibur with the grit, determination and sportsmanship needed of great competitors. Well done to you all!

 

Physical Literacy Day - 2nd October 2017

The children in Year 1 to Year 6 recently took part in a range of physical exercises and assessments. These are a series of age appropriate timed tasks and drills. As you know, at the end of last year we sent out information on accessing your child’s online ‘locker’ to see how they are doing and ideas on how to easily increase fitness levels at home.

What it helps teachers to do in school is to plan very specific lessons and activities to support the development of core fundamental physical skills; which in turn supports the children’s ability to successfully access and participate in a range of sports and develop healthy lifestyles.

 

Football League ACT - Year 5/6 - Week 1 - 28th September 2017

On Thursday 28th September 2017, the Alsager Community Trust football league began. For our first week, we had one match against St. Gabriel's. The game started strongly, with Jack scoring in the first couple of minutes with a well-timed assault on the St. Gabriel's defense. The eight minute half went by without any change and we came together for a team talk and substitutions.

Grit and determination was evident in the second half, with St. Gabriel's managing to draw level at 1-1. A few minutes later, defeat looked imminent when the opposition managed to pull ahead. With only seconds left on the clock, Excalibur built up a final attack, with Oliver S striding forward, working his way through the defense and striking one into the back of the net - the match ended 2-2.

Despite not quite clinching victory, the result showed how much grit and determination our team has got, diligently playing on during an incredibly close game. Well done to Jack, Oliver S, Ben, Charlie, Will P, Will E, Eva, Rhys, Calum and Dan for playing so well and many thanks to Luca and Corey, members of the squad who supported our team from the sidelines. You all showed resilience throughout the match and did Excalibur proud.

 

Cross Country - Year 3 to 6 - Thursday 21st September 2017

On Thursday 21st September a team of year 3, 4 and 5 pupils took part in a cross country event at Alsager School. The event was attended by five of the Alsager Primary schools. All the pupils involved showed real grit and determination. The year 3 and 4 pupils ran in the same race around the playing fields perimeter which is quite a distance. Archie W was the first Excalibur pupil to cross the line and came in third overall. He was followed by Euan B and Matilda B. The Year 5 pupils ran in separate races. Being older they had to complete two laps of the playing fields. Sophie T was the first Excalibur girl to cross the line and she also came in third overall followed by Elinor R and Holly B. For the Year 5 boys it was Evan B who crossed the line first for Excalibur followed by Nicholas M and Will S. The overall results placed Excalibur as third for Year 3/4, fourth for Year 5/6 girls and fourth for Year 5/6 boys. The children showed great sporting conduct and were a credit to the school. Thanks to all those who took part and the parents for their support.

 

School Sports Gold Award - September 2017

We are thrilled to have been awarded the Gold School Sports Award for the fourth consecutive year. This accreditation recognises our commitment to sport within and beyond the curriculum. Thank you to everyone for their hard work.

 

Football Friendly - 18th July 2017

Over the past few weeks, our football teams have participated in friendlies against St. Gabriels Catholic Primary School. A couple of weeks ago, members of our Year 4/5/6 team played and on Tuesday 18th July, a squad of Year 5/6 children competed. All teams that played were a credit to our school and used the opportunity to practice their skills and had a great time doing it.

Many thanks to St. Gabriels for hosting both events.

 

Alsager Community Trust Sports Awards - 14th July 2017

On Friday 14th July, the annual sports awards were held at Alsager School. Children from our school received awards, ranging from dedication to PE, School Games Values awards, Play Leader awards and Outstanding Contribution. Well done to everybody who received awards during the evening, you have all done Excalibur proud.

In addition, Excalibur received special recognition for our progression to the County Hockey Finals earlier in the year and for receiving the Gold School Games Kitemark for the third consecutive year.

Many thanks to all pupils, parents, carers, staff and volunteers for making Excalibur's sporting opportunities possible.

 

Town Sports - Year 2 to Year 6 - 6th July 2017

On Thursday 6th July, we competed in the annual Town Sports athletics event held at Alsager Highfields. Races consisted of sack, egg 'n' spoon, skipping, beanbag, obstacle, sprint and relay, with children from Years 2 to 6 taking part.

Everybody that attended performed brilliantly, showing grit and resilience to keep going to the finish line. Consequently, there were dozens of fantastic performances, with medal-winning positions in a large number of races. In the end, thanks to the sporting excellence shown by our children, we came close runners up in the competition, the highest position we've ever achieved in Town Sports.

Congratulations to all those who took part.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement – our school is always so well represented by our children, staff and parents/carers. At Excalibur, one of the things we emphasise is that the sporting activities we take part in are about getting as many children as possible to participate, to have fun and lead active, healthy lives. There is -quite rightly- an element of friendly competition in some of the events, but Alsager schools do not want to encourage a win at all costs. A positive attitude towards activities matters greatly to us all. As Mr Purcell (Alsager Community Trust manager) recently outlined at the sports celebration awards event at Alsager High school, all Alsager schools will be asking parents/carers to support the schools with this approach.

 

Quadkids Athletics - Year 5/6 - 13th June 2017

On Tuesday 13th June, a squad of ten athletes from Excalibur competed in the Sandbach Sports Partnership Quadkids Athletics competition. During the event, all of the participants took part in four events, the results of which were aggregated together to produce the team score. The events were: 600 metre run, 75 metre sprint, howler throw and standing long jump.

The standard of competition was really high, with a level of competition that challenged us brilliantly. There was a great amount of grit and resilience shown throughout the competition and everybody who attended represented the school with sportsmanship and pride. Well done to Alex, Evie, Nell, Lilly, Jack, Isobel, Nicolas and Sophie.

 

Sports Week - 22nd to 26th May 2017

Find out all about our sports week and to view photos of the events please follow the link http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/work/sports-week/26524

 

Year 3/4 Swimming Gala - 18th May 2017

On Thursday 18th May 2017, a squad of Year 3/4 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Swimming Gala. During the event, they participated in a variety of races, including individual and team events.

Well done to everybody who took part, all of whom showed fantastic teamwork, cheering on their whole team from start to finish. A special thanks must be given to those that stepped in last minute. And thank you to our staff who led and supported the event.

 

Year 3 to 6 Girl's Football Tournament - 16th May 2017

On Tuesday 16th May 2017, a squad of eleven girls from Year 3 to Year 6 competed in a football tournament hosted by Cranberry Academy. All of our players were fantastic, showing grit and resilience through all their games.

The first match was a huge success, with a 2-1 victory over Pikemere in a closely-fought match. Our second match against St. Gabriel's ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat and we couldn't quite keep a hold of the last match, despite it being 0-0 for quite some time.

Throughout the tournament, all of the participants worked incredibly hard, many of them running solidly for 45 minutes. The sportsmanship shown by everybody at the tournament was exemplary and they were all a credit to Excalibur! Well done to Stella, Layla, Lilly, Eva, Holly, Emily, Daisy, Ruby, Isobel, Aimee and Izzy.

 

Year 3/4 Racket Skills Festival - 11th May 2017

On Thursday 11th May, a group of Year 3s and 4s attended the Alsager Community Trust Racket Skills Festival at Alsager School. During the session, they participated in squash, agility skills, badminton, tennis and table tennis.

All of them did fantastically, representing the school with sportsmanship and a gritty attitude of striving to improve even when they found something tricky. Well done to Evie, Emily, Ella, Tegan, Dominic and Holly.

Many thanks as well to the high school sports leaders who did such a fantastic job leading the sessions.

 

Year 3/4/5/6 Orienteering - 4th May 2017

On Thursday 4th May 2017, a squad of over 30 children from Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 attended the Alsager Community Trust orienteering competition at Alsager School. During the activity, children worked in pairs to read a map and find orienteering stickers posted all over the high school's site. They then had to write down a word that was attached to the sticker and record the word on their answer sheet.

The five fastest teams counted towards the whole school results, with times being added together to give the school's overall time. After some fantastic performances across the competition, we were able to come away as runners up!

Resilience and perseverance was evident throughout the event, with many children participating in orienteering for the first time. Congratulations to the first 5 finishing pairs and well done to everybody, who represented Excalibur with exemplary sportsmanship, fair play and grit. Many thanks as well to all the staff who assisted in the event.

 

Year 5/6 Swimming Gala - 27th April 2017

On Thursday 27th April, a team of Year 5 & 6 children competed in the Alsager Community Trust Swimming Gala. The event was organised by Bridgestone Swimming Club. Throughout the competition, our children could compete in a maximum of 2 events, including: individual breaststroke, backstroke and front crawl; a girls and boys freestyle relay; a girls and boys medley; and a mixed cannon, involving 8 children from our squad in a single race.

With a mixture of club swimmers and some who were competing in their first gala, all of our children swam fantastically, representing Excalibur with resilience, grit and sportsmanship. Well done to you all and many thanks to Mrs. Thompson and Miss Kirby for being fantastic team managers.

 

Tag Rugby Competitions

On Thursday 23rd and 30th of March 2017, we competed in the Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 Tag Rugby Tournaments at Alsager School. The events were organised by Congleton Rugby Club's Tommy Banks, the Mini and Junior Director of Rugby.

Both events were a great opportunity for our players, many of whom had not played rugby competitively before, to get the experience of playing the game.

Our teams both did fantastically, showing determination, resilience and grit to try their best. Despite not ranking highly in the finishing positions, all of the children had a fantastic time and did Excalibur proud.

 

Football Friendly against Alsager Highfields

On Friday 17th March, we visited Alsager Highfields for a football friendly. With everyone who attends the AFC Friday football club being invited, we took two teams to the event and, despite the rain, the children competed well against some tough opposition.

Many of the children had never competed against another school before, and they showed grit and determination to try their best. They also had a great time while doing so! Well done to everyone that was involved and thank you to Alsager Highfields for hosting the event.

Also, a special thanks must go to the AFC coaches, who lead our football every week and coached our teams on Friday as well.

 

Cheshire & Warrington County Hockey Finals - 16th March 2017

On Thursday 16th March, our Hockey team, which came runner up at the Sandbach Partnership Final, competed at the Cheshire & Warrington County School Games event. Held at Crewe Vagrants Hockey Club, the competition consisted of 16 teams from across the entire of Cheshire & Warrington.

The team played fantastically, adapting well to the level of competition and holding their own against the opposition. Overall, they won two matches, drew three matches and lost two matches.

This year is the first time that we have reached a County Final in hockey and only the second time we've reached a county-level event in the past 7 years. Well done to Stella, Lewie, Alex, Layla and Callum.

 

Dodgeball Tournament Year 5/6 - 9th March 2017

On Thursday 9th March, a team of Year 5/6 Dodgeball players competed in the Alsager Community Trust Dodgeball Competition. We played each of our opposition three times, receiving 5 points for a win, 3 points for a draw and 2 points for a loss.

Our first match against Alsager Highfields went wonderfully, with our team starting strong, winning all three matches. Secondly, we played Cranberry, winning all three matches. Our match against Pikemere proved our most difficult one so far, but our team showed grit and determination to stay on top. Again, they won all three matches.

Our final match was against St. Gabriel's. Destined to be our most difficult opposition, we fought strongly to keep on top in the overall rankings. We were crowned champions!

It was evident throughout the competition that the team showed phenomenal levels of grit and determination. They listened carefully to the tactics required to win the game and prioritised the dodge from start to finish. Well done to Stella, Lewie, George, Layla, Eva, Evie, Lilly, Alex and Freddie.

 

Dodgeball Tournament Year 3/4 - 2nd March 2017

On Thursday 2nd March, a team of seven Year 4s attended the Alsager Community Trust Year 3/4 Dodgeball Tournament at Alsager School. Being the first time the team had played using the official dodgeball rules, they all did fantastically, winning their first game comfortably. Unfortunately, they couldn't quite repeat that success in their remaining games but some great performance were evident throughout.

Great resilience was shown by all the players and they did Excalibur proud. Well done to Will, Rudy, Elinor, Isobel, Ben, Nicolas and Sam.

Reserve Netball Tournament - 16th February 2017

On Thursday 16th March, our reserve netball team attended a competition at Alsager School. During the event, the team played brilliantly, showing a large amount of grit to win all of their matches comfortably. Well done to everyone who took part.

 

Sandbach Sports Parnership Hockey Tournament - 13th February 2017

On Monday 13th February, we attended the Sandbach Sports Partnership Hockey Tournament at Sandbach High School. Taking a team of five Year 5/6s, all of the players performed fantastically, far exceeding all expectations.

With eight teams in the competition, we were split into two groups. Our first match against Quinta was the first time that our team had played together and they proved what fantastic sportspeople they are. Starting strongly, they soon pulled away from the opposition, winning the match 3-0.

Our second match against the Dingle was more difficult as we didn't really find our stride as easily, losing out on an outright victory when we conceded. The match ended at 1-1.

As we prepared for our final group match, everything was to play for: we knew we stood the chance of coming top of the group. Offley played well, but we played better, confidently keeping composure to win the match and book ourselves a place in the semi-final. We had come top of our group, with 13 points (the highest point score of either group).

Going into the semi-final, the same exceptional performance and attitude was evident. Going up against a formidable team, also from Quinta, it was touch-and-go at times. However, with a grit and determination to be proud of, our team solidly fought on, winning the match and securing the coveted shot at the championship.

Head-to-head against Peover Superior, the final was exactly what it should have been: close from start to finish. We scored first, ahead at half-time at 1-0. Then Peover managed to clinch two goals in quick succession, putting us behind for the first time all evening. With only minutes left on the clock, we triumphantly scored a second goal: we were even. As the seconds ticked away, Peover scored a third goal and, with very little time left, we couldn't get another. We came a fantastic runners up out of eight teams and out of an area with around thirty primary schools.

During the awards ceremony, we discovered that the top two finishers would be invited to the County School Games in March, a fantastic achievement where we will compete against the best hockey schools in the whole of Cheshire. The whole team must be commended for representing Excalibur so well and proving that with grit, determination, resilience and effort, you can get far. Well done to George, Alex, Lewie, Layla and Stella.

 

Netball League - 9th February 2017

On Thursday 9th February 2017, our team of Year 5 & 6 netball players attended the final fixtures of the Alsager Community Trust Netball Competition.

After two wins the previous week, we had everything to play for and the team started off solidly with a draw. We were still in the running for taking the championship.

Our final match was against Alsager Highfields, pitting us against a strong team. We had to win the match to win the tournament. Starting well, the score was reasonably even during the first two quarters. Unfortunately, things didn't quite go our way during the final two quarters as our opposition pulled ahead to clinch the match. We came runners-up.

Despite the obvious disappointment, the team had a fantastic attitude throughout and did Excalibur proud. Well done to Isobel, Jasmine, Alex, Lewie, Layla, Eva and Josh for putting in great sporting performances.

 

Netball League - 2nd February 2017

On Thursday 2nd February, we took part in our first two competitive matches of the Alsager Community Trust Netball Tournament.

Our first match was against a quality St. Gabriel's team, who had us beaten in the first quarter by 2 points to 1. Showing the grit and resilience necessary for victory, our team managed to pull the score-line level before working together to score more points, ending the match successfully at 7-3.

Our second match was a repeat of our friendly from the week before, where we were pitted against Pikemere. The match started equally, with both sides pulling off some impressive netball play. Then, as the first quarter drew to a close,our team showed fantastic drive and commitment, working together brilliantly, to bring victory: we won 14-3.

Congratulations to Layla, Lewie, Alex, Josh, Jasmine, Isobel and Eva.

We wish the team luck in the final two matches next week.

 

Sporthall Athletics - 19th January 2017

On Thursday 19th January, we took a team of 19 athletes from Year 5 and 6 to compete in the Alsager Community Trust Sportshall Athletics competition. During the event, participants were tasked with competing in running, jumping and throwing events against 5 other local schools.

There were lots of exemplary performances, with many first and second place finishes in many of the track events. Field events were also strong, as was evident in the soft javelin event at the end of the competition.

The top three finishers had just 20 points between them. Tensions were high as we awaited the results. After the other teams were announced, we discovered that we had come a close 2nd, missing out by just 8 points.

Everybody who participated did Excalibur proud and showed what fantastic, hard-working, athletes we have in our school. As usual, a phenomenal attitude was evident throughout the team. Congratulations!

 

The School Games Kitemark

While at the Sportshall Athletics competition, we were delighted to be presented with an award for our whole school. The School Games Kitemark is an annual award presented to schools who display outstanding provision of competitive school sport and extra-curricular clubs.

The award was presented by Rachel Clarke, the School Games Co-ordinator for the Sandbach Sports Partnership, of which Alsager and surrounding areas are part.

Many thanks to all staff and pupils for contributing to this award by getting involved in school sport.

 

Sandbach Sports Partnership Year 5/6 Basketball - 5th December 2016

After winning the Alsager Community Trust Basketball Competition, our fantastic squad of Year 5/6 pupils attended the Sandbach Sports Partnership competition on Monday 5th December 2016. Three schools attended the next level of the competition and the standard of basketball was very high.

For the majority of our first match, we held the lead, scoring two baskets early on. Unfortunately, we lost in the last couple of minutes, finishing 5-4. With our second match neck-and-neck from start to finish, it ended with a 4-4 draw. The positions went down to the difference in number of baskets scored, which we won. We came 2nd overall out of about 30 schools from the whole of the Sandbach Partnership!

All of our squad did brilliantly. Well done to Alex, Layla, Josh, Ben T, George and Jack. Again, special congratulations to Ben B for being a dedicated supporter. Thanks must also go to all of the players who put themselves forward to be part of the basketball squad over the course of the last few weeks.

 

Year 3/4 Tag Rugby Taster Session - 1st December 2016

On Thursday 1st December, a group of Year 3 & 4 children attended a tag rugby taster session at Alsager School. Like with Year 5 & 6 last week, the session was led by a rugby coach from Congleton Rugby Club, who organised a series of skills and drills where the children were able to practise and improve. About half way through the session, they got into tag rugby games, playing in mixed teams involving all the primary schools in Alsager. Well done to Kai, Martha, Finley, Felicity, Sam, Rossi and Elinor for taking up this brilliant opportunity and trying their best throughout.

 

Year 5/6 Tag Rugby Taster Session - 24th November 2016

On Thursday 24th November, a group of children from Year 5/6 attended a tag rugby taster session at Alsager School. It was led by a rugby coach from Congleton Rugby Club. In an hour's session, they practised the skills of tagging and running into space, before splitting into full tag rugby games. Everyone who attended did brilliantly, showing exemplary sportsmanship, and it was evident that they had a great enthusiasm for the sport. Well done to Stella, Alex, George, Jack, James and Rhys.

 

Year 3/4 Hockey Taster Session - 17th November 2016

On Thursday 17th November, 12 children from Year 3/4 visited Alsager School for a hockey taster session. During their time there, they participated in five different activities, including dribbling, shooting and passing skills, and a full game. Everyone who attended did brilliantly, representing the school with a fantastic sporting attitude and an eagerness to get better at the sport. Well done to everyone involved.

 

U11's Girls Football - 14th November 2016

On Monday 14th November 2016, a team of Year 4, 5 & 6 girls attended the Sandbach Sports Partnership U11s Football Competition. Held at Sandbach United Football Club, the team played three matches in their group, drawing one and losing the other two by one goal each time. Throughout the tournament, all of the squad played brilliantly, showing fantastic footballing skill and teamwork. On top of this, the players displayed an exemplary attitude, both on and off the pitch. The encouragement for their team-mates, and sportsmanship to the opposition, helps to show what fantastic potential the team has. Well done to Layla, Eva, Jasmine, Stella, Emily R, Emily A, Issy and Lilly.

Governor Blog: http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/blog/sandbach-girls-football-tournament---14th-november-2016/14422

 

 

ACT Basketball Tournament - 10th November 2016

On Thursday 10th November, we took a squad of eight Basketball players to the Alsager Community Trust Basketball Tournament at Alsager School. Having won the tournament since it began three year ago, there was considerable expectation to emerge victorious. Our first match against St. Gabriel's ended with a tight 2-0 victory, followed by a slim loss to Cranberry Academy. We then fought against Pikemere Primary School, winning the match a comfortable 8-0.

Our final match against Alsager Highfields meant everything; if we lost we would lose the tournament. It was neck-and-neck into the closing moments of the match, with near misses from both Highfields and ourselves. Then, we scored a basket, holding on for the remaining moments to claim the match and the tournament as a whole.

The tournament was a shining example of how great sports teams win. The team worked fantastically together, supporting and encouraging throughout, both on the pitch and from the side-line. In addition, the attitude was exemplary, with sportsmanship and fairness a trait that every single member displayed. Well done to Alex, Josh, Layla, James, Kyle, Corbin and Ben T. Additional congratulations to Ben B for being a fantastic supporter throughout and willing to step in if needed.

 

ACT Girls Football Tournament - 3rd November 2016

On Thursday 3rd November, our team of Year 4, 5 & 6 girls attended the Alsager Community Trust football tournament at Alsager School. Our first match was an unlucky draw, conceding in the last seconds of the match. We unfortunately lost the next two matches. But then, in the final match, we went up against Alsager Highfields, the as-yet unbeaten team. Showing incredible resilience, grit and determination, our team fought to keep the opposition at bay. Towards the end of the match, a fantastic break from our own half, a brilliant run down the line and a series of passes led to us scoring. We beat the opposition 1-0. Well done to Eva, Layla, Daisy, Emily R, Emily A, Stella and Isobel T.

 

School Sports Gold Award - October 2016

We are thrilled to have been awarded the Gold School Sports Award for the third consecutive year. This accreditation recognises our commitment to sport within and beyond the curriculum. Thank you to everyone for their hard work.

 

Football League - Thursday 13th October

Due to parents evening at school on Thursday evening Mrs Thompson and Miss Kirby were the stand in team managers for the football league match this week. We were against Highfields, who were apparently the team to beat having won all their previous games. Excalibur put the pressure on from the kick off playing as a team and passing the ball between themselves. After a beautiful through ball from Lewis, Oliver slid it under the keeper, 1-0 to Excalibur. Highfields started the second half well, showing why they were the league favourites. Excalibur battled well and defended as a team right to the final whistle, final score 1-0 to Excalibur.  Well done to the players, managers and of course the parents for their support.

 

Year 3/4 Football Tournament - Monday 10th October

On Monday10th October 2016, a squad of seven Year 4s attended the Sandbach Sports Partnership Football Tournament at Sandbach United Football Club. The team won the first two matches, with scores of 2-1 and 5-0, playing brilliantly throughout. Unfortunately, in their next three matches they couldn't quite match the success of earlier in the afternoon, missing out on victory in all three. They came 4th in their group. Despite their obvious disappointment, all players played with a smile, showing good sportsmanship and determination throughout. Well done to Rudy, Will, Sam, Nicolas, Evan, Ben and Kai.

 

Football League - Thursday 6th October

On Thursday 6th October 2016, our Year 5/6 Football Team attended the second week of the Alsager Community Trust Football Tournament. Disappointingly, despite a very close game, they lost the first match 1-0. However, after getting themselves together during the break, they came out to beat Pikemere 4-0, in a game that displayed the sportsmanship and athleticism that all the players can be proud of. Next week is the final week, with one match against Alsager Highfields. Good luck to all involved.

 

Football League - Thursday 28th September

On Thursday 29th September, Excalibur's Year 5 & 6 football team competed in the first match of the Alsager Community Trust football tournament.

In a tense match, where goals were scored alternately on both sides, our team played against St. Gabriel's. The whole of Excalibur's team played solidly, showing grit and determination to pull the match back to 2-2 in the second half. Unfortunately, just before the final whistle, they conceded, finishing the match at a 3-2 loss.

Despite their obvious disappointment, well done to Alex, Lewie, Corbin, Jack, Oliver, Will, Eva, Dan and Calum. Bring on next week!

 

Cross Country Competition - Thursday 22nd September

On Thursday 22nd September, over 40 children from KS2 took part in the annual Alsager Community Trust cross country competition. Everyone who participated performed fantastically, showing grit and sportsmanship throughout.

Final school positions were calculated on a team basis. In their respective races, Year 3/4 came 5th, Year 5/6 Boys came 4th and Year 5/6 Girls came 2nd. Special congratulations to Alex in Year 6 for winning the Year 5/6 Boys race.

Due to the popularity of the competition, we have now started a running club on Tuesday's and Thursday's during lunchtime.

 

Yvonne McGregor MBE assembly - Tuesday 24th May 2016

  

Yvonne McGregor, an English former professional cyclist, who won a gold medal in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada and Bronze medal in the 2000 olympics in Sydney, led the assembly. She told the children that she was just a normal person and talked to them about her journey as a runner, triathlete and a cyclist and her experiences at the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic games. At the end of the assembly they watched a video of Yvonne winning her race and receiving her gold medal. She allowed the children to touch her medals as they left assembly and get some of their magic.

 

Ann Packer assembly at the start of sports week - Monday 23rd May 2016

 

Ann Packer, a British athlete who won a gold medal in the 1964 Olympics in the 800m led the assembly. She talked to the children about her journey as an athlete and her experiences at the Olympic games. The children watched videos of the 2012 Olympic closing ceremony and the Road to Rio. At the end of the assembly they watched a video of Ann winning her race and receiving her gold medal. She allowed the children to touch her medals as they left assembly and get some of their magic.

 

 

Sports Week 23rd to 27th May 2016

Sports week at Excalibur Primary School began on Monday 23rd May. During the week, the children came to school in their PE kit each day ready for days full of sports activities.

The week began with an assembly by Ann Brightwell, a British athlete who won gold in the 1964 Olympics in the 800m. We were also be joined by Yvonne McGregor, who secured a bronze medal in the Sydney Olympics. Both of these fabulous athletes talked about the journeys they have made in their field of sports.

For details and photographs of each days activities follow the links below to the daily spots week blogs.

Day 1's blog - http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/blog/sports-week-day-1---monday-23rd-may-2016/10586

Day 2's blog - http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/blog/sports-week-day-2---tuesday-24th-may-2016/10625

Day 3's blog - http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/blog/sports-week-day-3---wednesday-25th-may-2016/10663

Day 4's blog - http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/blog/sports-week-day-4---thursday-26th-may-2016/10709

 

Swimming Gala - Year 3/4 - 19th May 2016

On Thursday 19th May a team of Y3/4 children went to the Alsager Leisure Centre to take part in the ACT Year 3/4 swimming gala against the other primary schools in Alsager. We were so proud of all the children who took part and we are pleased to tell you that we were the overall winners of the event!

 

Swimming Gala - Year 5/6 - 28th April 2016

Excalibur recently participated in a Year 5/6 swimming gala after-school against other Alsager Primary schools. We are delighted to have been announced that we were runners up.  The children not only performed at a high standard, but also showed wonderful sportsmanship and support for one another. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who took part.

 

 

Racket Skills - 21st April 2016

A group of Y3/4 pupils attended a racket skills event at the sports hall at Alsager High school. Mr Cotterill reported that: “The event was a big success with children having the opportunity to try different racket sports including: table tennis, squash, tennis, and badminton. As always, our children were great ambassadors for our school, future Wimbledon stars in the making!”

 

Orienteering - Thursday 14th April 2016

A team of Y5/6 pupils went to Alsager High school to represent Excalibur in an orienteering competition. As usual, our children represented our school brilliantly and were overall team winners. Well done to all involved.

 

Netball Finals - Thursday 3rd March 2016

As winners of the Alsager netball league, Excalibur qualified for the Sandbach area partnership finals. On Thursday 3rd March, after school, the team travelled to Sandbach. They played really well and managed to finish in third place against some very strong opposition. Well done to everyone involved – a great achievement!

 

Netball League - February 2016

 We are thrilled once more to announce that after playing each primary school in Alsager, we have emerged as the overall winners of the Alsager Primary Netball League 2016 – we retain the shield for the third year running. Well done everyone! It is clearly great to be successful, but also the sportsmanship and conduct of our pupils should also be commended.

 

Netball League - February 2016

On Thursday 4th February Excalibur netball team took part in their first games of the Alsager schools tournament. In their first game against St Gabriels the team fought bravely to secure a 7-2 win. Their winning streak continued in their subsequent game against Pikemere when they gained a 14-2 victory! A fabulous and well deserved result.

 

Football County Finals - 28th January 2015

We are very proud that Excalibur qualified to represent the local area partnership at the Cheshire football county finals last week. See below for a report:

After being victorious in the Alsager School tournament, Excalibur football team participated in a competition held at Crewe Alex soccer centre. On that day, we played 3 matches; the first one we drew 1-1. The second match we lost 1-0. The third and final game we drew 1-1. After that, we went on to penalties because we had the same points as another team. Unfortunately we lost, but it was very close. Finally, we went back to the changing rooms and collected our bags and headed home. Overall it was a brilliant day! Charlie W – Sports Ambassador

 

Sports Hall Athletics - 14th January 2016

On Thursday 14th January a team of Y5/6 children went to the Alsager indoor sports hall athletics competition. We were so proud of all the children who took part and we are pleased to tell you that we were the overall winners of the event! The team will now go onto the Sandbach School's Partnership finals on 9th February 2016 at Sandbach High School.

 

 

Hockey Tournament - 26th November 2015

We entered two teams into a hockey tournament held at the high school last week. All children played well with super team spirit and one of the teams managed to come runners-up. Well done!

 

 

Basketball Tounament - 19th November 2015

On Thursday 19th November Excalibur Primary School took two teams to the Alsager Trust Basketball tournament at Alsager School. Both teams did extremely well with Team A winning the tournament and Team B coming runner up. Well done to the players in both teams. As winners team A move onto the Level 2 Sandbach Sports Partnership tournament on 10th December 2015.

 

 

Alsager Primary Football League

Our football team has worked very hard this year and has played with fantastic determination and sportsmanship. This has meant they have become joint winners of the Football League with Highfields, and we retain the sheild for another year and we are through to the county finals in January. Congratulations to the team!

 

 

Football League - Thursday 15th  October

In our second game of the season in the Alsager Primary School league, we played St Gabriel’s. It was a great match and we managed to win 6-3. Well done to the team!

 

Football League - Thursday 1st  October

The school's football team played and won their first match in the Alsager Trust football league against Cranberry Academy on Thursday night. The final score was 7-0, well done to the team they showed super sportmanship.

 

 

Cross-Country Competition Year 3 to 6 - Thursday 24th September 2015

A group of year 5 children, no year 6's as they were on their residential, attended the Alsager Trust Cross-Country Competition at Alsager School. They all performed fantastically, exceeding expectations and trying their best throughout.

The year 3/4 mixed team came 3rd, the year 5 boys came 4th and the year 5 girls came 2nd.  Well done to all involved.

 

 

Football Tournament Year 3/4 - Monday 28th September 2015

Excalibur took 3 squads of year 3/4 pupils to the Sandbach Partnership football competition at Sandbach United Football Club on 28th September 2015. Each team played three matches, Excalibur 3 came 5th, Excalibur 1 came 8th and Excalibur 2 came 15th. Thank you to all the parents for your support in this event and well done to all the players, they played brilliantly.

 

 

School Games Gold Award - September 2015

We are thrilled that for the second year running we have been awarded the Schools Games gold award. Only 3 schools in the Sandbach partnership have achieved this level. Thank you to all staff, volunteers and local sports clubs for helping us to gain this recognition of our strong commitment to sport.

 

Sports Week - 29th June to 3rd July 2015

Details of events, activities and photographs can be found on the links below.

Monday 29th June - http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/work/sports-week-monday-29th-june/8972

Tuesday 30th June -  http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/work/sports-week---tuesday-30th-june-2015/8976

Wednesday 1st July - http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/work/sports-week---wednesday-1st-july/8995

Thursday 2nd July - http://www.excalibur.cheshire.sch.uk/work/sports-week---thursday-2nd-july/9026

 

Swimming Year 2 - 18th June 2015

"I had the absolute pleasure this afternoon of accompanying a group of year 2 children to the swimming gala at Alsager Leisure Centre. All 5 primary schools within Alsager were represented and our team included all the year 2 children who volunteered to take part.

Huge congratulations to the Excalibur Team who were joint winners with Highfields.

An amazing achievement and a huge well done to all the children who represented their school with competitive enthusiasm and a great attitude.

Every child behaved calmly and professionally and were a credit to their school.

And of course the adults poolside just about managed to maintain their composure??!!........I have never shouted "KICK!" so loud in my life....."

Sarah Choi, Parent Governor

Football Competition Year 3/4 - Wednesday 17th June 2015

On 17th June Excalibur Primary School took 3 teams to the Year 3/4 football competition being held at Pikemere School. All the teams did really well. Team A finished runners up in their league and fourth overall in the tournament. Team B finished third in their league narrowly missing out on the finals. Team C finished fifth in their league.

"How brilliant was it to include as many pupils as possible to represent Excalibur Primary School, 3 teams 22 players & lots of girl footballers. Congratulations must go to the only boy in Team C, not moaning about it and encouraging the girls to play despite playing 4 and losing 4, there are just so many positives to take from this. I know for some football is very competitive, lets face it its about 2 teams trying to beat each other. Yesterday the Excalibur pupils were ALL winners, we didn't win the tournament, some didn't win a game, some didn't score a goal BUT for EFFORT / ENJOYMENT / COMMITMENT / UNDERSTANDING / PARTICIPATION / DECISION MAKING / DESIRE TO IMPROVE / SKILLS / PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT and more ............................team Excalibur did us proud."  Mike Cross, Community Governor

 

Rounders - 4th June 2015

On Thursday 4th June a group of Year 5's and 6's were invited to Cranberry Academy to take part in the Alsager Trust rounders competition. The team played 3 matches and at the end of the competition Excalibur were the winners. Well done to the rounders team you were amazing! As the winner, the team now move onto the Sandbach Level 2 finals on Thursday 18th June 2015.

 

Mixed Kwik Cricket - 3rd June 2015

On Wednesday 2nd July, Excalibur entered a mixed cricket tournament at Sandbach Cricket Club. The first two games were very close but in the final game the team lost quite convincingly. However, the sportmaship displayed by the team was amazing, well done to the cricket team.

 

Cross Country - 29th April 2015

Excalibur Primary School hosted the Alsager Community Trust Cross Country event last Thursday which was a great success.

A big thank you to Juliet Tomkinson and Dan Hancock for organising and supporting this event in school and for preparing the cross country course on the school field.

Despite the weather being so warm, the children ran extremely well and there were lots of pink cheeks at the end.

St Gabriel's Primary School team won all three races, the Year 3/4 mixed race, the Year 5/6 girls race and the Year 5/6 boys race, the Excalibur team came second in the Year 5/6 races and third in the Year 3/4 race. Our pupils did well individually with Evie from Year 3 winning the Year 3/4 girls race, Mollie from Year 6 winning the Year 5/6 girls race and Nathaniel winning the Year 5/6 boys race.

Well done to all those that participated.

 

 

Congratulations from AFC Alsager - 24th March

We have received congratulations from AFC Alsager, below is what they said.

''We know first hand the hard work that goes in to sports week & arranging teams for the various sports events that get school kids engaged at Excalibur. I'd like to think AFC Alsager have helped just a little bit along the way.

Indeed we fully recognise the help that Excalibur has put in to giving some of our young coaches experience, to see the improvement not just in football terms but things like social interaction & just wanting to be there is a real credit to the school ethos.

In recognition of your staffs' and your teams' hard work we would like to award Excalibur a brand new Nike Football Kit.''

 

Excalibur have the sporting edge - Sentinel article 24th March 2015

The sentinel have published an article on the sporting successes of Excalibur School over the last year. The article confirms that the school puts its new-found winning streak down to a partnership with Stoke-on-Trent-based ASM Sports, which delivers regular PE and sports lessons, after-school clubs and training sessions for teachers, that have helped to build teachers PE skills and given them the confidence to try new approaches.

Alex, ASM director, said: "Excalibur has gone on to become one of the most successful schools in the area."

Excalibur teacher Juliet Tomkinson, the school's sports co-ordinator, said: "The impact has been phenomenal. Children participate far more in sport now and their fitness levels have increased.

Read more:

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Excalibur-pupils-sporting-edge/story-26218542-detail/story.html#ixzz3Xl18sLpV
 

 

Football Tournament - Thursday 12th March

Mr Cotterill was very pleased with the football team who took part in a tournament at Crewe Alex recently. The event drew together some strong sides from around the North West and it was great for our team to encounter that level of skill. They won some games and lost some games, but showed great team spirit throughout and all received a medal!

 

Netball Finals - Tuesday 10th March

As winners of the Alsager league, our netball team qualified for the wider Sandbach local partnership finals; we came 3rd out of 6 teams and played really well.

 

Year 5/6 Swimming Gala - Thursday 5th March

At the Y5/6 swimming gala, we finished as runners up. Well done everyone who represented Excalibur.

 

Netball League - Thursday 29th January

On 29th January a team of excited and determined Year 5 and 6 netball players took part in their first two matches of this year's netball league.  After a tense match against Highfield Primary School, team Excalibur gained their first victory, winning 11-4. Moments after this win, the exhiliarated team of seven took on St Gabriel's. In a winning streak, our talented netball stars secured their second victory, winning 6-2. We hope that this clean sheet will continue in next week's match.

 

Sports Hall Athletics - Thursday 15th January

Year 5/6 attended this event at Alsager High School afterschool last night.  We were so proud of all the children who took part; the way they supported one another was brilliant. Six schools took part and I am pleased to tell you that we were the overall winners of the event!

 

Football Tournament - Friday 12th December

On Friday 12th December our school part in a football tournament at St Nathaniel's Academy in Burslem. We  reached the final and won 3-1. The team were a credit to the school and we are now through to the next stage, which will be held at the Crewe Alex ground.

 

Basketball Tournament - Wednesday 3rd December

On Wednesday 3rd December Excalibur Primary School took three teams to the Basketball tournament at Congleton High School. All teams did extremely well with one team getting to the final and losing in the last seconds of the game. The other two teams came 4th and 5th. Well done to all the players.

 

Football League - Thursday 20th November

The school's football team played against Cranberry Primary School in their fourth and final league match at Alsager School. They won 13-0 and as they have won all their games they won the league, well done to all the players and we now have another trophy in the reception area. The team will go on to play in the area finals after Christmas.

 

Football League - Thursday 13th November

The school's football team played Pikemere Primary School in their third league match at Alsager School. They won 2-1, well played to all the team.

 

Football League - Thursday 6th November

The school's football team played St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School in their second league match at Alsager School. They won 4-1, it was an excellent game.

 

Football League - Thursday 23rd October

The school's football team played Alsager Highfields Primary School in their first league match at Alsager School. They won 6-2, well done to the team. The referee congratulated the team on their sportsmanship.

 

Quick Sticks Hockey Sandbach Partnership Finals - Monday 20th October

The winning year 5/6 team travelled to Sandbach to compete in these finals. We came second with just two points in it! Well done to everyone - great result!

 

Brazillian Dance - Saturday 11th October 2014

The whole of year 4 learnt and practised their Brazillian Dance on Thursday and Friday morning with the dance teacher Mika De Oliveira from Art Brasil. On Saturday morning 16 of the children performed the dance at the One World Festival at Alsager School, they were fantastic.

 

Friendly Football Match - Friday 3rd October 2014

Two teams of year 5/6 pupils attended a friendly match against Alsager Highfields Community Primary School. We won a match and Highfields won the other. The matches were used as part of the trials for the Alsager Community Trust football Tournament in two weeks.

 

Quick Sticks Hockey Competition Year 5/6 - Thursday 2nd October

Two teams of year 6 pupils attended tha Alsager Community Trust Quick Sticks Hockey Competition. Excalibur 1 came joint 4th and Excalibur 2 won every match and have now earned a place in the Sandbach Partnership Finals.

"On 2nd October a hockey competition took place at Alsager School. Mrs Morre split the teams in half so each had an A and B team and the Excalibur B  team came 1st and the A team came joint 3rd. Well done everyone who played!" Mollie and Nathaniel, Sports Ambassadors.

 

Football Tournament Year 3/4 - Monday 29th September 2014

A squad of nine year 3/4 pupils attended a Sandbach Partnership competition at Sandbach United Football Club. They played three matches, losing 1-0 in one match and drawing the other two, they played brilliantly.

 

Cross-Country Competition Year 5/6 - Thursday 25th September 2014

A group of year 5 children attended the Sandbach Sports Partnership Cross-Country Competition at Alsager School. They all performed fantastically, exceeding expectations and trying their best throughout.

"Unfortunately year 6 wern't able to make it to the cross country as they were on their residential at Kingswood, but year 5 attended with Miss Robinson. Finley, Owen, Charlie, Charlie, Matthew and Katie ran really well. Well Done!" Nathaniel and Mollie, Sports Ambassadors.

 

Sports Gold Mark - Tuesday 9th September 2014

The school has today been informed that they have achieved the Gold School Games Mark. This award rewards schools for their commitment to and development of competition in sport and physical education. Congratulations to all involved.

 

Cheshire and Warrington Finals - Wednesday 9th July

Our basketball team qualified as winners of the Basketball School Games Level 2 Event to represent Sandbach School Sports Parnership at the inaugural Cheshire and Warrington School Games at Orford Park in Warrington on Wednesday.  They had a great day at the Orford and Beaumont Activity Site progressing out of the group stages and into the semi-finals, finally coming fourth.  Well done to the basketball team.

''Can I just say a huge congratulations to all of you and your teams and thank you for representing Sandbach SSP so well. I hope you all enjoyed the games on Wednesday and I will be sending out a celebratory report to all of the schools to share our successes.'' Rachel Banister Sandbach High School

 

Interschool Athletics - Monday 30th June

Excalibur was represented admirably at the interschool sports on Monday night. Our children were in good voice and supported eachother well.  We are always very proud to take pupils to these events . Overall, we came 3rd and particularly shone at the sprint and relay. I'm told that there will be was some serious practice with getting into sacks in readiness for next year!

 

Swimming Gala - Thursday 26th June

Year 2 took part in the local Year 1/2 Swimming Gala at Alsager Leisure Centre. Miss Street was very proud of everyone's listening skills and good sportsmanship. We had a couple of firsts and runners up and came fourth overall.

 

Rounders Tournament - Monday 23rd June

Children from Year 5 and 6 took part in the local school rounders tournament and won the event. A well done to everyone involved.

 

Sports Week - week commencing Monday 9th June

Wow! What else can I say? The children experienced such a wide range of activities from wheelchair basketball, zumba and archery to basketball, hockey, street dancing and golf. They enjoyed it so much and were exhausted at the end of the week.

The level of support we had from coaches, parents, friends,and the high school was staggering. A huge thank you to everyone especially Mrs Tomkinson who liased with our volunteers and timetabled the whole week.

 

Netball Tounament - Monday 28th April

Our netball team qualified as winners of the Alsager schools netball league for the local area netball tournament at Sandbach girls'school.  They did really well and got through to the final without losing a match. They were pipped in the final by a very strong team from The Quinta, coming second overall. Brilliant result - well done everyone!

 

Netball League - January to February 2014

On the 6th January, the determined Excalibur netball team organised themselves into the correct positions, excited for the first game of the league. Ready to take on the Cranberry team, the squad took to their spaces, waiting for the starting whistle to sound. As the signal to start echoed around the sports hall, the team quickly, yet carefully sprinted and bolted around the court. Dashing into the semi-circle, Jacob, one of the magnificent shooters, stared confidently at the net and scored the first goal of the league! For the duration of the match, Excalibur played a fantastic game, the scorewas an impressive 7-3 to Excalibur!

This was only the beginning to their glory as in the following weeks, they extended their victories to three matches won! In the final game, having competed against St. Gabriels, they managed to secure another win, resulting in winning the whole league!

Report by Grace and Lucy.

 

Swimming Success

Excalibur recently participated in a Year 3/4 swimming gala after-school against other Alsager Primary schools. We are delighted to have been announced the winners and are looking forward to having our name engraved on the trophy.  The children not only performed at a high standard, but also showed wonderful sportsmanship and support for one another. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who took part.

 

Football Success

Due to our success in the local school league, Excalibur football team qualified for the Sandbach Partnership U11's 7 a-side competition.  On Tuesday night in Sandbach we came runners up. This qualified us for the Cheshire U11 finals. Our team went to Shavington last Thursday afternoonto take part in this event where we came 3rd in our group. Well done to all pupils, parents and staff involved. This success is due to the commitment and teamwork of all.

Excalibur Primary School

Ivy Lane, Alsager, ST7 2RQ

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