Photos from 2023/2024
Some fantastic play in a very tight contest! Brilliant to see lots of players making their debuts for the school team as well.
A big thank you to our pitchside photographers/younger siblings as well!
Well done to our Year 1 & 2 children who came to the racket skills festival - representing the school for the first time!
A huge well done to all our cross country athletes, who took part in a very muddy race! Some fantastic running and cheering from all the children - you should all be very proud of yourselves!
A brilliant afternoon of basketball organised by the college students at Peter Symonds in Winchester. The children learnt some new skills, and had a lot of fun while doing it! Well done to all our Year 3 basketballers!
Some fantastic performances from our badminton players led to us finishing second in our pool! Very well done!
Very well done to our Year 5/6 mixed football team who competed in a tournament at Knightwood!
Well done to our Year 3/4 swimming team who represented Otterbourne at St Swithun's Aquasplash competition.
A big thank you to Mrs Prinsloo who helped out poolside - we couldn't have done it without you!
Brilliant swimming all round, and a huge well done to all the children!
A super start to our football season, with lots of debut performances on the pitch. Well done to Daisy and Sam, both scoring super goals in their matches against Cherbourg Primary School.
Photos from 2022/2023
Well done to our QuadKids athletics team, who took part in an athletics event at Kings coming in 5th place!
Super football from both squads, with the girls coming away 1-0 winners on the day, and the boys playing brilliantly in a narrow 3-1 loss. Well done all involved!
Special thank you to Mrs Bertacchini for helping manage our substitutions - we couldn't have done it without you!
Super well done to our cross-country team who entered the Gregg School event.
An extra special well done to the girls team, who managed to win the event! Well done girls!
Congratulations to Gianluca for representing his rugby club during their rugby tour this weekend. His team won a trophy for excellent sportsmanship along with their performance. Well done!
Message from Elodie: I came 11th in the country in the Year 1-6 Novice girls! I got a new leotard and had my photo taken with the junior GB trampolinists. I had a higher level routine with a piked front somersault and landed it. I had lots of fun and had my auntie and uncle watched me for the first time. I stayed in a Premier Inn with my grandparents who also watched me. It was amazing and I can't wait to show everyone the pictures.
The result was a personal best final score for Elodie, which left her just 1 point behind 1st place. She competed an upgraded voluntary routine and made lots of new friends! We are incredibly proud of Elodie for such a wonderful result, and for representing our school.
Fantastic football result for the boys who travelled to Crescent School - securing the team's first win of the season! Well done boys - some amazing play!
Sparsholt Tag Rugby Competition
A big well done to the children who took part in the tag rugby competition - organised by Sparsholt College in Winchester. Lots of the team had little to no experience with rugby, but luckily we had a few experienced team members to help organise some training sessions at lunch times!
The team did brilliantly, winning 5 matches out of 8 - and winning the 'loudest team' award!
I'll leave that to the parents at home whether or not that's a good award to win!
A special thank you must go to Mrs Armstrong - who volunteered her own time to run the training sessions, as well as take the children to the event. Thank you Mrs A!
Super Swimmers!
A massive well done to our Year 5/6 Girls Swim team, who competed at the Hampshire Schools Primary Gala, earning a silver medal in the freestyle, and a bronze in the medley.
Fantastic swimming from all of the girls - well done!
A special thank you to Mrs Webb and Mrs Taylor for taking the team to the competition.
House Cross Country Events!
A huge well done to everybody who participated in our cross country running event. You all did amazingly well and should be incredibly proud!
An extra well done to Tankerville house, for winning the cross country race based on overall times.
Have a look through the photos and see if you can spot yourselves!
A huge well done to our Year 5/5 Hockey team, who competed in a county qualifier tournament at Thornden. Some fantastic play, and brilliant teamwork leading to a third place finish. Well done!
Well done to the two teams who played on Tuesday, lots of debut performances representing Otterbourne Primary School at football!
Last week-end I was fortunate to watch some dressage success involving Tabitha & Connie Fowler. Tabitha (YR) took part in her first ever Lead Rein Intro dressage test. The test involves walking and trotting a pre-determined set of shapes and manoeuvres in front of a judge, earning a score out of 10 for each movement. Despite losing both her stirrups half way through the test, Tabitha impressed the judge with her balance and earned a score of 63.91% and 4th place.
Connie (Y2), who only started riding during lockdown attempted her first Intro dressage test in the Open Section. This meant she was up against riders of all ages that have previously been placed 1st - 3rd place. Having only owned Pudsey (who, by the way is gorgeous!) for 5 weeks, Connie rode her heart out to complete a really accurate test and win both the Open and Junior section with a score of 69.56%.
Both girls practice their riding 4 -5 times a week after school and at week-ends. Their favourite thing to do when they are up at the yard is to make up hay nets and play with the yard dogs.
A huge well done to both girls! However, the success does not end there...as Mum rode an Elementary Test (which involves lots of subtle variations in speeds as well as sideways and backwards manoeuvres) in what felt like Sahara temperatures. Mrs Fowler said that Willow, who is 17 years old felt "more like a giraffe on this occasion". However, the partnership must have done something to impress the judges as they won their class with a score of 66.43%.
On Monday our 8 athletes took part in the Quad Kids Final at the Winchester Track on what was a blisteringly hot day. As before all athletes had to compete in all 4 events - 75m sprint, long jump, vortex javelin and 600m middle distance. I felt really proud of the squad as they all tried their best and worked well as a team. Ami got the furthest long jump of the day and Jackson received a Sprtsmanship Award for helping a fellow competitor who had fallen over, thereby sacrificing time and receiving fewer points. Overall, Otterbourne finished in 6th place out of a total of 14 schools - a fine achievement. This was my last event with Otterbourne and I would like to thank all the children for giving me some lovely memories to take away with me. Huge thanks also to Mrs Calliste for her support on the day.
Ami has now been selected for and taken part in 3 of the 4 meets for her club in the Youth Development League (the most competitive league for youth athletics in the UK) and together with the rest of the team at WADAC they have managed to secure promotion to Division 1 (just one behind the Premiership - so much like footie!). They have one more meet to go and then will face a final meet of all the Regional Division 2 league winners in September. She has been representing the club as the youngest in the lower age group (under 13's - year 6 & 7) and has so far won all her races for 75m, 150m, and 4 x 100m relay - thoroughly enjoying the team effort, particularly in the relay!
Regarding football Ami and her team, the Swifts (playing for Winchester City Flyers), have recently secured a place in the National Grand Final youth tournament, representing the South region along with Fareham in the U11's category. They travel to Derby on Sunday 17th July to compete against the other top two teams from each Region. Sadly, they have a few key players missing but will go out and give it a good fight! Regardless of the result, they have done an amazing job to get this far and finally managed to win a penalty shoot out - it only took 4 tournament finals to get there but hey, they did it in the end!
Sophie Melvin competed in a gymnastics competition recently. She was in a group routine and they finished 3rd overall which was a fantastic achievement. Sophie also competed in the Treasure in-house club competition (squad level) a couple of monthe ago which she won. Well done Sophie!
What an amazing day we enjoyed last Thursday at the Hampshire Games Festival! We took 8 children from Otterbourne to take part in a day of varied sporting activities at the new athletics stadium in Winchester. The children took part in Target Games which ranged from archery, skittles, football goals and nerf shooting. Mrs C and Mrs Johnson particularly enjoyed the nerf shooting and some competitive nature was revealed!
Our next stop was the Commonwealth Village where the children enjoyed golf, eating Samosa's (!) and having a go on the surf simulator.
After lunch, we went inside and the children took part in a karate session which was led by the 2016 World Karate Champion no less! The session was really good fun, educational and very physical. The instructor kept 30 children fully engaged for over an hour which is not always easy.
Our final session was basketball which was hard work but rewarding when the children scored baskets and felt proud of themselves.
We also met the Mayor - Jenson had a chat with him at the surf simulator!
Sheila had a great day too and looked after everyone.
Well done to Amelie, Freya, Violet, Skye, Sienna, James, Simon & Jenson for being so enthusiastic and working well as a team throughout the day.
Thank you to Mrs Johnson and Mrs Alexander for all their help and support.
Also, thanks to parents and Mrs Emburey for transporting children to and from the event.
A huge Well Done to James Kelly (Y5) and the rest of his football team, the Hiltingbury Hurricanes who came 1st out of 18 teams in the Sparisbury Sparks Tournament. They are now U10 Champions!
Our swimming squad achieved a phenomenal success at the recent swimming gala in Winchester. 27 schools took part in the gala and it was so lovely to see this event taking place after such a long delay due to Covid.
Amelie, Aariana, Millie, Amelia and Amber took part in the Freestyle Relay and Medley Relay (alternating Amber and Millie). They qualified for both finals and finished 1st place in both. A simply fantastic result that the girls should be proud of. I know that it is also the culmination of many hours in the pool and support from their parents too.
We also took 3 Y4 swimmers who had the opportunity to experience taking part in a proper swimming gala. Alexander, Isla P & Isla R swam their individual lengths superbly and the experience will serve them well going forward.
Huge thanks to Mrs Prinsloo and Mrs Taylor for being poolside and looking after the squad.
On Monday 20th June we played our last football match in the the Winchester local league. The squad comprised 3 Y6 players and 6 Y5 players...so for the Y6 boys it was their last match for Otterbourne. The match was played at home v. St. Peter's and we won 5 - 1 which was a fabulous result. The team was captained superbly as always by Rafferty and all the players contributed to the final result. Throughout the league, the team have maintained great composure, effort and teamwork. Thank you to Mr Newman for refering.
Ami came 1st out of the girls, Jackson 1st & Ori 2nd out of the boys!
Well done to Amber and Anabelle Guppy (Y4) who have received the results of their Grade 2 Ballet exam. Amber achieved distinction and Anabelle achieved a high merit. They have now moved up to Grade 3. Keep going girls!
I am so proud of the 8 children that took part in the Racket Skills Event yesterday, This was the first time that they had represented the school and they did so admirably. They all listened, tried really hard and represented the school brilliantly - well done to Isla, Eddie, Ollie, Evelyn, Daisy, Charlotte, Harriet and Caitlyn!
Well done to our girls cricket team who attended a cricket festival this week. They lost 2 matches and won 2, demonstrating a super progression of skills as they moved through the afternoon. I didn't manage to get a team photo as it started pouring right at the end of the event! Well done to Tuula (capt.), Ami, Amelia, Lily, Francesca, Eliza, Emily, Isla & Bethany.
A huge well done to Bella Prinsloo who recently swam 32 lengths (800m) in 30 minutes. Bella has moved up to Stage 7 in her swimming lessons too. Perhaps following in the footsteps of her big sister?!
Orion & Nico Michael recently competed for Hampshire in the inter-counties Judo competition. Nico won his fight and Orion won one and lost one. Well done, boys!
A huge well done to Ami, Jess & Daisy who represented the Winchester City Flyers at the Hampshire Ull Festival in Basingstoke on 30th April. Despite the heat the team played 4 fantastic matches and came home with the winning trophy.
A huge well done to Orion Michael who has been crowned Boys U12 (U38kg) County Champion in Judo as a result of winning all 5 of his fights. He will now compete for the Hampshire Squad against Kent, Surrey and Sussex in next months inter-county championship.
Nico also competed, (in the U30kg section) and won 3 of his 4 fights awarding him a silver medal. He will be first reserve at the inter-county championships.
We took 10 children to a gymnastics event this week. The Young Sports Leaders demonstrated various jumps, balances and shapes which our children then practised. All the children tried really hard and also had fun. A huge well done to - Amelie P, Charlotte T, Isabelle B, Renae, Isla C-S, Teddy, Zachary, Edward L, Krisshiya & Freya L.
10 children took part in a round robin netball tournament yesterday at Kings' School. We won 1 match and lost the other two so did not progress to the semi-final. However, it was a great experience for the children as we have not practised much netball this term. Well done to Esme, Ami, Aariana, Daisy, Grace, Jess B, Jess S, Amelia W, Seth & Charley.
16 children took part in the x-country relay event this Tuesday at Fair Oak Junior School. All our runners competed the course which was a fantastic achievement. Final results were Y3/4 Girls 2nd, Y3/4 Boys 10th, Y5/6 Girls 4th & Y5/6 Boys 6th. Huge thanks to all the parents who helped with transport.
This morning we had a whole school assembly with Ben from the Chance to Shine Foundation based at the Ageas Bowl. He talked about the Chance to Shine Programme and the Dynamos Programme which are great ways to introduce children to cricket.
YR up to Y3 have enjoyed workshops with Ben where they have practised their catching, batting control and throwing.
If your child would like to play cricket out of school please do ask and we can signpost you to the nearest club.
Our rugby squad had a fantastic day yesterday @ WRFC. The event was organised by the sports students at Sparsholt College and everything ran smoothly. Even the weather was kind to us! We played 6 matches in total and won each match convincingly. Every played contributed brilliantly and the team work impressed me. We had lots of tags and plenty of tries which was impressive.
The theme for the event was the Commonwealth Games and each school was given a country to represent. We were India and decorated our gazebo in the style of an Indian Palace. We even had poppadums and naan bread! We won an award for the best tent which was the icing on the cake or should I say mango chutney.
Communication between all the players was amazing and Keanu and Hudson in their role of joint captains encouraged the team brilliantly.
Our swimming team of Amelie, Aariana, Millie and Amelia swam brilliantly at the swimming relay event yesterday. They came 3rd in the freestyle relay and 4th in the medley relay. This was a fantastic acheievement as schools from all over Hampshire were involved. In addition the girls were swimming against boys teams who are generally physically stronger. I am so proud of the girls and I hope that they feel proud of themselves and remember how they felt yesterday having accomplished so much.
Last night our Y5/6 Girls Football Team took part in a football tournament @ Toynbee. We played 4 matches winning 2, losing 1 and drawing one. Overall we came joint 2nd in our pool. Our squad of 10 all played brilliantly demonstrating how far their skills have progressed and more importantly how they have bonded as a team. We have plenty more matches coming up in the Winchester League so watch this space...
Aariana (Y6) has given me an update of her recent swimming achievements. Aariana swims for Eastleigh Swim Club in the Junior Performance Squad. Next week-end, Aariana will be competing in four individual races at the Hampshire County Championships. We wish her all the best and look forward to hearing how she gets on.
Mrs C
We are very proud to hear about Amelie's recent swimming achievements. Amelie took part in 3 swimming meets (club championships) during December which resulted in her winning 2 golds, 7 silvers & 1 bronze medal in a variety of strokes. How impressive is that!!!
As a result of this, Amelie has qualified for the Hampshire County Championships taking place this month. On 15th January Amelie will swim in the 50m medley relay (age 10 - 12) and the 50m freestyle relay (age 10 - 12) at Winchester. On the 29th January Amelie will swim in the 200m breaststroke at Portsmouth.
We wish Amelie all the best for these Championships and look forward to hearing how she gets on.
Please do let me know of any sporting events that your child has taken part in out of school so that I can post them on the website. They do not have to be County selection but could be swimming a width unaided, joining a team for the first time or just having a go at something sporty.
Mrs C
I thought it would be useful for parents/carers if I gave you notice of various sports fixtures for this term. Children can sign up for events when they are posted on the notice board in school. However, if you think your child may need a bit of encouragement to sign up perhaps talk to them about an event that may interest them or ask them to come and have a chat with me. Please note that some events are very competitive whilst others are more about the experience of participation and representing the school.
Wednesday 9th February Y5/6 Sports Hall Athletics @ Kings' School 3 - 6pm. Competitive
Thursday 3rd March Y5/6 Hockey @ Thornden 3.45 - 5.30pm. Competitive
Thursday 10th March Y5/6 Tag Rugby @ WRFC all day. Competitive/participation
Wednesday 23rd March Y1/2 Endball @ Kings' (outside) 3.45pm start. Introduction to representing the school/participation
Tuesday 29th March Y5/6 Netball @ Kings' 3.30 - 5.30pm. Competitive/participation
Wednesday 30th March Y3/4 Gymnastics @ Kings' 3.45 - 5.30pm. Competitive/participation
A huge well done to our swimming squad - Amber, Anabelle, Freya L, Isla P, Alexander, Arthur and Steffan who took part in a swimming gala on Tuesday. Unfortunately we were the only school to take part but that did not spoil the fun as our children competed against the Y8 children from Kings!!
There were a number of different races and all the children took part with enthusiasm and determination. The mass Star Float was fantastic to watch.
At the end of the session each Otterbourne child had a 1:1 tuition session with a child from Kings'. As some of the Kings' pupils swim for the County this was a super experience and opportunity for our pupils. In just 15 minutes we saw a massive improvement in technique and confidence. Special mention must go to Steffan who stepped in on the day as a replacement for Nathan. Thank you for this and I know I saw a huge improvement in your ability over the session - you must be very proud of yourself.
Wednesday 19th October Swimming Competition @ St. Swithuns' School Y3/4 4pm.
Please note that this is a competitive event and only competent, experienced swimmers will be considered in the interests of the children.
Multi-Skills Festival Wednesday 6th October @ Kings' School
A huge well done to the following children who took part in the multi-skills event this week - Murrium, Phoebe, Nico, Renae, Oscar, Harry, Anaiya, Karem, Freya S, Olivia, Teddy & Grace.
We ended up being the only school taking part but this meant that our children had the exclusive attention of the Young Sports Leaders from Kings'. The children took part in a variety of activities including standing long jump, throwing accurately and problem solving using equipment etc.
As a result of all their hard work the children received a certificate, frisbee and a sticker depicting one of the School Games Values - Respect, Honesty, Determination, Teamwork, Passion & Self-Belief.
Winchester U10/11 Boys' Inter-School Football League 2020-2021
Our A team kicked off their first match v. St. Francis last Thursday. The final score was 10-3 to St. Francis. The boys tried well with some good football skills and awesome goal-keeping from Jackson but the teamwork and spacing just didn't seem to click. I know that the squad will grow from this, keep their heads up and develop into a strong team going forward.
Winchester U10/11 Girls' Inter-School Football League 2020-2021
On Thursday 23rd September our squad of 10 girls played in their first match as part of the above league v. St. Francis. This was the first time that this group of girls had played together - some of whom had very little competitive football experience. I was extremely proud of the whole squad as they played magnificently as a TEAM and demonstrated huge determination. The final score was 5-1 to Otterbourne which is a solid start to the league for the girls. Ami was a superb captain showing mature leadership and experience.
Photo to follow...I have left the IPAD at school oops!
A huge well done to our B Team who won their first match in the league convincingly. The final score was 2-0 to Otterbourne v. St. Bede (Ori & Rafferty). I was really impressed with the fabulous team spirit and determination that all the boys demonstrated. Rafferty was a fine Captain who led from the front and communicated well with his team. Keep it up boys!!!
A huge well done to our Ski Team who took part in the ESSKIA Event on Saturday 13th October in Aldershot.
I am very proud of Katie Valler, Freya Longworth, Anneka Lund, Francesca Bertacchini, Ed Larby, Hazel Larby, Reuben Broomes & Jess Smith. Particular mention must go to Anneka who completed 2 clear runs and also Katie who had a couple of tumbles on her first run but insisted n completing her 2nd run which she did in an impressive manner.
I know that many of you are wondering if you will receive a Sporting Blue this year as we have not taken part in any external competitions. I want to reassure you that based on your participation in sport last year (and indeed previous years) as well as your ongoing, current participation in sport out of school you are still likely to achieve a Half or Full Blue.
It is a really tricky time at the moment and we all need to keep doing what we can - enjoy your school P.E. lessons, come to one of the after school clubs, train with your team out of school when you can and just keep moving!
Mrs C
Hampshire School Games Organisers (SGOs) Sports Mark May
Here you will find all you need in order to participate in this amazing initiative. The school earns points for every child who joins in so please let us know if you need help to get started.
For more information about the Dance Challenge, and to see tutorial videos, please visit the SGO
YouTube channel. Keep visiting for updates and videos from children taking part.
Well done to Zach, Austin, Lewis, Felix, Kylan, Ben, Charlotte, Lucia, Florence Thomas, Freya, Layla & Olivia for performing so brilliantly at the Sports Hall Athletics. Each athlete had to participate in one jump and one throw, an individual race and one relay. We completely nailed the races - so absolutely impressive! Unfortunately we came 3rd overall (out of 5 schools) so will not proceed to the next round. The whole squad should feel very proud of their performance.
Well done to Tommy, Henry, Lewis, Sonny, Lucia, Charlotte, Bella & Livy for representing Otterbourne in the above competition last week. The standard of competition was extremely high and our swimmers really held their own.
Following successful trials last night, Elodie Peacock (Y2, 6 years old) has been invited to join the Women's Artistic Development Squad at Basingstoke Gymnastics Club. She will be training 4 times a week to start with. Elodie will be working towards becoming part of the Elite Gymnastics Performance Path. According to Mum, Elodie "is a little bit excited" - quite rightly so! Well done Elodie and we look forward to hearing how you get on.
31 Otterbourne children took part in a x-country event at Knightwood Leisure Centre. Luckily the weather was dry albeit the ground was very muddy and the children did well to stay upright. The Y3/4 children ran 1km and the Y5/6 children ran 1.5km. Everyone tried really hard and ran superbly. Particular mention must go to Orion and Francesca who both finished 3rd in their races - a fantastic achievement. Also, Aariana 10th, Jesse M, Jess S & Freya K who all finished 11th in their respective races, Ciara 12th and Georgie 13th. Someone else finished 6th or 9th but I do not have a name on the ticket...if it is you please let me know!
On a beautiful sunny afternoon 4 Y6 pupils took part in the above event. All of our athletes performed brilliantly showing absolute determination which is one of our school values. There were approximately 90 children running in the girls race - Lucia finished 2nd, Charlotte 20th, Freya 29th and Florence 43rd. I felt very proud of all of the girls - well done!
Photos to follow.
Well done to the following children who have recently been awarded 11th KYU in karate - Tom Gilbert, Ed Gilbert, Anaiya Laute, Tuula Hughes, Murrium Muttaba & Sophie Garner. Your hard work at our before school Karate Club has paid off!
12 KS1 children had a fabulous afternoon at Peter Symonds College last Monday taking part in a carousel of multi-skill challenges. The event was superbly planned, organised and run by the sport students from the college. For some of our children this was the first time that they had represented their school and I was so impressed with the determination they showed throughout the afternoon. A huge well done to - Freya Lyver, Isla P, Sophie G, Amelie P, Libby, Isla C-S, Maya, Murrium, Bella, Rai, Olivia & Jack.
After quite a few weeks of preparation our gymnasts were ready to take part in the qualifying competition for the Hampshire Games. All of the children had put so much effort into learning the routines and perfecting their techniques which has made me feel very proud. The standard seems to have become much higher over the last few years and I have to admit to having a few nerves when I saw the competition on the day. However, as always our Otterbourne children put that extra oomph in when they needed to and all performed beautifully. The final result saw us being placed 1st - wow what an achievement! A special mention must go to Jess Baker who scored a perfect 10 in both of her floor routines which is extraordinary - well done, Jess!
Congratulations to Jess Baker, Jess Smith, Amelie P, Aariana, Tuula, Francesca, Ethan L, Orion, Jesse, Rafferty, Isaac & Sam. Thanks to Sam for coming back to join the team even though he has now changed schools.
Huge thanks to Mrs Bertacchini and Lucia for all their help with our practice sessions as well as at the competition. Also thanks to all those parents who supported us on the day - especially with the hairstyling!!
Photos to follow soon!
On Wednesday 22nd January, 14 children took part in a basketball competition organised by the students of Barton Peveril. We had two teams comprising 7 players, with 5 on court at any one time. In total the children played 15 matches and all put their absolute best effort into each and every match. Our A Team made it to the semi-final where they narrowly lost out to Hiltingbury A who went on to become the tournament winners. Our B Team finished 6th overall. The event was superbly organised by the students and our children had a fantastic and feisty morning of basketball. The standard of play demonstrated by our children was outstanding particularly as we had not practised at all.
Huge congratulations to Lucia Bertacchini (Y6) for another fabulous achievement in the sporting field. On the 4th January Lucia competed in the Hampshire X-Country Championships. Overall Lucia's team won Gold and individually Lucia finished 10th in a very tough field. Well done, Lucia!
Well done to Connie, Phoebe, Alex, Francesca, Harriet, Jake, Ethan L, Ethan W, Orion, Rafferty, Harrison, Millie, Tuula, Sophie S & Jess for taking part in a hockey tournament against Twyford yesterday. I did not get to see any play as I was busy with the Dodgeball Competition but from all accounts everyone got stuck in, demonstrated great team work and had a fabulous time. Four matches were played in total before lack of light stopped play. Huge thanks to Mr O'Dowd who managed this event.
Well done to Jasmine, Teddy, Anaiya, Alayna, Annika, Violet, Harry, Nico, Betty, Hazel, Olivia, Ed & Kieyan for taking part in the Dodgeball Competition against Twyford. Six matches were played altogether and I was so impressed with the determination and competitive nature that our children showed. I am looking forward to more sports for the KS1 children.
Amelie Prinsloo Y4 (member of our swim squad going to The Hampshire Games next summer) for successfully completing 1,000m (40 lengths) and 2,000m (80 lengths) without stopping. An absolutely amazing achievement - Well Done, Amelie.
We took 2 squads of 8 children to a basketball tournament at Thornden. All our players put a huge amount of effort and determination into every game. Our A team won, drew and lost their 3 matches which meant they did not progress through to the semi-final. Our B team won 2 matches and drew 2 which was a fine achievement. Thanks to Miss Hutchings for managing the B team so well and to all the parents who helped with transport and cheered the children on.
A Team - Ben, Austin, Lewis (captain), Zach, Isaac, Felix, Charlotte & Freya.
B Team - Tommy (captain), Elliot, Max, William, James, Ollie, Bella & Priya
Wow how amazing were our Otterbourne children yesterday!! Every child played with such determination, effort and fabulous team spirit and I felt incredibly proud to be part of it all.
Our netballers performed so well. After just one practice last week with Mrs Longworth they became superstars. I think the final score was 7-2 but the main result was that all the players enjoyed themselves and learnt more about the game of netball. A huge well done to - Freya S, Freya L, Isla P, Isla R, Bethany, Sienna, Annabelle T, Amelie P, Phoebe W & Grace B.
Huge thanks to Mrs Longworth and Miss Hutchings for all their help, and also to the parents for help with transport and cheering the girls on.
We took 2 teams to the football - 16 children in total. Mr Davis (Buddy's Dad) and Mr O'Dowd managed a team each leaving me free to take photographs and cheer the players on. Thank you both for your help.
What most impressed me about our footballers was the fantastic team spirit and determination that they showed. Nobody minded being a sub for a bit and it was a really lovely atmosphere. I am not sure about the actual end results but the main result was that everyone tried their best and had fun.
Well done to -Percy, Henry, Buddy, Alex, Sam, Charlie, Nico & Mason and also Barney, Steffan, Oscar, Campbell, Jack, Wilfred & George.
Thank you to all the parents who helped to get the children to Twyford and for staying to support the players.
Some of these events take quite a bit of organising , but the hard work becomes insignificant when we see our children behaving so beautifully when representing the School and having such a fantastic time.
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS...to Charlie Hoad who has been selected for the U13 Hampshire Hockey Squad. Charlie left Otterbourne 2 years ago and was captain of our hockey team who he led to the Hampshire Games. Well done Charlie, this is a thoroughly deserved sporting achievement and we look forward to hearing how you get on.
The Leopards football event coincided beautifully with Outdoor Classroom Day and we spent a fabulous afternoon outside playing football. The surface was quite slippery which resulted in a few grazes and knocks! Every Leopard put so much effort and determination into their games - a huge Well Done to you all. Bianchi and Keble came equal 1st but the scores were very close.
On Wednesday 6th November we held our first House Competition. The weather was kind to us and we were able to play outside which made things easier. All the children took part and I was very impressed with everyone's efforts and particularly great teamwork with those more experienced players helping their novice peers. Yonge finished 1st...but Well Done to all.
After school on Wednesday 6th November, 13 very excited Y3/4 children attended the Gymnastics Practice at Kings' School. The idea behind this event is to introduce the children to the routines required for the competition in January 2020. Now the real work starts as the squad will start practising in their own time and at school with the aim of being selected to represent Otterbourne in the competition.
On Tuesday 22nd October 14 Otterbourne children took part in a football festival after school at Henry Beaufort. Each team played 4 matches against other local schools with the emphasis being participation and having fun.
The B Team was made up of Omar, Aalok, Charley H, Owen, Ollie S, Tommy & Cameron. Omar and Aalok shared the captaincy. Tommy was an absolutely superb goalkeeper making more than a few dramatic saves. The results were mixed but the team demonstrated excellent teamwork.
The C Team comprised Rafferty (GK and Captain), Sonny B, Sonny W, James, Layla, Ciara & Seth. Again we saw lovely sportsmanship and determination.
Huge Thanks to all the parents who helped with transport and also to Zach Jones and Charlotte Jones (Y6, Sport Council) for managing the teams. They were absolutely brilliant in their role demonstrating knowledge, care and maturity.
Yesterday Otterbourne won the Aqua-splash competition for the 3rd successive year. This means we have qualified for The Hampshire Games in June 2020. This is an absolutely amazing achievement and I am so proud of our Y3/4 swimmers who performed so well. Every swimmer put 100% effort and determination into their races. The children represented Otterbourne superbly and supported each other throughout the competition. A huge Well Done to Ellie L-B, Arianna, Amelie P, Amelia W, Alex T, Rafferty, Miles & Jackson.
Lucia Bertacchini (Y6) has been awarded the U11 Athlete of the Year from WADAC. She formed part of a team that saw the first ever victory for the club for the U11's team in the Wessex Athletics League. Individually, Lucia won one of the four fixtures. Huge Congratulations Lucia...is this the future Katarina Johnson-Thompson?!!
Caitlyn Hatfield, who left Otterbourne 3 years ago was a member of the DSS-GB Team this summer and swam with them at the DSISO European Swimming Championships in Sardinia. She was the youngest on the team but still made finals of the 50 free and 50 back and missed the final of the fly by one place. She was the fastest junior in all these events. We are trying to arrange a suitable time for Caitlyn to visit us at school and talk to the children about her recent amazing achievements. What an inspiration for us all!
A few well done's to be said...
Helena Reid (left Otterbourne this summer) has represented her secondary school, Mountbatten in a netball match. They beat Crestwood 16-7 - well done!
Georgie Valler (Y5) has recently joined Penguins Swim Squad and last week-end took part in her first formal gala. Georgie achieved a comparative swimming performance award of Bronze for her backstroke. Well done Georgie!
A huge well done to all the Y3/4 children who took part in the swimming trials earlier this week. I was very impressed with the standard of swimming and determination that each child showed. Every swimmer put 100% effort in. I found out that for some children it was the first time that they had swum lengths - how fantastic is that! Even more impressive was the peer support and encouragement - that is what makes our Otterbourne children so special.
Thank you to all the parents who helped with transport, time-keeping and general chivvying - we simply could not do this type of event without your help. Thanks to Mrs H-Jobbins for being photographer on the day!
The team has been selected and is up in school!
On Wednesday 25th September 31 Otterbourne pupils from Y3/4 & Y5/6 took part in a table tennis tournament against other local schools.
The Y3/4 competition was just for fun so there was no scoring. This gave the children the chance to represent their school in a sporting capacity but with no pressure. Well done to -Amalie C, Connie, Jess S, Esme, Ella W, Elodie, Daisy, Gianluca, Arthur T, James K, Jamie J, Rafferty, Keanu, Samuel & Jake Tear.
The Y5/6 competition was a qualifier for a county tournament so there was a lot to play for. All of our children tried really hard but unfortunately we did not come out on top. Well done to - Lucia, Freya, Florence T, Livvy G, Millie P, Connie R, Ciara G-C, Layla, Felix H, Zach, Austin, Lewis, Tommy, Ollie S, Owen & Ben S.
Huge thanks to Mr O'Dowd, all the parents (plus the lovely Maddie G) for managing the teams. I really could not have managed this event without your help!
Apologies for the delay in writing about the girls football tournament which took place last week - I have been busy getting to know the Year R children!!!
We played quite a few matches - drawing all but one which we just lost 1-0. We came 3rd overall in our pool so did not progress through. However, the progress that the girls made from the start of the tournament to the end was very impressive. The confidence and quality of passing grew as each match was played. Huge thanks to Mr Diaper for taking control of the team and giving them great tips.
Well done to Lucia (captain), Charlotte, Freya, Sky-Rose, Emmy, Olivia, Layla, Amalie & Florence Terry (GK)!
I would like to make a special mention of Amalie Calliste (Y4) who more than held her own in every match - a talent to watch in the future.
A huge Well Done to Amy Wilson, Miles Reid and Jackson Purdie who competed in the above skiing competition recently. The team came an impressive 3rd overall in the mixed team event (cat 1-4 - all age groups).
Yesterday a squad of 9 boys took part in a football tournament at Kings' School. The boys won their first 2 matches against Colden Common and St.Bedes. Both scores were 1 - 0. This saw us through to the semi-final against Weeke. The boys played well but ended up losing 1 - 0. In the 3rd and 4th play off the team played superbly winning 3 - 0 against John Keble. So the team finished 3rd overall out of 13 schools - a fine start to the sporting year. Well done to Felix (captain), Zach, Jonny, Austin, Lewis (GK), Kylan, Henry, Isaac & Ben.
We took 2 teams to a round robin tennis tournament at St. Swithun's School in Winchester. There were only 2 schools taking part which gave the children the chance to play singles, doubles and have a go at scoring. I was so impressed with the effort that all the children put in - some had very little tennis experience. Equally impressive was the way that these children represented Otterbourne School so superbly with excellent manners and behaviour.
A Team Miles, Rafferty, Izzy & Ciara 1st overall
B Team Ethan, Elliot, Daisy & Jessica 2nd overall
I started off taking 6 children to the IZB Event, 6 became 7 and 7 became 10 thanks to a few siblings. Unfortunately we were the only school to enter the basketball but the SGO were happy to still run the session for us which included some skills and a match. I thoroughly enjoyed the IZB and I know the children had a fantastic time learning this new sport. Some of the children had never represented the school before and it was such a pleasure to see their smiling faces and the confidence that grew as time went on. Well done to Amy, Loretta, Ellie (last minute participant!), Jacob, James, Samuel, Will, Isaac, Seth and Daniel ( 3 extra siblings!).
On Friday 5th July Mrs C organised a cricket match which Arthur Terry had won as part of our Staff Promises.
Arthur selected 7 other children to join him and 2 teams were organised. Arthur was captain of one team which consisted of himself, Jake, James K and Florence Thomas. Big sister Florence was captain of the other team and was joined by Alex, Henry and Orren.
Everyone had a chance to bat and bowl. It was very close and the match was won on the last ball when Orren hit a 6. Well done to Miss Terry's team!
As is the tradition of all good cricket matches the children enjoyed a match tea of apple juice and donuts.
Well done...to Georgie Valler for successfully trialling for Winchester Penguins Swimming Club. A fine achievement and well deserved.
Well done to Daisy Robinson for a brilliant performance at the Petersfield Town Juniors Competition recently. Daisy plays for Winchester City Flyers and for this competition the team were split into W C Kites and W C Flamingos. Out of 16 teams the final ended up as a Winchester Derby! Daisy (playing for the Kites) narrowly lost to the Flamingos (who are a division higher in the league).
Wow what an amazing day we had yesterday at the Hampshire Games! We took 20 Y3/4 children in total - 10 in our Tri-Golf Team and 10 swimmers.
Tri-Golf
Mrs Simpson took charge of our golfers - Phoebe, Millie, Amalie, Esme, Daisy, Cameron, William, Hudson, James & Jesse. All played brilliantly and even achieved the highest ever score in one game! The team ended up in 7th position (out of 14 teams) overall throughout Hampshire. What a fantastic achievement - and even more so as a couple of our players had not played golf before. Mrs Simpson was hugely impressed by the excellent teamwork and behaviour of the children.
Miss Hutchings and myself were amazed and astounded by the performance of our Y3/4 swimmers. They competed in 25 races and I can honestly say that every child performed their absolute best and represented Otterbourne School so beautifully in terms of behaviour and sportsmanship. Otterbourne finished 3rd overall - a truly superb achievement. A huge Well Done to Layla, Ciara, Georgie, Olivia, Aariana, Tommy, Sonny W, Harrison, Miles & Ollie.
I always love hearing about sporting achievements out of school. A huge well done to Millie Peacock (Y4) who competed in her club - Southampton Gym Championships at the "Next Steps" level of the Rythmic Gymnastics. Millie performed a hoop routine to music and finished 1st in her age group. This is a fantastic achievement anyway, made more so because Millie only started gymnastics last September and rhythmic at the beginning of April. It is no surprise that Millie has been asked to join the club squad.
This morning we had a fantastic time at the Penguins Swimming Gala @ River Park. All of our swimmers tried their best and performed really well. The event is primarily aimed at Y5/6 swimmers however, an individual race for 3 Y4 swimmers is also included. Well done to Tommy, Georgie & Ciara for representing themselves and Otterbourne so well.
Our girls squad of Ellie, Ella, Livvi & Charlotte came 2nd in the Mixed Stroke Relay. The final was tough and we came 6th (we thought we came 5th!!) - still a fine achievement.
Our boys squad of Toby, Ralph, Alex and Henry swam well against strong opposition. Unfortunately they did not make it through to any of the finals but did take part in the Invitational Relay. A huge pat on the back to Alex for gallantly giving up his place to let Tommy take part. The boys achieved a super 4th place.
Thank you to all parents who helped with transport and stayed to cheer the children on. Huge thanks to Mrs Green for helping poolside and keeping me sane.
We took a Y5 and Y6 team to the Quad Kids Competition yesterday. Each team was made up of 4 girls and 4 boys. Each competitor took part in the vortex javelin throw, long jump, 75m sprint and 600m middle distance run. All of our children performed well and tried their best. Our Y5 team finished 5th and the Y6 team finished 6th. Special mention must go to Faith who performed superbly in the long jump and Lucia who ran an outstanding 600m winning her race by a hair's width.
Y5 team comprised Lucia, Florence Te, Florence Th, Charlotte, Felix, Kylan, Jonny & Zach.
Y6 team comprised Mia, Ella, Olivia K, Faith, Ralph, Alex, Taylor & Harry M.
Wow what an amazing day! I am so proud of our girls and everything that they achieved on Monday. Apart from Daisy and Willow the rest of the team had very limited cricket knowledge at the start of the day. However, by the end of play they were all transformed into cricketing superstars. We won our first match v. John Keble, lost our second v. Western B and won v. Fryern. This meant we finished 2nd in our pool and our next match was v. Colden Common who had won their pool. Unfortunately we lost this match. Our final match was to decide 3rd and 4th place. The match was really close - we ended up losing to Western A by 1 run! So we finished 4th overall - a superb achievement. Well done to Daisy (captain), Willow, Olivia D, Livvi G, Freya, Helena, Hannah & Charlotte. Daisy was a great captain sorting out the bowling order and batting pairs. Willow bowled fantastically and got a super stumping. Livvi went from strength to strength throughout the day and managed to survive some top class bowling from the opposition without losing a wicket. Freya also improved as each match played out. By the last match Freya asked to bowl an over - something she would not have anticipated at the start of the day. Not only did she bowl but she bowled well. Helena showed herself to be a good all-rounder getting stuck in to all aspects of the game particularly with the fielding and going for catches. Olivia D proved herself an excellent bowler. As the matches progressed and her confidence grew she proved herself a very useful member of the team. Hannah was our wicket keeper who started off the day with very little knowledge of what a wicket keeper is supposed to do. By the end of the day Hannah became a demon wickie calling "Howzat" and stopping any ball that came her way. Charlotte's forte is definitely her batting and she really notched up the runs for us getting quite a few boundaries along the way. Well Done girls!
We had a mixed bag of results at the Kwik Cricket Tournament yesterday. We won the first two matches fairly easily taking quite a few wickets. Well done to Hugh for the superb stumping in the Western match! Our last two matches were much tougher and unfortunately we lost both of these which saw an end to our part in the competition.
All of the team played brilliantly and worked well together which was lovely to see. Ben's devious spin bowling was very impressive and I was hugely proud of the way that Taylor took his role of captain so seriously and diligently. The way that Taylor coached some of the younger players and managed the batting and bowling order was a joy to see - a huge pat on the back for him!
Well done to Taylor (captain), Toby M, Daisy, Austin, Lewis, Ben, Zach & Hugh.
Our Otterbourne Ski Team raced superbly at the week-end to finish 5th out of 12 schools. A huge Well Done to Mia Reid, Miles Reid, Charlotte Jones, Amy Wilson, Jackson Purdie & Campbell Purdie. All our skiiers received a medal and Mia Reid was presented with a shield for achieving the fastest Otterbourne time (15.02 seconds).
Yesterday 12 Y3/4 pupils from Otterbourne took part in a multi-skills competition. I am so proud of all the children for trying so hard at each event, working brilliantly as a team and being supportive to each other. Well done to - Soren, Dan, Daniel, Seth, Theo, Cameron, Jessica, Lilly, Harriet, Ella, Paris & Millie C. The children will be presented with certificates shortly. Huge thanks to Mrs Simpson and Mrs Hinton for their help.
Well done to Kylan (captain), Felix, Zach, Austin, Lewis, Freya, Sky-Rose, Emmy, Florence Terry & Olivia-May for playing such fantastic golf yesterday, showing great sportsmanship and representing your school so brilliantly.
Our Year 3/4 team played superbly demonstrating great golfing skills. Well done to Ciara (captain), Millie C, Phoebe, Amalie, Layla, William, Hudson, Cameron, Jesse & James. The team won overall which was a tremendous achievement so the next step is the Hampshire Games in June.
Thanks to all parents who helped with transport. In particular Mrs Guthrie-Coles and Mrs Melvin. Unfortunately I chose (?) the longer, scenic route which resulted in Mrs G-C and Mrs Melvin taking an even longer scenic route as they were following me and I lost them!! Oh well we got there in the end!
London Marathon Sunday 28th April 2019
A huge well done to Mrs Ryves (mum of Connie and Florence) for not only completing the London Marathon but for securing a fabulous time too. What an inspiration to us all!
Despite the rain we had a fantastic morning at the Annual Fair Oak X-Country event. All our athletes performed superbly demonstrating excellent individual effort and teamwork.
Y3/4 Girls finished 7th out of 25 teams (Phoebe, Layla, Connie, Georgie & Olivia)
Y3/4 Boys finished 10th out of 25 teams (Ollie, Owen, Noah & Tommy)
Y5/6 Girls finished 4th out of 29 teams (Olivia K, Ella, Hannah & Lucia)
Y5/6 Boys finished 10th out of 29 teams (Felix, Alex, Omar & Taylor)
I am so proud of all the children but special mention must go to 2 children. Olivia K was leading the race, slipped on the wet grass but got straight up and carried on to finish her lap in 2nd place. What a show of true resilience. Lucia demonstrated true sporting excellence as she managed to regain approximately 12 places resulting in the team coming in 4th overall.
3 of our Y3 children - Jess, Orion & Hudson played for the Trojans U8 Rugby Team in the Winchester Mini Rugby Tournament this week-end. The team won all 5 of their matches which is a fantastic achievement. They all made a significant contribution in the matches but most importantly they had a great deal of fun! Well done - I am looking forward to them being in Y5 so they can represent the school at the Tag Rugby Festival.
As most of you are aware, Otterbourne CE Primary School provides the children with opportunities to participate in a wide variety of sport. This comes in the form of House events, friendly matches with other local schools, competitive School Games (SGO) events and Inclusive Competitions which are less competitive.
With regard to the SGO events which usually qualify the winning team to proceed to the Hampshire Games we will always try to send our strongest athletes. The standard at these events can be extremely high and it isn't beneficial for a child to participate in a competition which is at a level that does not match their own standard. In addition, we are a competitive school and as such would want to enter these events with the possibility of finishing well.
I am aware that this may mean that some children may not represent the school at this level, and this is the reason why we have friendly matches against other local schools, organise plenty of House competitions within school and take different children to the Inclusive Competitions whenever possible.
In the Autumn term of each year, the KS2 children can attend swimming trials organised by us so that we have a record of swimming times to help with selection for the swimming galas. Similarly, the House X-Country gives us an indication of who the strong runners are; this helps with x-country team selection.
We aspire to provide opportunities for all children, and with this in mind, we continue to seek new types of sports and activities to introduce in to our school - please get in touch if you have an idea which might be of interest.
On a beautiful sunny afternoon 12 Y4 & 5 children took part in the Annual Gregg School X-Country Competition.
Y4 Girls - Connie (13th), Layla (14th) & Phoebe (15th)
Y4 Boys - Tommy (13th), Ollie (14th) & Owen (28th)
Y5 Girls - Lucia (1st), Charlotte (9th) & Eva (19th) - 1st overall!
Y5 Boys - Felix (20th), Kylan (27th) & Omar (28th)
Mr Geraghty was really impressed by the high standard of running and the stamina of the children. I must mention the absolutely superb performance by Lucia Bertacchini. Lucia won in a spectacular head to head final sprint demonstrating superb athleticism and a desire to win.
Charlotte Jones (Y5) captained the Trojans U10 Girls Hockey Team at the Hampshire In2Hockey tournament on Sunday 24th March in Haslemere, Surrey. They finished 3rd - well done. In addition, Charlotte regularly plays in the Trojans U12 A team who are currently fighting for top of Hampshire Division 1 - a fine achievement.
Ollie Salisbury (Y4) was selected for the U10 Trojans Boys Team to play in the same In2Hockey Tournament as Charlotte. The In2Hockey Tournament is a tournament where each club puts forward their strongest team - so selection for this is impressive. Ollie's team won this tournament and are through to the Regional Tournament on Sunday 28th April - Good Luck Ollie and the rest of the team!
Apart from 1 change with Toby M replacing an unwell Rico the team remained the same. The format of the event was similar however, we were against much bigger schools - some with a 5 form entry which meant the competition was much stronger. As always everyone performed their absolute best in all events. Otterbourne finished 15th out of 16 schools which is a fantastic achievement particularly as this is the first time that we have got through to the County Final.
We took 6 boys and 6 girls from Y5/6 to a fantastic Sports Hall Athletics Competition @ Kings' School. Our team of Hannah, Helena, Ella, Olivia K, Mariam, Lucia, Kylan, Lewis, Enrico, Ralph, Alex and Felix took part in various sprints, relays, jumps and throws. Everyone did their absolute best with the result being...we finished in 1st place. So it is off to the County Finals we go!
We had a fabulous day out on Thursday 21st March at the Winchester and Eastleigh District Schools Tag Rugby Festival. Our nominated country was Canada and so we decorated our gazebo with flags, bunting and balloons. Not to forget the Canadian flags tattooed onto our faces! As a result we did win best decorated team so all the children went home with a t-shirt as a prize. Our results were mixed but lots of tries were scored and there was a great deal of tagging done too which was fabulous.
Photos to follow soon.
Rico (captain), Taylor, Alex, Jonny, Toby, Ralph, Caleb, Emily, Helena, Hannah & Daisy - well done to you all as every member of the team contributed fully to the play.
We took 2 teams to the Hockey Tournament @ Thornden on 20th March. Otterbourne 1 was made up of Year 6 players and Otterbourne 2 consisted Year 5 players. All children played well with both teams winning, losing and drawing matches. The final result was Otterbourne 1 came 4th and Otterbourne 2 came 3rd - well done to all!
Otterbourne 1 - Olivia Knight (captain), Helena Reid, Ella Hunter, Hannah Websper, Emily Essex, Daisy Robinson, Taylor Dodd & Harry Mountjoy.
Otterbourne 2 - Freya Kelly (captain), Willow Hinton, Lucia Bertacchini, Charlotte Jones, Zach Jones, Lewis Yuill, Austin Yuill & Kylan Dubsky.
On Friday 15th March we took a swimming squad to Fleet for the Hampshire Primary Schools Relay Gala. Otterbourne came 5th in both the freestyle relay and medley relay. Well done to Ellie Tutton, Ella Hunter, Toby Essex, Ralph Warin & Alex Ward.
On Monday 11th March Mrs Compton and Miss Hutchings took a football and netball team to play against Twyford St. Mary's Primary School. As always the football was very closely contested and resulted in Twyford pipping us to the post 4 - 3. Well done to Charlie, Rico, Toby M, Harry, Isaac, Taylor & Toby E.
Our netball team of Daisy, Emily, Livvi, Olivia, Hannah, Helena, Mia & Florence Thomas played superbly in their first netball match. After 3 quarters of the match the score was 7 - 7 however, Otterbourne played faultlessly in the final quarter winning 12 - 7! All the team played so well and worked brilliantly as a team. Well done to Mia for being a fabulous captain. We are hoping to arrange a re-match here at Otterbourne.