Matlock's sporting stars are pride of entire school

This year has seen our year 11 football team reach the semi-final of the county cup, the year eight football team reaching the quarter finals and many of the other team getting deep into the competition. The girls’ and boys’ football teams have all enjoyed competing in the English Schools Football Association Cup. Our under 15 futsal team finished fourth in the county cup futsal finals.

On the rugby field the first team has competed immensely well gaining some victories and particular success at the Birkdale Sevens Competition where they finished second. The under 13 team has also been successful in many of their competitive matches and also competed in the county finals.

Netball has been a success with training on Mondays and Thursdays on a regular basis, and fixtures against local schools and within the county competitions for several age groups.  We had 30 students from varying age groups competing at the Derbyshire Dales Cross Country Championships with six students achieving a call up to represent Derbyshire Dales in the County Cross Country Championships.

Meanwhile, we competed in the North East Derbyshire Swimming Championships which saw some of our swimmers achieve personal best and wins for Highfields.  This year saw us compete well in both badminton and table tennis in our partnerships finals. We are currently taking part in county cup cricket competitions, and are looking forward to the Derbyshire Dales Athletics Championships, which will be on June 30.

Our 2017 annual sports leaders awards evening was a great success. This was our eleventh celebration and this year’s guests of honour were former Highfields student and aqua athlete Stephanie Jackson-Horner and world champion para athlete Steve Judge. Steve worked for six weeks in the spring with a group of our year ten students on developing aspiration and resilience.

The Highfields Sports Leadership Academy goes from strength to strength with more than 300 signed up on Sports Leaders UK courses this year alone. The academy has a leadership pathway from primary school through to year 13 and now extends to PE and sport apprenticeships. Apprentices follow a two-year programme gaining qualifications in supporting teaching and learning in PE.

Our sports leaders are supporting events at Highfields for the PE and School Sport programme for our partner primary schools as well as Tree Tops Nursery. The leaders support the Derbyshire School Games as well as the National School Games. They gain qualifications in coaching and continue to have their efforts recognised in the Derbyshire Sports awards. This year Grace Pickford, Annabel Macgregor, Sarah Lane, Andrew Hitchcock and Oliver Walden all picked up Sports Leadership awards for Derbyshire Dales or Derbyshire schools.