On Saturday 14th June, a team of talented swimmers from Years 5 and 6 proudly represented BGS at the ESSA Primary Schools’ Team Championships, held at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield. The team had qualified for both the 4x50m Medley Relay and the 4x50m Freestyle Relay.

In the medley, Harriet (Y6) started on backstroke, followed by Elizabeth (Y6) on breaststroke, Emma (Y5) on butterfly, and Grace (Y5) on freestyle. The team swam three seconds faster than their qualifier, just missing out on a place in the final.

The freestyle team of Lizzie, Kitty (Y6), Emma and Grace, with Harriet cheering them on, responded with determination in the heats, earning a spot in the B final. Their time was nearly two seconds faster than their qualifier, and they finished 8th in the final, placing them 16th overall in the country.

Mr Castro (Head of Swimming) said: “These girls have been working hard in their PE lessons at school since they confirmed their place at the national finals in the qualifying round, and this showed in the improvement in times from the qualifier to the finals. They supported each other throughout and showed their resilience after the near miss in the medley relay, supporting each other and swimming strongly in the freestyle event. They were a pleasure to take to the finals, and we’re very proud of their results.”

Following impressive performances at both the IAPS and ESSA national finals, we look forward to seeing them race again next year, with Year 6s progressing to the ESSA Secondary Team Championships and Year 5s aiming to return to IAPS and ESSA.