Swimming

Massive well done to Presdales swimming team who competed in the first district gala of the year just before half term! Lots of individual 1st and 2nd places. The senior girls came 1st in the freestyle relay and medley relay, the Year 9/10 girls came 1st in the freestyle relay and medley relay and the Year 7/8 girls came 2nd in the freestyle relay and medley relay.

Football

v St Clement Danes 

Great effort from the U13s football team who recently lost 1-2 against St Clement Danes in the County Cup. Presdales faced a strong opponent but the girls grew into the game especially in the second half pushing their opponent all the way! Well done everyone! POTM was Harriet Day.

v Dame Alice Owen

Well done to our U15s football team who had a convincing 8-0 win against Dame Alice Owen last week. The team now progress to the Quarter Finals of the County Cup. This was Presdales first ever football match on our new 3G pitch so it was great to christen it with a win!! PoM voted by Dame Alice was Mia Schillaci-Rowland. Joint Coaches PoM to Ava McManus and Annabel Guy. Well done to all the girls!

v Leventhorpe

Gallant effort by our U12s B team against Leventhorpe’s A team last Thursday in the District League. The girls lost 8-0 but gave absolutely everything against a very strong opponent. The commitment shown by every single player was exceptional. Proud of all of you! POTM was Sara Johnson-Casey.

Stevenage FC U13s 7-a-side Tournament

Presdales had a Year 7 team and a Year 8 team competing at the Stevenage FC U13s 7-a-side tournament, held at the County Football Ground in Letchworth on Friday.

It was a busy, full on day with 6 qualifying games to reach the knockout stages. Then a further 3 games if you reached the final. Both teams acquitted themselves brilliantly playing some fantastic football and showing exemplary spirit throughout.

The Year 7 team did extremely well to reach the Quarter Finals but were narrowly defeated 1-0 in an extremely tight game against a Year 8 side. The Year 7s actually dominated the majority of the game hitting the post and creating several chances and so easily could have won. The Year 7s should feel immensely proud of their achievement as they were the only ‘fully Year 7 team’ in the competition! The Stevenage coaches were highly complimentary and the future is definitely bright for this talented group of players.

The Year 8s won their Quarter Final comfortably and progressed to the semi final against ‘arch enemy’ Chauncy (who won the tournament last year). The game was dominated by Presdales who played out of their skins. The win was secured by an incredible left foot strike into ‘top bins’ by Ella Reynolds to reach the final against Priory School.

The final beckoned with the Year 8s full of confidence. They did not disappoint with a fabulous display and winning goal by Grace Marston to take the trophy!

The girls will now go on to represent Stevenage FC in the Area Finals next January. This will be very exciting for the girls!

It was a wonderful day shared with a lovely group of pupils. What really summed up the ‘spirit of Presdales’ was the support from a disappointed Year 7 team for their Year 8 peers. When the final whistle blew the Year 7s ‘invaded’ the pitch to hug and congratulate their elders. There was so much excitement and joy. So lovely to see this.

Due to the nature of tournament football, every single player played their part so I’m reluctant to nominate any pupil in particular for Player of the Tournament. Everyone was Player of the Tournament!! Thanks to all the girls for a memorable day.

v John Warner

The U12s played John Warner this week in the district league, winning 3-0. It was a competitive game and the girls played some good football. Both teams enjoyed playing under the floodlights on the new 3G pitch for the first time. PoM voted by John Warner was Tilly Murton. Coaches PoM was Sara Johnson-Casey. Well done to all the girls!

Netball

v St Edmunds

Thank you to St Edmunds for coming over for a very evenly matched County League game. A great display of skill and effort from all players with Presdales holding strong in the final seconds to secure a 23-22 win. POM was Georgia Street.

v Heath Mount

Well done to our Year 8 netball teams who recently played against Heath Mount. The A team were playing a County Cup game and despite a strong opposition won 23-14. POTM was Sophia P. The B team were playing a friendly match and also won 35-13 despite coaching themselves throughout the game! POTM Annelise I. Great work girls!

Badminton

Well done to the U14 and U16 Badminton teams who played in a tournament last Thursday. The U14A team won all their games progressing to the County finals and the U14B came 2nd winning two matches and losing to our A team only!

The U16A team won all their games also progressing to the County finals! The U16B team unfortunately lost their 3 games in some very close matches that could have gone either way!

A Level PE Trip

Well done to our A Level students who visited the University of Essex for an SRES (School of Rehabilitation and Exercise Science) experience last week. They were put to the test participating in a range of fitness and performance tests, gathering data to be analysed later. It was a great day and the students certainly showed their competitive spirit!

Student News

Please see more student achievements in non-school sporting activities on our PE Facebook page. We have recently had student successes in Football, Running, Trampolining and Swimming!

The PE Department celebrated Black History Month by watching a video of the remarkable journey of Rebeca Andrade, a Brazilian gymnast that achieved her dream, with incredible achievements and results, including 6 Olympic medals, 4 of which she achieved in Paris 2024, with a gold medal in the individual floor final! The students heard about the challenges she has faced growing up, showing her resilience as an individual in walking 2 hours each way to training sessions when her mother couldn’t afford a bus ticket and moving away at the age of 10 to train professionally in another state. The students were then asked to write a letter to Rebeca explaining how she has inspired them. Please see some photos of the letters written!