Southfields students enjoy cardio tennis session

Cardio Tennis is a tennis-based workout which is done on court to music, and can engage mixed ability groups on a single court or sports hall.

Though just a stone's throw from the venue for The Championships, Wimbledon, the Cardio Tennis session felt world's away from the hallowed lawns of the All England Club.

13-year old student Lydia Bekouchi, commented: "That was so fun - I got my heart rate up to 163 and I've never had facilities like this before and it just makes you want to get up and play so you learn more when you have these facilities.  I didn't think that tennis was for me before this but it's actually really fun."

The session was organised by the Lawn Tennis Association and the School Sports Partnership, and attended by some tennis-interested Parliamentarians ahead of a visit to nearby Wimbledon.

Members of Parliament Angie Bray MP, Chris Kelly MP, Gareth Thomas MP, John Mann MP were all at Southfields with Lawn Tennis Association Head of Business Development Tom Harlow, and Sport England Directors Lisa O'Keefe and Caroline Weber.

Southfields Community College offers an extensive range of sporting activities to its students, and the local community, through access to its facilities in the evenings and at the weekend.  Almost 10 years after it invested £455,000 in the centre in 2001, Sport England returned to see that its investment is still making a huge contribution to sport in the area.  The school has received subsequent investment from other partners, including the local council.

Southfields Community College is at the centre of the School Sports Partnership in Wandsworth, South-West London, which is working to offer pupils across the Borough the opportunity to participate in quality physical education and sport both during and beyond the curriculum time every week, as part of the five-hour offer.

Chris Whitbread, the Director of Specialisms at Southfields Community College commented: "The funding has been absolutely amazing, our sports facilities over the past few years have just developed and developed.

"We currently have four outdoor tennis courts and one indoor tennis court available.  A lot of our kids now play tennis as part of their key stage 3 and key stage 4 learning.  We've got a really keen group of students that come out in break time to play tennis and we provide them with tennis racquets and balls - so days like today are fantastic.

"A number of kids have recently shown interest in playing tennis outside of school in tennis clubs which I am sure will happen - we're trying to make sure that they get a good basis in their lessons and then hopefully some of them might take it forward.

Cardio Tennis orginated in the U.S. and the Lawn Tennis Association is rolling it out in Britain as part of its drive to engage more people in tennis and grow the popularity of the sport.  The session at the school is one of a number to test how secondary students respond to Cardio Tennis.  The activity includes drills for absolute beginners through to advanced tennis, and it can also be used for mixed ability groups and with mini tennis."

Another student aho enjoyed the session was 16-year old Shaquille Cummings who has taken up a voluntary assistant role at the school.  "Cardio tennis was tiring but enjoyable.  I don't really play tennis but I think it will help me to learn how to play the sport and increase my fitness."

He said "I got in to a sports course through school as part of that I have to teach kids in sports so I went out to several different primary schools and got involved with them and since then, I have come back to my old school and am participating in activites like today."

Jenny Lewis, Head of Physical Education at the College also praised the activity, she said: "it's massively important for kids to be able to commit to something like sport and activities such as this.  The kids at this school come from various different backgrounds and it just gives them the chance to express themselves in a different way than just being out on the streets and doing things that maybe they shouldn't really be doing.  It gives them the opportunity to follow a dream or learn something new."

The Lawn Tennis Association has trained 350 coaches to deliver Cardio Tennis, which is now being delivered at venues across Britain and with new venues being added regularly.

Students from Southfields Community College are aiming to create a long lasting community link with an underprivileged school and community in Cape Town, South Africa.

This entails a trip to South Africa during which Southfields Students will aim to create a series of sustainable projects to improve and enrich the local community's quality of life.

The students have been selected to take part in this amazing experience because of their motivation, drive and dedication to wanting to help a community who have less than the basic living requirements they need.

Students have already been raising money through various means, there have been charity sales, a sponsored bike ride is planned and many other events and sales are planned.

We would love for parents and friends to help us with our ambitious project.

If you want to be a part of a long lasting link helping communities in South Africa then please contact Mr C. Weir at the College.

To donate to the charitable fund set up to send the students on their way you can click here.

The Wandsworth School Sport Partnership launches its new website.

The aim of the School Sport Partnership is to encourage all schools to ensure that every pupil in Wandsworth is participating in 3 hours of High Quality PE & Sport every week.

The new webpage was launched at the Primary Link Teachers Conference on Tuesday 6th October and we hope it will act as an excellent and easy to use tool for everyone involved in PE & Sport in Wandsworth.

To learn more about the Wandsworth School Sport Partnership and to visit the new website by click here.

Southfields Community College, weekly newsletter.

Our weekly newsletter is published each Friday and is available for your child to pick up in the College Reception and the Aspire Centre Reception areas, you can also download the current issue by clicking here.

Southfields Extended Schools Cluster, termly newsletter.

Our Extended Schools Cluster publishes a termly newsletter.  It is available for your child to pick up in the College Reception and the Aspire Centre Reception areas, you can also download the current issue by clicking here.

Dear parents / carers,

Education Secretary Michael Gove has given the go ahead for the redevelopment of two Wandsworth secondary schools.

Southfields Community College is one of those two and will benefit from a major improvement package.

The final details are yet to be confirmed but work is expected to start in spring next year.

The projects had been on hold while the Government carried out an urgent review of the national Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Ministers were concerned that the BSF model was overly bureaucratic and failed to deliver value for money.

Leader of Wandsworth Council Edward Lister said:

“We worked very hard to develop these schemes and I’m delighted that we can now move ahead."

Executive member for children’s services Kathy Tracey said:

“This is terrific news for these two schools and the thousands of children who will benefit from a huge improvement to their learning environment."

Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

“I know how hard councils and schools have worked on these projects and I have been anxious to ensure we can do everything we can, in difficult economic times, to support the crucial work of raising educational standards. Planning for these projects is well advanced and we are keen they should proceed without further delay.

“We will also work with councils, sponsors and the construction industry to ensure we bear down on costs and bureaucracy so every new school is built in as cost-effective and efficient a way as possible, and I am delighted that they have already responded so positively to this challenge.”

Executive Headteacher Jacqueline Valin is over the moon with the news that Southfields will benefit from being redeveloped, she said:

"We started BSF in 2007 and after two years' work BSF at Southfields looked like it may not go ahead as planned, but I am delighted that we will be getting our new school."

We will keep you updated with news about the College’s BSF redevelopment so check back soon.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

Welcome to the new academic year, below you will find the key dates for this coming 1/2 Term

 *INSET day = In Service Training Event day

 *I.E.A.P. day = Individual Education Action Planning day