The cold, wet, dreary weather might feel endless – but it is no match for our resilient sports squads, who play on regardless and continue to rack up impressive gains. Read on for the highlights of another busy half term of fixtures and matches. We also bring you another spotlight on some of our rising Sports stars. 

Nancy, Year 11, selected for Ireland in the Europe Netball U17 Championships 

In an interview with Nancy in October 2024 for our ‘In conversation with..’ feature, our Year 11 student told us how hard she was working to reach her goal of being selected to play for Ireland in the U17 Netball Championships. So we are thrilled to announce that her hard work has paid off and she has made the squad! Congratulations Nancy!

The Europe Netball U17 Championships 2025, taking place at the Antrim Forum Leisure Centre in Northern Ireland on Wednesday 5 March 2025, will showcase some of the best young netball players in Europe. You can tune in to watch Nancy here Tune in, or even head over to Northern Ireland to watch a day filled with exciting matches and outstanding sports achievement. Access tickets here. 

Anna-Faye becomes 3rd Dan Junior Taekwondo Instructor 

Huge congratulations to Year 12's Anna-Faye who very recently completed her 3rd Dan Kukkiwon grading and is now officially a Junior Taekwondo Instructor. She is pictured here and in the gallery below receiving her certificates from Grand Master Derek Sumner, World Taekwondo Hall of Fame and Chief instructor at British Poomsae (6th Dan Kukkiwon, 8th Dan CDK); and Grand Master Ansar (8th Dan Kukkiwon and 9th Dan CDK).  

Read more about Anna-Faye, her outstanding GCSE results and entering Sixth Form with plans to pursue a career in Medicine. 

Our ace swimmers compete at the Kent County Championships 

During January and early February, a group of elite performance swimmers from Blackheath High made it into the Kent County Championships - one of the most competitive and highest performing swimming counties in England. Training over 10 hours a week and competing almost every weekend since last September, they were set to compete at the impressive London Aquatics Centre in Stratford. 

Our competing students included: 

• Ella (Year 11): Session 5, 6 and 9 

• Andrea (Year 11): Session 4, 6 and 9 

• Polly (Year 11): Session 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 

• Hannah (Year 10): Session 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 

• Ava S (Year 7): Session 2, 3 and 8 

Key highlights include: Ella in her 100m Butterfly, Andrea in the 200m Butterfly, Polly in the 200m Freestyle, Hannah in the 200m Backstroke and Ava in the 200m Backstroke. Huge well done to all our swimmers!  

Play back the races and view the results: 

• View all races on YouTube

• View all results  

Rising football star Sofia shoots for greatness with trials for Scottish national team 

Read about our trailblazer Sofia from Year 9 and her dreams of becoming a professional footballer.

The Junior School ‘Greatest Showcase’ 

Fab-u-lous darling! Years 3 & 5 and Years 4 & 6 put on a spectacular dance showcase, performing beautifully to hits from ‘The Greatest Showman’ and wowing their theatre audience of families and teachers with cartwheels, lifts and splits. You can catch some of the photos and footage from our Insta reel. 

Other news from our Sports department

Netball  

• We were delighted to welcome in former Saracens Mavericks netball player, Britney Clarke for a netball workshop on Saturday 1 February. It was an invaluable session, providing students with a fantastic opportunity to develop their skills and gain insight from an elite athlete 

• Year 4 netballers travelled to Bromley High, ready to put their skills to the test. The girls played with great teamwork, determination, and energy, securing a well-earned victory! Their hard work in training really showed, and they should all be very proud. A special shoutout to our Players of the Day: Ellie K and Jessica, who gave outstanding performances on the court! 

GDST Swimming Gala 

• Eight swimmers from Years 5 and 6 set off at 6am for the annual GDST Swimming Gala at Guildford Spectrum. Despite the long journey, their excitement was unstoppable! Freya and Darcy made it to the finals for backstroke - an incredible achievement. A special mention goes to Ahana in Year 5, who swam above her age category to support the Year 6 team. Check out the team snap from the gala below. Well done to all our swimmers! 

Hockey 

• The Year 6 hockey team took part in the annual GDST Hockey Tournament at Bromley High. Competing against strong teams from other GDST schools, they played with resilience and great sportsmanship, finishing fourth out of eight teams. The girls worked tirelessly in every match, showing brilliant teamwork and defensive skills. Well done to our Players of the Day, May and Meera, who made a real impact on the pitch! 

• Year 4 hockey teams played against The Pointer School. Team 1 made a great comeback after a slow start, turning the game around for a draw—very impressive! Team 2 played with great effort and never gave up, even though they lost. We’re really proud of all the girls for their determination and teamwork. Players of the Match were Eva and Reeva! 

Football 

• Year 6 girls took on Sydenham High in a football match. It was a great game, and everyone worked hard on the pitch. Well done to our Players of the Match: Summer, Georgia, and Violet! 

Our Junior School Sports Superstars this half term: 

• Key Stage 1 – Yasmine, Lyra,  Johanna, Shuja, Amaria, Aisling, Dalene 

• Key Stage 2 - Ayianna, Ines, Ahana, Sahasra, Freya, Damla, Margot, Darcy, Ellie K, Jessica, Meera, May, Uma, Maddie, Victoria and Ira