This page is dedicated to the many success stories that the Bury School Sports Partnership have contributed towards.
The Greater Manchester primary school x-country championships were held on Saturday the 12th of March.
There has been a steady improvement over the last couple of years mainly down to the hard work put in by Janet Rasleigh (SSCO for Bury Church). This year she was helped by Eileen Ingham from Emmanuel Holcombe Primary School and it proved the perfect tonic for the boys team who stormed to 1st place this year. The girls finished 9th overall.
Janet Rasleigh said "I am very pleased with both results especially the boys team. It is the perfect reward for all the hard effort that has gone in over the last two years."
On a dark cold winters night in November Prestwich Arts College turned into host of the Prestwich and Parrenthorn cluster Indoor Athletics competition. Sedgley Park, Butterstile, Park View and St Margaret's battled it out for the title.
There were some outstanding performances both on the track and in the field. The final result was very close and only 4 points between first and second place but it was St Margaret's that were eventually crowned champions with Park View in second place and winners of the Prestwich cluster both schools will now go on to represent the clusters in the Bury Finals at Castle Leisure Centre.
A cold dark rainny night in November Parrenthorn High School played host to the future Michael Jordans of Prestwich. The rain was pouring down outside and even through the sports hall roof but that didn't stop some fantastic Basketball being played. A few modifications had to be made to the courts to allow the finals to continue but nothing was going to stop the baskets flying in.
Ribble Drive, Hollins Grundy, Park View, Sedgley Park, Butterstile and St Margaret's took part in some very close faught games which eventually saw Park View crowned overall champions and St Margaret's champions of the Parrenthorn cluster, both schools will now go onto the Bury Finals to be held in January.
On Friday 12th November 2010 pupils from across the SSP attended the Matalan Sporting Promise Launch at Sportcity. 45 pupils from Broad Oak, Bury Church, Bury College, Castlebrook, Elton, Philips, Parrenthorn, Radcliffe Riverside, Tottington, St Gabriels and Woodhey took part in either a Street Cheer or Parkour master class, run by some of the sports top coaches.
A range of sports stars were also in attendance on the day, not least Olympic Badminton silver medalist Gail Emms and unquestionably the greatest British Olympian of all time- Sir Steve Redgrave (patron of the Matalan Sporting Promise).
The Sporting Promise is geared around opportunities in alternative activities such as Dodgeball, Skipping, Street Cheer and Parkour.
Our SSP was selected due to the successes we have achieved in participation in these areas and all the young people who attended the day had a great time. Thanks to the teachers and coaches who supported the event, particular thanks must also go to Liz Norris and Adam Greenhalgh from the Youth Service for their support in making the day a success.
Goal ball club compete....The Goalball club has been going strong this term with regular practise nights on Thursdays at Radcliffe Riverside School. At present there is a squad of 5 players.
The team did very well in their first tournament which was held in Sheffield on Saturday the 13th of November. They won three of their games and lost one and came second overall.
The next tournament is in December in Hull. The club has had a big financial boost courtesy of partnership work between the School Sports Partnership and The Children's Disability Team. £1500 was awarded from the 'Aim Higher' fund. The fund is to ensure the sustainability and development of the Paralympic sport in Bury. The club will use it to fund hall hire for regular practice sessions, competitions and specialist equipment.
British Paralympian and London 2012 hopeful Farrell Anthony visits St Gabriels.
Farrell Anthony is a British Paralympian Table Tennis star that has represent Britain since 1997. His list of honours includes World Cerebral palsy champion in 1997 which helped him qualify to compete in Sydney 2000. He is currently in training for London 2012.
Farrell's visit was part of a series of visits organised through Sports Unlimited by Mark Clifford. During the first visit he talked to the young people about how he got involved in table tennis and how he got to where he is now He will be back for 3 more visits over a 10 week period aimed at supporting the young people into the local table tennis club - Ramsbottom table tennis academy.
Darren Handley (SSCO for St Gabriels) who help coordinate the visit said: " Farrell was a great inspiration for the children and his presence at the sessions has undoubtedly raised the profile of Table Tennis in the school. The Children are really excited for his next visit already!"
For more information about the sports Unlimited Programme in Bury contact Mark Clifford.
On tuesday 2 november Radcliffe pool was host to another successful Aquatics Festival. Over 40 pupils from 6 schools across Bury took part in a high energy morning of non stop snorkling, diving, water polo and raft racing to name but a few of the activities on offer.
The event is the product of successful partnership working between the Childrens Disability 'Aim Higher' Team, the Schools Sports Partnership and Leisure facilities.
The aim of the day was to enable pupils to access swimming in a fun, safe and challenging environment, whilst identifying potential talented individulas to go on and compete at higher levels.
For pupils who want to continue to learn to swim there is an Inclusive swim scheme run by Leisure services. For more information contact P Wilcock on 0161 253 6542.
A big thank you to all the school staff and SSco's who made this event possible, in particular the 'expert' swimming teachers who delivered the high quality activities and the 8 Sports leaders from Bury College who supported the pupils in and out of the water.
All Saints have enjoyed a week of culture and sport; KS 1 pupils took part in sports from around the world including football, basketball, and even eqyptian dancing!
Key Stage 2 pupils entered the Prestwich and Whitefield Junior School Sports Association netball tournament at Our Lady Of Grace and came runners up - well done girls!
other pupils who have been receiving inschool cricket coaching from the School Sports Partnership took part in a cricket festival with cluster school mersey drive and won the 'series'
Coach of the Year....Ray has been coaching for many years and his work has been acknowledged by now being celebrated for his years of service to Badminton.
Ray said: "I am delighted to be awarded this accolade and I am excited about this coming year working in schools in Bury."
Ray currently delivers sports unlimited sessions and is helping to get the change4life badminton club up and running at Parrenthorn High School.
And the winner is....Geoff Preston: Primary School Special Recognition Award - Sponsored by Bury School Sports Partnerships
This school, its staff and pupils have been described as the most worthy candidates for this award based on their drive, commitment and improvement to Sport and Physical Activity in both the school and their local community. Their work and drive to constantly improve the opportunities, quality, facilities and equipment for their school community is outstanding.
Congratulations to Mersey Drive Primary School
Goalball aims high....The sport of Goalball gets a boost courtesy of partnership work between the SSP and The Children's Disability Team. £1500 from the 'Aim Higher' fund will ensure the sustainability and development of the Paralympic sport in Bury with regular practice sessions, competitions and specialist equipment.
Goalball was originally developed in the 1940's as a rehabilitation programme for soldiers blinded in WW2 and is now played by 2 teams of 3 blindfolded players who 'bowl' a specialist ball with internal bells inside over the oppositions goal line. To find out more about this fast moving game visit the official goalball webpage or come along to one of the sessions and meet the team;
VENUE: Radcliffe Riverside
TIME: 4-5pm
COST: Free
DATES: October 7th 12th, November 11th 25th, December 9th
Just turn up or contact Paul Miller, Speciliast Teacher, Radcliffe Riverside for more details
Pupils from Millwood Specialist Primary school and Elms Bank Specialist Arts College met Miss England at Gigg Lane on Tuesday 28th September when she and her fellow beauty queens presented Bury Football club in the community with a Variety Sunshine Bus.
Yvonne Hall, SSco for Elms Bank cluster worked with Bury FiC to write the successful bid in an effort to secure transport for the Ability Counts Football Club.
Rob Carlisle is in charge of the disability football club, they train every wednesday at Elms Bank school at 3.30pm for under 16's and again at 5pm at that new 'Play Football Centre' next to Bury college for the over 16's. For more information contact the club on 0161 797 5423
Yvonne Hall said 'This minibus means that transport will no longer be a barrier to participation for young people with a disability who want to play football.'
Prestwich CTBC win club award....On Friday 24th September Prestwich Cricket Tennis and Bowling Club competed for the title of 'Club of the Year' at Bury Sports Awards Presentation evening held in the Radcliffe Civic Suite.
The club competed against 12 other nominated clubs and won the award being described as "a shining example to other clubs in Bury".
The achievement was perhaps all the more remarkable as they were the only Multi-Sport club among the nominees so the focus was on all their four sports rather than just one.
Their undoubted strength was the fact that they have ClubMark Accreditation in Cricket, Tennis and Crown Green Bowling and the equivalent Charter Standard in their Football Section - the only Multi-Sport club in the U.K. to have this particular distinction.
Another strong point was the breadth of their 'outreach' activities in both schools and the wider community. Prestwich CTBC now go on to represent Bury MBC the GreaterSports awards on the 12th November.
Current England internationals Jenny Welsby and Clare Robinson atteneded Philips High School, Bury, to coach the year 8/9 girls teams.
In order to raise the profile of the female game, Welsby and 'Robbo' Robinson held an afternoon coaching clinic with the year 8/9 girls, none of which had played the game before.
Bury Community Rugby League Coach, Cliff Tamou, Commented 'I organised the session as myself and Gary Davies (head of PE, Philips High) have long been discussing the potential of running girls teams from the school and entering the Carnegie Champion Schools competitions. Robbo and Jenny were fantastic today in showing the girls what they can aspire and showing them that rugby league is not just a boys sport.'
Feedback from the girls was very positive and it is hoped that many will continue to play in afterschool sessions organised by Cliff.
For more information on the female game, or to find your nearest club, please contact Claire Robinson
The Tottington and St Gabriels Gymnastics cluster finals took place on Tuesday the 15th of June at Bury Gymnastics club.
All schools involved received curriculum time support from SSP gymnastics coaches to support the schools and the children to deliver their master piece on the day.
There were some great performances on the day and most importantly all the children competed with a large smile on their face!
Tottington primary school took part in the year 3 and 4 mini red tennis tournament finals at Bolton arena on tuesday the 15th of June.
Having won the Bury title they were representing the borough against others from across greater Manchester.
The mini red form of tennis is adapted to meet the demands of younger children although at times the standard of tennis was so good they could have been in the main draw at Wimbledon!
Darren Handley (SSCO for Tottington High school) said:
"I am so proud of Tottington primary and what they have achieved this year and this trip to Bolton arena was the just rewards for them"
Holly Mount primary school travelled across to Oldham for the greater Manchester tag rugby finals with a place at Twickenham (the home of English Rugby) awaiting the winners.
The school performed brilliantly winning three games against some very good opposition but ultimately fell a little short of the dream trip to Twickers.
As part of the day the children got to meet an England international player called Sarah Hunter which was a nice end to a good day.
Year 3 & 4 pupils from Gorsefield Primary, St Margarets Primary, Sedgley Park Primary and Mersey Drive Primary took part in a tennis competition hosted at Prestwich Tennis Club on the 19th of May.
Pupils participated in a variety of activities that enabled them to develop their tennis skills. LTA Licensed Tennis Coach Adam Maddock gave the pupils some much needed coaching prior to engaging in individual and team competitions.
Overall winners on the day were Gorsefield Primary who will go forward as one of the two Primary schools to represent Bury in the County Finals. Well done to all that took part!
Keith Mills who is the Junior Tennis Coordinator and Clubmark Standards Manager for Prestwich Cricket Tennis and Bowling Club said 'The club were happy to support the Bury School Sports Partnership in introducing Tennis into schools.
On Tuesday the 25th of May at Bury Sports Clubs schools from accross Bury competed for this years Tag Rugby title.
The tournament saw some great rugby played by both side resulting in Summerseat and Greenmount facing off in the final. Both schools played attacking rugby which led to a very close game with Summerseat emerging victorious.
Summerseat will now represent Bury in the Greater Manchester finals with a place at Twickenham waiting for the winners!
James Bramhall (SSP rugby coach) stated:
"For 3 years I have been developing rugby in Bury and year on year there is an improvement in the junior game. Hopefully Summerseat will go on to win the Greater Manchester title!"
RESULTS
PITCH 1 Winners: Unsworth
PITCH 2 Winners: CC Ainsworth
PITCH 3 Winners: Oldhall
Highest placed runner up on a sudden death penalty shootout Radcliffe Primary
SEMI FINAL 1
Oldhall 0v0 Unsworth
Unsworth won on penalties
SEMI FINAL 2
CC Ainsworth 0v1 Radcliffe Primary
FINAL
Radcliffe Primary 0v0 Unsworth (AET)
UNSWORTH WON ON PENALTIES!!!!
Holly Mount emerged victorious on a sunny day in Tottington.
Primary schools from Tottington and St Gabriels clusters took part in the year 3 & 4 girl's football world cup. Each school picked a country taking part in the world cup in South Africa and bought flags and banners to represent themselves.
There was a lot of talent on show which was reflected in the number of goals scored on the day - a massive 66!
Darren Handley (SSCO for Tottington and St Gabriels) commented:
"Each year the quality of girl's football in the area improves making it one of the most difficult titles to win for each school. I hope that Holly Mount can go on to the finals now and win the Bury title"
Year 3 & 4 pupils from primary schools in the north of Bury took part in a tennis competition hosted by Holcombe Brook Tennis Club.
The pupils received coaching sessions which led on to individual and team competitions with points being awarded for success.
Sue Lawson (head coach at Holcombe Brook) said:
"It was a great day and there was a lot of great talent on show. Hopefully this will kick start a great summer of tennis both in schools and at the club."
The Philips and Castlebrook cluster gymnastics competition took place last week with the winning school going on to representing their area in the Bury finals.
Coaches from the school sports partnership have been working with all the schools involved helping the children to build up their skills and perform a basic routine. The class teachers have also received training and lesson plans to ensure longevity in the schools.
All the teams and individual winners from the day can be seen on the left.
The Prestwich, Parrenthorn, Phillips and Castlebrook clusters year 3 and 4 girls football competitions was held at Parrenthorn High School. Each school had chosen a country to link in to this years world cup with some schools putting massive into dressing up and making flags.
11 teams entered and the competition was very successful. St Margarets and Unsworth reached the final which Unsworth won 1-0.
Although Unsworth won on the night three clusters were involved and so St Margarets and Sedgley Park also qualified for the final to represent their clusters.
The Parrenthorn and Prestwich Rugby League festival was held at Parrenthorn High School on a very sunny April afternoon.
Hollins Grundy, St Margaret's, St Hilda's, Ribble Drive and Park View battled it out for the title. It was very cllose but eventually Hollins Grundy and St Margaret's quallified for the final and in a very close faught match Hollins Grundy just pipped St Margaret's to the title.
Hollins Grundy will now go onto to face the winners of the Radcliffe Riverside tournament as part of the warm up to the Swinton Lions game on June 20th.
On the 25th March Bury's best young leaders were invited to Holy Cross College for a second Leadership Academy Day.
The day was organised and delivered by the Holy Cross sports leaders. The aim of the day was to continue improving the quantity and quality of young people engaged in volunteering and leadership, with consequent benefits to schools, clubs, the community and the young people themselves.
The Holy Cross students delivered numerous workshops to identify the key skills required to be an effective sports leader, they spoke about their past experiences and gave information regarding volunteer work in the community.
The day was a huge success with all of the sports leaders' benefiting from the experience.
Young tennis leaders....14 young people from high schools across Bury came together to take part in a leadership course held at Prestwich tennis club.
The course included simple games and exercises aimed at improving the young leaders ability to both lead and assist with the delivery of sessions and competitions.
The leaders will now you utilised in the up coming year 3 and 4 mini red primary schools tennis competition that will be held in May at both Prestwich tennis club and Holcombe Brooke tennis club.
16 young leaders from the local high schools congregated at Broad Oak Sport College to undertake the F.A. junior football organiser's course.
The skills will be put to good use during the forthcoming cluster competitions for years 3 and 4 girls which will take place in May and June.
Gareth Oliver (course leader / PDM) stated:
"The young girls showed both excellent practical skills and leadership ability throughout the day. It was a joy to see so many talented young girls which want to put something back into the game."
Out of the 16 young leaders 6 have been chosen to attend Bury SSP's Leadership academy where the will undertake extensive leadership training with the over arching aim of becoming more confident, experienced and committed leaders which can support regional competitions.
20 girls from 11 different high schools across Bury attended a cheerleading leadership day at Parrenthorn High School.
The course covered the basics of cheer and pom dances. The girls have been set with a challenge for when they go back to school.
They are to use all the moves they've learnt on the course to set up a Year 7 cheerleading club at their high school. The club will then compete in the first ever Bury High School Cheerfest which is to be held at Holy Cross Sixth Form at the end of the summer term.
Schools merge for rugby cause....Girls from Radcliffe High School and Broad Oak Sports College came together to form a rugby league side which competed in the Carnegie challenge cup.
Mark Burns SSCO for both Radcliffe and Broad Oak coached the team and turned them from beginners into a confident group of rugby players.
The girls gave a good account of themselves eventually being knocked out in the group stages by the eventual winners.
Despite the early exit there were a number of fine trys scored and everyone involved had a good time.
A group of 10 year 7 girls from Broad oak sports College travelled to Rochdale to play rugby league, the fastest and toughest team sport in the world.
Five teams turned up to Mayfield ARLFC to play in the preliminary round of the Carnegie Champions Schools Cup. Although the girls had never played rugby league before, they had been training hard during lessons and in an after school club.
Their nerves and inexperience were shown in their first game in which they lost against De La Salle from St Helens. The second match was a different story; the girls produced a magnificent display of both attacking and defensive rugby to defeat Stretford High School 3 tries to 1. Their third match turned out to be bruising encounter with Beech House High School narrowly winning the match. Their last match was against Great Sankey from Warrington, It was a very evenly fought game but it was Broad Oak who crossed the line in the final seconds of the match to win 2 tries to 1.
The girls thoroughly enjoyed the day and finished third in the competition and now qualify for the next round. All the girls had never played rugby league before but are now converted and can't wait for their next game. Well done to all the girls.
St Pauls Primary school finished 18th in the Greater Manchester Mini games Sportshall Athletics competition at Sportscity.
Having secured their 3 Bury sportshall Bury title in the last 4 years they went on to represent out borough against 20 other primary schools from accross greater manchester.
Despite an illness that swept through the children in the week leading up to the event they performed brilliantly.
The Netball finals took place in Both the Radcliffe and Broad Oak clusters before Easter with Radcliffe primary and St Pauls winning their respective finals.
Both will progress along the competition pathway and possibly meet in the Bury finals with the winning school representing Bury at the Mini games.
Gorsefield are celebrating winning the Radcliffe cluster rugby title after winning a superb rugby league tournament held at Radcliffe High School.
The tournament was supported by "Marty Moana," a star from Swinton Lion Rugby League Club.
Mark Burns (radcliffe SSCO) commented on the quality of rugby played:
"the children have recieved coaching during the term and there has been a large improvement in the standard of rugby played by all schools taking part."
Cams Lane won the gymnastics Radcliffe cluster finals with a fine routine. Each school used a series of elements, including balances, roles and jumps to form a routine.
Individual success came the way of pupils from Radcliffe primary and cams lane for their fine performances.
Running away with succeess....The Greater Manchester Primary Cross Country Championships took place on the 13th March at Heaton Park.
Last year our boys and girls teams finished a disappointing 10th and 11th in Greater Manchester. This year however after a huge drive by Janet Rashleigh (SSCO for Bury Church) the team took a huge step forward finishing 5th and 6th.
Janet Said "The team performed really well on the day and thoroughly deserved their excellent position! However, next year we must push on and try to break into the top 4!"
Bury's Got Talent....Youngsters from nine high school across Bury came together to compete in the first high school dance competition.
The competition covered a variety of genres including street, jazz and tap. After a great show Woodhey High School emerged victorious.
The event was very well supported with 300 people watching meaning it will now become part of the partnership competition calendar.
Kimberley McNeil who helped organise the event said "There are a lot of talented dancers in Bury and this competition gave them the opportunity to showcase these talents to a wider audience".
Elms Bank and Bury FC team up....On Thursday 25th February, Bury F.C Stars Chris Brass and Efetobore Sodje spent the afternoon at Elms Bank Specialist Arts College, Whitefield. The visit coincided with the development of a new School to Club link recently established by the two groups, which has seen pupils from the school selected to represent Bury FC in the Ability Count League. It was also seen as a treat for the pupils and staff after their recent 'outstanding' Ofstead inspection.
Rob Carlisle, Inclusion Development Officer for Bury Football in the Community and head coach of the Ability Counts team said '' I have been working in partnership with Elms Bank and the Children's' Disability Team for a while now and have watched the team develop and grow - so much so we are running our first ever football camp at Easter for players with a disability. Bringing along Chris and Efetobore as role models to promote football in the community has been a huge success and I hope that the pupils continue with the commitment they have show this year and continue to develop their skills. I also hope this visit will help promote disability football in the area and open the door to more young people to attend both our training session and the Easter Camp.
If you would like any more information about disability football please contact:
Rob at Bury FC in the Community on 0161 797 5423 or Yvonne Hall, SSCo for Inclusion on 0161 766 1597.
Bury Blue Devils primary basketball finals....The Basketball Cluster finals finally took place after a delay of a month at Castle leisure centre on the 2ndFebruary with ten schools competing to represent Bury in the Mini Games.
Schools competed in two pools of five with the two top teams progressing to the semi-finals. Holcombe Brook finished top of their pool and defeated St Marys 10-2 in their semi final. St Lukes finished top of their pool and defeated East Ward 8-0 in their semi final.
The 3rd/4th play off - East ward narrowly defeat St Marys 8-6 to claim the bronze medals
The final was a very close and tense affair with both teams tired after all the previous games played.
Holcombe Brook narrowly defeated St Lukes 4-2 to claim the gold medal.
Christchuch Walshaw Primary secured a second indoor cricket title with some superb batting, bowling and fielding.
They powered their way through the group stages with 2 bowlers claiming a hat-trick each!
They eventually prevailed in a tight final against St Josephs primary.
Attention will now switch to the outdoor competition to be held later this year.
On Thursday 26th November we invited 86 of Bury's best young leaders to sign up for our Leadership Academy.
These students are now completing their Leadership Academy logbooks and actively seeking volunteering opportunties wihin school and community settings.
Good luck to all our Academy members and we'll see you all again soon.
Pupils from Woodhey produced a stunning performance at Robbin park, Wigan taking the 'Greater Manchester Rowing' title.
Team coach, Dave Wood commented "it is a great achievement by the young people and we could be looking at future rowing olympians!"
The students will now be firm favourites to add the Champions challenge to the list of growing acolades later this year!
St Paul's primary school reasserted their domination over the primary school sportshall athletics by claiming their third title in four years.
Over 260 pupils took part in various track and field events which was the culmination of the partnerships indoor primary athletics session. 63 primaries started out back in September with 13 schools reaching this years final.
Tremendous performances in the field saw St Paul's pip Greenhills for the 2009 title.
St Monicas score a magnificent hat-trick....St Monicas High School held off a very strong challenge from Broad Oak High School to claim their third straight year 7 title. The title represents their dominance over the sportshall form of athletics.
The competition started out with 11 schools compeating in a north and south shoot out with the top 2 from each area progressing to the final.
Suberb performances from both their boys and girls guided them to victory by 6 points over Broad Oak. Woodhey claimed third place with Castlebrook securing forth.
With the year 8 Competition starting next week St Monicas have to be strong favourites to add the year 8 crown to their ever growing trophy cabinet.
160 young people aged 14-19 took part in the first of 2 leadership days hosted by the school sports partnerships. The days are designed to empower the young people with the leadership skills which they can use in school and club environments. Activities included: Athletics, Cricket, Football, Netball, Rugby Union, Badminton, Basketball and Hockey. 4 young people were selected from each session based on their ability and will for part of Bury's leadership academy.
The SSP and Bury Youth Service in partnership with S.A.B.A have reintroduced boxing to schools and youth centre across Bury.
The work started during the Spring term of 2008 and is ongoing with additional schools and youth centres choosing boxing as an alternative to the traditional sports.
Congratulation to Radcliffe Raiders....Radliffe Riverside took the inurgural dodgeball competition held at Woodhey.
Teams from 4 high schools took part in the competition which saw the Riverside Raiders emerge as chapions beating Woodhey warriors in the final. The competition was the culmination of a 10 week course delivered at each high school funded through the sports unlimited program.
It was the first major honour the Radcliffe have won in the last few years.
Boxing has been reintroduced to high schools across Bury.
7 high schools and Bury College took advantage of afterschool club coaching to learn the arts of S.A.B.A. The courses were delivered by qualified coaches from Hopwood Hall College the home of S.A.B.A.