Sports at Orchard

Our aim is to provide ample opportunity to our students to experience as many sports as possible during their time at Orchard Juniors. Entering in to the New Forest School Sport Partnership competitions, Southampton Football Leagues and Cup, as well as hosting numerous sporting events throughout the year ourselves at Orchard Juniors with other local schools; to provide a range of opportunities and events from inclusive festivals to competitive pathway events to allow opportunities for all levels of sports participation.

Children are encouraged in assemblies to attend lunch time training sessions for upcoming events, from which we select our teams.

On Wednesday 26th Feb, we attended the Hampshire Badminton Tournament. After successfully qualifying last month, our two teams traveled to the Mountbatten Leisure Centre to compete against the top schools from across the county.

The competition was of a high standard, featuring several highly ranked badminton players, including the current England number one for under-11s—a fantastic opportunity for our players to test their skills.

Our B team performed exceptionally well throughout the afternoon, narrowly missing out on a place in the semi-finals. They displayed great talent, improving with every match and learning from their opponents. Well done, team!

Our A team had a brilliant start, securing a spot in the semi-finals after an outstanding opening round. In a closely contested match against a strong and talented side, we narrowly missed out on the final by just four points—a true battle!

In the bronze medal match, we faced fellow New Forest school, Bartley. In another tightly fought encounter, our team put in a fantastic performance, winning all three matches to claim the bronze medals and an overall 3rd place finish in Hampshire. An incredible achievement, especially considering none of these children play for a badminton club! Well done, team!

On Saturday, we took two Year 3 & 4 Athletics teams to the New Forest Schools Sportshall Athletics Competition at Testwood School. Competing against 18 other teams from across the New Forest our athletes showed fantastic talent, resilience and determination in all of their events. Topped off with an incredible team spirit and impeccable behaviour as always! For many, this was their first experience of an athletics competition and they embraced the challenges with great confidence. We look forward to seeing what you can do in the summer, when we take our athletics outdoors!

Results:

Orchard A - 2nd Place (Silver Medalists)

Orchard B - 9th Place

Fantastic results team! Amazing to have both teams in the top 10 and congratulations to our medal winners! The future is bright!

On Tuesday, our 5 very talented cross country runners travelled to Basingstoke to represent the New Forest at the Hampshire Cross Country Championships. After qualifying last month at the regional event they all trained hard in their preparation for this event. On a really challenging course they all performed excellently, showing great determination and resilience, competing against Hampshire's best!

A big shout out to Jana who has now represented the New Forest 3 years in a row and topped it off by claiming a top 20 finish.

Team results:

New Forest Girls 3rd place!

Congratulations to Ella, Jana and Mayleigh!

New Forest Boys 1st Place!

Congratulations to Joe and Kaan!

Incredible effort team, congratulations on fantastic solo and team performances!

Today, we hosted our annual football tournament against Claires Court. 32 children from Year 4 & 5 competed in the sunshine and had a great time! Well done everyone, it was great fun!

Big shout out to our Year 6 sports leaders, Bobbi, Lydia, Maja and Max for refereeing the games with excellent confidence!

On Monday we took a mixed year 5 and 6 Netball team to the New Forest Schools Competition at Southampton Sports Centre. The team played exceptionally well, demonstrating fantastic teamwork throughout the day.

In the seeding group matches the team won their first two games without conceding. The final games was a classic with Orchard giving the eventual winners one of their toughest games before losing 1-0 in a game that either team could have won.

The single loss put Orchard into tier 2. The team played better with each match winning all 3 games and coming away with a well deserved Gold medal.

On Wednesday, we took a year 6 and a year 5 team to the New Forest Handball Competition at Testwood School. Both teams were placed into seeding groups where they finished third placing them into tier 3.

The highlight was the Orchard games that was played in a fantastic spirit with both teams demonstrating teamwork and a better understanding as to how to play the game. In a close game the Year 6 team edged a thriller 2-1.

Well done to all!

A very busy week for Orchard Sport!

Last Friday, our excellent Year 6 Girls’ football team travelled to Stoneham Football Complex for the Hampshire Finals, competing against the top teams from across the county after qualifying to represent the New Forest.

The girls started in a tough seeding round group, featuring some very talented sides, but progressed nicely through these matches, improving with each game and securing promotion to the Super League, with a chance to compete for the overall winners’ medal.

In the Super League, the girls continued to dominate the matches, but with the games only lasting 8 minutes, finding the breakthrough in these matches was extremely difficult. With 4 draws and 1 win in the Super League, we were left waiting on a result between two other teams, which unfortunately knocked us out of the tournament, leaving us in equal 5th place – just 1 point short of reaching the semi-finals! Heartbreaking for the team, but they played incredibly well and showed what a fantastic team they are. Well done, girls – you’ve done Orchard proud!

On Wednesday, we attended the Walhampton Cross Country Invitational. 25 children from Years 3-6 competed for Orchard, giving their all and showing exceptional resilience! It was a very difficult course, but our runners were not fazed, and we witnessed some incredible results and personal best performances. Congratulations to all 25 runners for their outstanding performances!

Individual Medalists:

Year 5 Boys: Kaan – 1st (Gold Medalist)
Year 6 Girls: Mayleigh – 3rd (Bronze Medalist)

Team Results:

Year 5 (Combined Boys & Girls Team) – Orchard 2nd!
Year 6 (Combined Boys & Girls Team) – Orchard 2nd!
Walhampton Cup (Overall Combined All Year Groups) – Orchard 3rd!

Finally, yesterday, our Sportshall Athletics League team took to Testwood for the final meet of the Athletics League season. These children have worked incredibly hard this school year, pushing their limits to achieve personal bests, beat school records and compete to the highest standard. The teamwork and support shown by this team is a huge standout for us at Orchard. You are all excellent ambassadors for sport at Orchard – well done, team. We started the meet in 2nd place with the motivation to maintain this spot and try to close the gap on 1st place. Starting the event in great fashion, we saw fantastic races from all 8 athletes, securing top-place finishes in every race, followed by personal best performances in the field events and finally rounded off with some intense relay races. All of you should be very proud of your individual and team performances!

Results: 2nd place (Silver Medalists)

Congratulations to everyone who represented Orchard in sporting events this week!

On Friday we hosted Beaulieu Primary and Cadland Primary for our annual Year 5&6 Tag Rugby tournament. 83 children took part in total, all showing an incredible level of Tag Rugby in both their individual skills and teamwork. Special thanks to Fawley Rugby Club and our Noadswood Sports Leaders for helping out at the event.

On Wednesday our Sportshall Athletics team represented the New Forest at the County Sportshall Athletics Championships, after qualifying at our regional event back in January. These 12 children have been working incredibly hard in athletics club before school to master their techniques and be competition ready. This hard work paid off, with many of our young athletes smashing their personal bests - well done team!

A special shout out to Lydia who matched the school record in Girls Standing Long Jump - an amazing performance!

After an afternoon of outstanding teamwork, effort and performances the team were able to secure the silver medals and finish in 2nd place in the county! That's back to back to back silver's in County Sportshall Athletics for Orchard!

Well done team - you truly earned this achievement!

On Thursday we took 20 Year 3 & 4 children to the New Forest Schools, Gang Warily Cross Country event. All 20 children showed excellent determination and resilience throughout their races, competing against over 100 other runners in each race, whilst showing fantastic support while others were racing.

In the Year 3 Girls Race, we secured the individual gold and silver medal, as well as the Team Gold - with our 3 runners forming our A-Team finishing 1st, 2nd and 7th!

Backing up a strong start, our Year 3 Boys claimed the Team Silver medal with outstanding runs from all the boys. Our top three runners finishing 7th, 8th and 16th!

In both the Year 4 Boys and Girls races we saw some excellent individual and team performances, missing out on the medal places this time, but showing great potential for future events. Well done team!

Results:

Year 3 Girls - Gold

Year 3 Boys - Silver

On Monday 31st March we took 8 year 4 children to a Netball Festival at Brockenhurst College. In the seeding group matches the team demonstrated fantastic teamwork to work the group.

Orchard were placed into tier 1 against 3 other teams who topped their group. All 3 games were played in a fantastic spirit with the team winning 1, drawing 1 and losing 1. Well done team!

This week, Orchard attended back-to-back Tag Rugby events, showcasing the talent and dedication of our students.

On Wednesday, our Year 3 and 4 squads made their way to Brockenhurst College to compete in challenging, windy conditions. Having practiced during PE lessons, lunchtime and after-school clubs, the children demonstrated exceptional understanding of the rules and game play. Their teamwork, fair play and respect for both opponents and officials stood out and truly impressed everyone. You’ve all made us at Orchard incredibly proud!

Our Yellow Team faced a tough start with two challenging matches but showed resilience, finishing the day with an impressive four-game winning streak. Congratulations to the team on your determination and growth!

Meanwhile, our White Team came out strong, securing victories in five out of six games. Their only loss came by just one try, highlighting their exceptional performance. Fantastic work, team!

On Thursday, our Year 5 and 6 teams returned to Brockenhurst College, showing the passion and skills they’ve developed through training. Their strong tactics, game understanding and teamwork in both attack and defense were impressive. Both teams won their seeding rounds and advanced to the top-tier groups.

Our Yellow Tag Team finished the day in Tier 1, with two draws and one loss, competing in some of the most fiercely contested matches of the tournament. You all displayed remarkable teamwork and skill—well done!

The White Tag Team also finished in Tier 1, with two dominant wins and one narrow defeat. Their performance was a true testament to teamwork, resilience and hard work. Outstanding work, team—you were exceptional throughout the day!

A huge congratulations to all of our students who represented Orchard in Tag Rugby this week. Your effort and sportsmanship were inspiring!

Don't forget our weekly Tag Rugby lunchtime club, which runs every Thursday from 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm. Please ensure your child brings their PE kit or suitable sports clothing to participate.

On Wednesday 23rd April, we took two very talented lower school Tennis teams to compete in the New Forest Schools competition, at Totton Tennis Centre. After honing their skills in PE before Easter, the children were able to showcase their talent in competition and apply and continue to develop their skills throughout the afternoon.

Our B team made up of four Year 3 students showed a fantastic level of tennis ability, focus and tactics during their matches, finishing second in their group - an outstanding result! The future is bright for these tennis stars!

Our A team made up of Year 4's, won all three of their seeding round matches and were placed in the top tier of competition and after some very high level and close matches they secured the silver medal, finishing 2nd overall for the entire competition. An incredible performance and result, congratulations team!

On Wednesday 30th April, we took two Year 5 & 6 Hockey teams to compete at Arnewood School in the New Forest Schools competition. It had been a long time since we completed our Hockey unit in PE, back in September. However, the children mastered the rules from the start and were able to recall the key skills learned back in September's PE, and even develop them in the matches, finishing the afternoon playing some really exciting hockey.

Well done to all involved!

Results:

Orchard A: 5th overall (Tier 2 Runners-Up)

Orchard B: 7th overall (Tier 3 Gold Medal Winners)

On Wednesday 7th May, two of our Year 4 & 5 athletics teams proudly represented Orchard at the annual Tim Wilding School Competition, held at Noadswood School and hosted by the New Forest Junior Athletics Club.

The event followed the QuadKids format, with each athlete competing in a 75m sprint, long jump, vortex throw and 600m run.

Our athletes performed brilliantly across all events, with several achieving personal bests—an incredible accomplishment!

A special congratulations to Tilly, who took home the gold medal in the girls’ individual event and to Ella, who secured an impressive second place!

Team success followed individual triumphs:

Girls Team 1 were crowned overall champions in the girls’ competition
Boys Team 1 also finished first in the boys’ event

These outstanding results led to Orchard being named the overall winners of the entire competition for 2025!

Well done to all of our athletes—you were fantastic and represented the school with pride and determination!

If you’re interested in getting involved with the New Forest Junior Athletics Club, they train on Tuesday evenings at Noadswood School. You can reach out to them at: newforestjuniors@gmail.com or visit their website: http://www.newforestjuniors.co.uk/

On Thursday 8th May, we took three Year 5&6 Netball teams to Cadland Primary for a round-robin tournament.

All three teams played with great teamwork and skill, growing in confidence each game.

Shout out to our A team, who were undefeated across all 5 of their matches, finishing in first place - excellent performance girls!

Our B and C teams both played with amazing effort and improved each game against tough opposition. Well done girls, great performances!

If you are interested in joining a netball club outside of school, please check out Waterside Netball Club, which takes place at Noadswood School on a Tuesday evening. You can contact the club via email: Watersidenetball@hotmail.com for more information.

Last week Orchard hosted Cadland playing 4 friendly matches. Orchard's two teams were made up of 14 year 5 pupils, who all showed great sportsmanship, teamwork and desire. Well done to all involved.

Last week was busy for our Year 3&4 sports teams!

On Wednesday 4th June, our talented Year 3&4 Tennis squad returned to Totton Tennis Centre for the New Forest Schools, Tennis Finals.

With our A-Team qualifying in second place and our B team in 9th after the the first round we were excited to see how they would go against the best teams from across the forest.

Both teams represented our school superbly and give their absolute best throughout.

It was great to see how every player (including our two late replacements) improved across the afternoon and played with great skill and determination. Orchard A - Claimed another silver medal, finishing in 2nd place only losing 1 game all day to the overall winners. An outstanding achievement.

We now wait to hear if we will get a chance to represent the New Forest at the County Games. Our B Team finished 3rd in their tier, showing great potential for next year!Well done to everyone involved!

Want more tennis? See the summer tennis camps at Noadswood School with @WatersideSportsCamp

On Thursday 5th June, we were at Gang Warily for the Year 3&4 Cross Country Relays.

One of our favourite events of the year, a really exciting event bringing together endurance running and teamwork! Again, the children represented Orchard Junior impeccably, working together in their relay teams incredibly well, running with individual determination and showing support for one another throughout.

Outstanding teamwork and individual performance everyone. Our A-Team secured the silver medals with a team score of 6, after finishing 2nd in the first relay race and 4th in the second race.

We are very excited for the cross country talent we have at Orchard - remember Wednesday lunch time is our athletics running club and cross county, just bring your pe and trainers and meet Mr Ramsey on the field at 12:15pm.

Finally, on Friday 6th June, we hosted our Year 3 & 4 Boys Football tournament for local schools across the Waterside.

A fantastic afternoon of football, which saw great teamwork, individual skills and hard work from all of our young footballers. Once again, these boys represented our school with pride and respect.

Well done boys it was a great watch! Both our Year 3's and Year 4's finished 2nd in their respective groups, showing a lot of talent to be excited for in future matches.

Remember, Tuesday lunch time is our Boys Football club from 12:15pm, just bring your kit, boots and shins pad (essential) and join in.

For more football over the summer holidays, see Mr Ramsey's Football Clinic www.thefootballclinicuk.com

New Forest Schools Athletics Championships

On Thursday 19th June, our students proudly represented the school at the New Forest Schools Athletics Championships held at the Southampton Sports Centre. With our Year 6s away in Castleton, it was up to our Year 5s—and two determined Year 4s—to step up and rise to the challenge. After weeks of committed training during mornings, lunchtimes and after-school sessions, our young athletes were well-prepared and eager to give their all.

Despite the scorching heat, both of our teams performed exceptionally well—achieving numerous personal bests and showing incredible teamwork and determination, especially during the 4x100m relay.

We’re proud to celebrate four new school records: