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Summer School Fixtures & Opportunities
15/04/2023 00:00, In Blog / School News /
Exciting school opportunities this summer.
Secondary School and Colleges Track & Field Championships
The Welsh Secondary Schools & Colleges U15, U17 & U20 Track & Field Championships will be held at Cardiff on Saturday 1 July. To participate you must be selected by your school district via your school district trial. Below are the provisional dates and venues for the eight school districts finals we have been advised of to date. Pupils from any school district wishing to participate should speak to their school PE teacher for event times.
| Age Groups | School Years |
| U15 | Year 8 & 9 |
| U17 | Year 10 & 11 |
| U20 | Year 12-14 |
Fixtures
| Date | District | Age Group | Venue |
| 26 Apil | Cardiff & the Vale | U17 & U20 | Cardiff |
| 9 May | North East Wales | U15 & U17 | Wrexham |
| 9 May | South East Wales | Newport | |
| 10 May | Eryri | All | Bangor |
| 10 May | Glamorgan Valleys | U17 & U20 | Aberdare |
| 11 May | Afan Nedd Tawe | All | Swansea |
| 18 May | Cardiff & the Vale | U15 Boys | Cardiff |
| 24 May | Cardiff & the Vale | U15 Girls | Cardiff |
| 24 May | Glamorgan Valleys | U15 | Aberdare |
| 25 May | Powys Schools | All | Newtown |
| 8 June | Dyfed | All | Carmarthen |
| 13 June | Dyfed | All | Carmarthen |
The Welsh Schools track & field championships on Saturday 1 July also act as the selection event for the British Schools U17 international which are being held in Grangemouth, Scotland on Saturday 15 July 2023. Perhaps unique to athletics, and as very occasionally happened in the cross county this winter, pupils entered by PE teachers, can potentially progress all the way to a Welsh National vest without being affiliated to a club, academy, regional or national development program. In addition, school year 7 is not included in the formal schools championships pathway, however some school districts do hold year 7 events within their country trials or as stand-alone events, please contact your PE teacher for details.
Secondary Schools U14 & U16 Cup Matches
The NASUWT Welsh Secondary Schools U14 & U16 Cup & Plate finals will be held at Aberdare on Wednesday 12 July 2023. This is a school team rather than individual or school district representative event. To participate your school must first have progressed through your school district cup qualifying fixtures. To be considered for selection for your school team, speak to your PE teacher, listed below are provisional dates and venues for the school fixtures we have been made aware of to date:
| Age Groups | School Years |
| U14 | Year 7 & 8 |
| U16 | Year 9 & 10 |
Fixtures
| Date | District | Round | Venue |
| 12 June | Cardiff & the Vale | Preliminary Match 1 | Cardiff |
| 14 June | Cardiff & the Vale | Preliminary Match 2 | Cardiff |
| 15 June | North East Wales | Deeside | |
| 19 June | Glamorgan Valleys | Plate Round 1 (Group A&B) | Aberdare |
| 20 June | Cardiff & the Vale | Final | Cardiff |
| 21 June | Glamorgan Valleys | Plate Round 1 (Group C&D) | Aberdare |
| 22 June | Dyfed | Carmarthen | |
| 26 June | South East Wales | Cup Final | Newport |
| 27 June | Afan Nedd Tawe | Swansea | |
| 27 June | Powys | Newtown | |
| 27 June | Glamorgan Valleys | Cup & Plate County Finals | Aberdare |
| 29 June | Eryri | Final | Bangor |
DNA Athletics Initiative URDD & Welsh Athletics
Open to any secondary schools to enter teams in this new multi-disciplinary fun, engaging format. All athletes will compete in one running 100m or 600m, one throwing (shot) and one jumping (long jump) event, before competing in a 4 x 200m to close the day. Teams are composed of 2 boys and 2 girls and schools may enter a maximum of 2 teams per year group from years 7, 8, 9 & 10.
There are two pilot events in 2023:
- 6 July - Cardiff
- 11 July - Bangor
Click here for more information.
Teacher Training Opportunities
Secondary School & Trainee Teachers
Teaching Secondary School Athletics Workshop. £60pp. This can be an online or face to face, 3 x Two hour or one 6 hour workshop covering the topics of:
- Teaching Running Events & Developing Pupils Engagement.
- Teaching Jumping Events & How to deliver an Inclusive, Child-Centred Approach.
- Teaching Throwing Events & Developing Schemes of Work and Lesson Plans.
Each workshop is accompanied by free access to the Secondary Schools App-based Resource, associated with the workshop topic (i.e. If you attend the running workshop you will get the Running Teaching Resource, but if you attend all three workshops you will get the full secondary schools bundle). These resources include:
- Examples of Schemes of Work and Lesson Plans.
- Technical tips on how to teach sprints, endurance, jumps and throws events.
- Activity cards covering a full range of athletics events for pupils aged 11+.
- Pupil Tasks Cards for greater independent learning.
The resources associated with this workshop are provided via the Schools Athletics App, which has been designed to place running, jumping and throwing at the heart of school physical education, whilst supporting teachers in delivering athletics activities in an inclusive, exciting and engaging manner.
The next course will be held virtually and split over three consecutive Mondays - candidates must be available to attend all three courses.
- Session 1 - 19 June
- Session 2 - 26 June
- Session 3 - 3 July
Primary School & Trainee Teachers
Run Jump Throw Teaching Primary School Athletics Workshop. £50pp. This can be an online or face to face workshop. The aim of this course is to provide teachers, new teachers and trainee teachers and others working in primary schools with the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver enjoyable and engaging running, jumping and throwing lessons that focus on maximum participation, increasing understanding and skill acquisition based upon high quality technical models.
The next course will be held virtually and split over two days - candidates must be available to attend all three courses.
- Session 1 - 6 June
- Session 2 - 8 June