Physical Education & Sport
Sport at The Chalfonts Community College
Physical Education and Sport plays an essential role in school life. As a department, the PE staff are committed to providing as many opportunities as possible for students to find, enjoy and sustain activity in sport and exercise, not only during their school career but also into later life.
Most students have around an hour of Physical Education curriculum time per week and additionally, we run an extensive extracurricular programme which serves to provide students with the opportunity to participate in a selection of physical activity and exercise options. As well as organising opportunities for our experienced sportsmen and women we have a “sport for all” approach at The Chalfonts Community College. All of our clubs and practices are run for the benefit of all students, regardless of age or ability. Though we may pick our sports teams from those that attend practices and training, these sessions are open to any interested student. The more, the merrier!
In terms of our sporting pedigree, in the recent past, we have had National Champions in gymnastics, while we have also won County Trophies in football, basketball and cricket. As well as this, we regularly provide District Champions in football, netball, basketball, rugby, handball, cross-country, swimming, trampolining and indoor rowing. Though our major sports are football, rugby, netball, cricket, rounders, athletics, gymnastics and basketball, we strive to participate and develop in a whole range of activities in addition to these.
We also create opportunities and organise inter-school fixtures in table tennis, badminton, golf, tennis, cheerleading, dance, softball and hockey.
Inter-school fixtures are played weekly throughout the year and our teams take part in all the major local competitions. We also have a large number of students regularly achieving representative honours at county, regional and national levels. Sport and ski tours abroad are also organised on a regular basis with destinations including Spain, South Africa, Andorra, Italy and Austria.
Often, we’ll also offer various leadership and coaching opportunities for students. They are often invited to lead our Sports Festivals which are run for local primary school students in years 2, 5 and 6, or they are able to visit these schools to help raise the standard of PE teaching in the community. In addition to this, students can also follow Sports Leadership courses from year 10-13.
Our sports facilities at The Chalfonts Community College are excellent and include a multi-use astroturf, a 25-station fitness suite, a large sports hall and swimming pool, an indoor gymnasium, tennis and netball courts and extensive playing fields both on the school and Narcot Lane sites.
- In hockey and rugby, students are highly recommended to have gumshields.
- In football and rugby on the field, students are highly recommended to have studded footwear.
- In football on the field, it is compulsory that students have shin-pads.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What time do your breaktime, lunchtime and/or after-school clubs start and finish?
Our break and lunchtime sports clubs run for the duration of each break, from 11:05 to 11:35 am and from 13:35 until 14:05 pm, respectively. The majority of our after-school clubs begin when school ends at 3:05 pm and run until 4:15 pm. Exceptions to this rule may apply to specific sports - such as gymnastics. At lunchtime, students only require a suitable pair of trainers in order to participate. After-school clubs require full PE kit.
My son or daughter has been picked for a sports team. Where can I find details about any upcoming fixtures?
Teamsheets are mailed home to the parents/guardians of any student involved. The squad, the location, the required kit, the start time and the pick-up time will all be present on that teamsheet. Please note that fixtures, squad lists and timings can all be subject to change.
My son or daughter has a school fixture at home. Where will it be played?
This can depend on the sport in question. Our most common fixtures will be played in the adjacent Chalfonts Leisure Centre (netball, basketball), the school gym (basketball), the school field (rounders), or the Narcot Lane Playing Fields, over the road from the school (football, rugby).
My son or daughter has a school fixture at another school. What is the procedure for this?
In most cases, students will travel to the other school in a minibus with their teammates. They will then be returned to school and dropped off outside the front of the Chalfonts Leisure Centre. Parents and guardians should wait here for them. There may be the odd occasion that students return a little late for a fixture. If you’re running late, please notify your child to wait inside the Leisure Centre, where their staff can look after them until you arrive. In some cases, such as large athletics events, students may travel to and from competitions by coach.
My son or daughter has a school fixture. Can I come and watch?
Parents are more than welcome to come and watch fixtures, in fact, we encourage it. If you’re wanting to watch your child in action, it is important that your behaviour and language demonstrates positive role modelling for both ours and our oppositions students. Please try and refrain from “coaching” the students, as the teacher in charge may be using alternative tactics. Positive support is actively encouraged.
My son or daughter has been selected to represent the school in a fixture. Unfortunately, we have a prior commitment. What should we do?
We understand that you and your family have other commitments and on occasion, you may not be able to prioritise school fixtures. In this instance, please send your son or daughter to speak to the teacher in charge as soon as possible. This way, we’ll be able to offer your son or daughter's place to another available student. We try and publish our teamsheets at least a week in advance to ensure that students have adequate time to address any potential problems. In the rare occurrence that your son or daughter no longer wishes to participate in a particular sport or fixture, the procedure detailed above should still be followed.
My son or daughter has a school fixture/practice, but it clashes with a club training session after school. What should we do?
We understand that students have other sporting commitments away from school life, but we’re ever hopeful that solutions can be found to suit all parties. In an ideal world, school fixtures and practices would be prioritised over club training sessions and matches. However, if your son or daughter is performing at an elite level or professional club, we, of course, would support them with their decisions.
How do you pick the players for your teams and squads?
For the vast majority of our sports, we’ll run a “trial” session. For our winter sports programme (netball, football, rugby, etc), these trials will take place in the first two weeks of term in September and for our summer activities (cricket, rounders, athletics, etc) these trials will take place in the first two weeks after the Easter holidays. Players and squads are generally picked from those students that attend trials and the subsequent training sessions. In some sports where we find it hard to conduct regular training sessions (cross-country for example), students' grades in core PE may be used to help the teacher in charge to select a strong squad.
My son or daughter missed the trials for a sport. Have they missed their chance to be selected for the squad?
Absolutely not! If a trial has been missed, students should attend the next training session. As previously mentioned, any student is welcome at any club or practice. However, for activities with large numbers of attendees, those that attend practices regularly will be prioritised for team selection.
Do you run “B” and “C” teams for students that are really keen to represent the school?
We try to organise as many as possible, especially for those sports that attract lots of students. For example, there are regular “multi-squad” fixtures in football, netball and rounders, while we will often use a squad rotation policy for sports such as rugby, basketball, cricket and athletics. “Multi-squad” fixtures can be dependent on the availability of the other schools necessary to provide the opposition.
My son or daughter is interested in a sports-based career. Do you run any examination courses that might be useful for them?
We currently run a Cambridge National Sport GCSE course from year 10-11. Students studying this could then progress on to one of our two BTEC Sport Level 3 options in the 6th form. During the students' core PE lessons in years 10 and 11, students also often have the option to follow a Sports Leadership Award (SLA), which they can then continue with into the 6th form (HSLA). All of these qualifications would be useful for any student looking to study sport at university.
Do you run Saturday or weekend sports fixtures?
We don’t run any regular Saturday or weekend fixtures, but on occasion, some sports may have competitions or events over the weekend. It is usually only rounders, cross-country, athletics and gymnastics that fall into this category.
Do you run activities/clubs in fencing, judo, etc.?
The activities we run clubs in are published on our extracurricular sports timetable. The timetable is updated each half-term and can be found in the Physical Education and Sport section of our website. Sports that are less mainstream than football or netball for example, or that require greater health and safety guidance, are unlikely to be catered for in school.
Do you accept offers from parents to help with coaching, fundraising or sponsorship?
Absolutely! If you have all the required coaching qualifications, and you’d like to get involved, or if you’d like to assist with fundraising for school sport, or if you would like to discuss sponsoring any of our sports teams or the school, please do get in touch. We’re always looking for ways to improve our sports provision, raise the standards of our students and cater for our elite sports performers, so parental assistance is always welcomed.