Team Sport at Sciennes

At Sciennes we grasp every opportunity to take part in Team Sport throughout the year. The school is a member of Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association (EPSSA) and we benefit tremendously from the great skill and expertise of our two P.E. and Swimming Specialists Beth Walker and Cynthia Berry in preparing pupils for all the annual EPSSA citywide events (which are organised and co-ordinated for the entire city by Beth Walker):

P7 EPSSA Sportshall Athletics
P7 EPSSA Interscholastics
P6/7 EPSSA Cross Country for South Area, at the Meadows
P6/7 EPSSA Cross Country Final at Duddingston Playing Fields
P6/7 EPSSA Swimming and Dive Gala at RCP

Our fantastic parent run Football Club (with 215 registered players - more than a third of the entire school population!) enters local tournaments as well as all EPSSA events:
EPSSA Soccer Sevens
EPSSA Girls' Football
EPSSA School Board Cup
EPSSA Hamilton Cup
EPSSA Inspectors' Cup

We are ably supported in entering all citywide Active Schools team sport tournaments by our Active Schools Co-ordinator, Jonathan Wallace:
P6/7 Triathlon Event
P7 Basketball
P7 Team Golf
P6/7 Rugby Festival
P6/7 Netball Leagues
P6 Racquets Tournament
P6 Kwik Cricket
P5 Clubgolf
P4 Cricket Festival
Paralympic Experience Event
P6 Games at the Hub 

Parents began supporting pupil participation in the Lothian Schools Cross Country after school events two years ago, and we have seen numbers involved swell this year, partly as a result of the very successful Active Schools lunchtime Running Clubs.

We also support pupils who wish to take part in national events outwith school hours:
National Schools Swimming Championships for club swimmers
Scottish Schools Athletics Association (SSAA) events

and participate in the Boyd Anderson Ski Race. (P4 and P5 pupils undertake curricular ski-ing lessons.)

Active Schools morning, after school and lunchtime clubs ably led by Jonathan Wallace (Tennis, Judo, Hockey, Badminton, Diving, Athletics, Fencing, Tae Kwon Do, Basketball, Netball, Cricket, Running Club, Rugby) - at Sciennes and various local venues - provide pupils with additional opportunities to participate in tournaments and festivals. Our recently strengthened link with Blaze Basketball via Active Schools has enabled the formation of a Blaze Girls' Under 12 Basketball team.

In addition to providing breadth and progression in curricular P.E., we encourage all our pupils to participate in the array of sporting clubs available at school and we are most fortunate to be able to provide very high quality Dance sessions for our pupils. Jonathan Wallace provides additional coaches to support our curricular P.E. in, for example, rugby, fencing, cricket, basketball, enjoy-a-ball, mini-Kickers and shinty. Through a programme of curricular cycling proficiency and swimming lessons, as well as targeted lunchtime swimming sessions, our ambition is to ensure that each of our pupils can swim and cycle. (We are grateful for financial support received annually from the Parent Council in helping us to achieve this ambition.)