King's nominated for national sporting achievement

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The King's School has been shortlisted in the 'Independent School of the Year Awards' for 'Sporting Achievement'.

It is the Macclesfield school's third listing in the last three years having previously been nominated for pupil wellbeing and educational innovation from over 2,000 schools nationwide.

This year, King's were national champions in Under 14 rugby; fourth in the country at under 14 Netball; had four team golds at the national trampoline finals; won the Preliminary 12 dressage final at the inter-county team championships at Hickstead and were national U15 finalists last year in cricket.

Head, Jason Slack, said: "Central to our submission was not just the level of our success at an elite level, but also the breadth and inclusivity of our participation from wheelchair basketball to disabled sailing."

Jason emphasised: "As a school with a number of pupils who are wheelchair users, we are keen to meet everyone's needs and offer them a positive experience of sport. Pupils regularly enjoy sailing, swimming and other accessible sports, and we have hosted two wheelchair basketball matches for the peer group of one pupil who regularly competes in this sport outside of school."

"The position that King's holds for sport within the local community and our outreach work also formed a central part of our submission."

Previously King's has been placed in School Sports Magazine's top 25 sporting schools in the U.K.

The short-listing, with the final adjudication in September, comes not only for a golden year of success at all age levels, but for the astonishing breadth of opportunity. For example across Years 7 - 10, 461 out of 581 pupils have represented King's this school year, which amounts to a staggering 79% of all pupils getting a chance to don the royal blue. In fact, the school offers over 20 different sports and vows to support and help develop any pupil's individual passion. Some other sports include rounders, tennis, swimming, sailing, table tennis and golf.

Always known as a quality sporting school, King's relocation to its £60 million new site on Alderley Road has further boosted its capabilities. Built next to the Derby Playing Fields, which are primarily used for rugby and cricket, the new school has all weather surfaces, for hockey, netball, tennis and an eclectic mix of sports and activities, a superb main sports hall, an indoor cricket centre, a stunning 25 metre swimming pool, basket ball courts, a fitness suite, dance studio, a high quality main cricket field with a beautifully manicured wicket, all of which has been made available for community use.

This has all been achieved with six PE teachers; some 11 full-time and part-time coaches; seven outside specialists and a number of academic teaching and support staff, who provide input after school and on match days.

Sport is also becoming increasingly important as an academic subject with 85 students in Year 10 and 11 this year involved at GCSE and 14 taking the BTEC Sport qualification, meaning more and more children go to careers in sport but, as importantly, learn lifelong positive approaches to health and wellbeing.

The new facilities have helped support King's Elite Athlete Pathway (KEAP) programme, with staff now better able to help students develop their fundamental movement skills and build a strength and conditioning regime.

King's Director of Sport Chris Thomson was delighted with the honour and was happy to admit that learning to lose was as important as success, and losing was in fact a key life skill.

"We want our pupils to win with modesty but learn to lose with grace. As the great Michael Jordan said, "the key to success is failure. I've failed over and over and over again in my life, but that is why I succeed."

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