ORCHARD JUNIOR SCHOOL
Growing Together. Branching Out.
Headteacher: Mrs Carol Taylor
Phone: 02380 843162
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.
Thursday 9th January marked another exciting chapter for our athletes at the second meet of the New Forest Athletics League. Currently sitting in second place, our team has shown tremendous dedication, training hard in morning clubs to achieve new personal bests. A special shout-out goes to Maja, who broke the school record in the girls’ shot put, and Brody, who matched the boys’ long jump—both of you have truly earned these incredible achievements!
All our athletes gave their best, competing fiercely against tough opposition. The standout moments of the day came from the team relays. The girls displayed outstanding teamwork, winning their heat with flawless change-overs. Meanwhile, the boys narrowly finished second in a thrilling, neck-and-neck race that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
A huge congratulations to everyone for your hard work and determination! We eagerly await the final results from yesterday’s meet and look forward to the final Athletics League meet in March. Keep up the fantastic effort and let’s finish the indoor season strong!
Last week, we had the pleasure of taking 12 upper school students to the gymnastics festival at Noadswood School. The children had the chance to explore a variety of gymnastics equipment, including the trampoline, in a fun and supportive environment. A huge thank you to Noadswood for hosting the event and to the former Orchard students who helped run it—your enthusiasm and expertise in gymnastics were truly inspiring. Well done to everyone involved for making it such a fun and successful experience!
On Saturday, we proudly took two indoor athletics teams to compete in the New Forest Finals, having earned their spots at the qualifying event back in November. These students have dedicated countless hours to training, constantly pushing their limits and striving for new personal bests. Their commitment to athletics has been unwavering, with many sacrificing their usual weekend activities to represent our school and showcase their talents in Athletics.
Throughout the competition, every athlete displayed incredible resilience and determination. However, what truly stood out to the staff and parents in attendance was the sense of unity, encouragement, and support that they showed one another. This spirit of teamwork was beautifully captured in the photo below. Regardless of the race result, every team member was met with the same warm, supportive welcome - high fives all-round.
Well done to all – you’ve made Orchard proud!
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Results: Orchard A = 3rd Place (Bronze Medalists)
Orchard B = 6th Place
On the 5th February, we took three Year 5 and 6 badminton teams to the New Forest Schools competition at NFA. Our teams have been training hard in the morning club to hone their skills and understand tactics, all of which they executed brilliantly in today’s competition.
All three of our teams qualified for the top tier after the seeding round and competed for the overall winners’ medal, as well as the chance to represent the New Forest at the county games later this month. Our C team, made up entirely of Year 5 students, played excellently throughout the day and narrowly missed out on the bronze medal, finishing 4th overall—an incredible effort, and we look forward to seeing what they can achieve next year!
Our A and B teams battled it out for the top spot, with our A team claiming gold and our B team securing silver. An incredible achievement to have all three teams finish in the top 4 in the New Forest, with our A and B teams finishing 1st and 2nd, earning qualification for the county event.
Congratulations to all our teams, incredible results!
Orchard A - 1st (Gold Medals)
Orchard B - 2nd (Silver Medals)
Orchard C - 4th
In the last week of January these amazing year 3 and 4 pupils took part in a 'Can Do' Festival at West Totton Community Centre. They were joined by 8 other schools to try out 5 exciting and different sports such as Curling, Sealed Volleyball, Bocce, Blind Football and a Guided Obstacle Course. All 6 Pupils represented Orchard impeccably and the smiles on their faces spoke volumes.
Last week we had the pleasure of taking 12 year 3 and 4 students to the gymnastics festival at Noadswood School. The students had the choice to explore a variety of gymnastic equipment.
Many thanks to Noadswood for hosting the event and giving the Orchard students such a fun and exciting afternoon.
New Forest Cross Country – Outstanding Performances!
On Monday 10th February, we took 31 runners to the Year 5 & 6 New Forest Cross Country Races at Gang Warily.
In bitterly cold conditions, our young athletes displayed incredible resilience and determination, giving their all in highly competitive races featuring over 100 runners each. A huge well done to everyone—you were all amazing!
Special Mentions:
Year 5 Girls: A huge congratulations to Ella, who ran a phenomenal race to secure 2nd place, earning her spot at the County Championships after half term.
Year 5 Boys: Kaan delivered an outstanding performance, also finishing 2nd, while Joe battled hard to claim 5th place—both qualifying for next month’s County Championships.
Year 6 Girls: Jana ran a strong and composed race to take 2nd place, securing her third consecutive year representing the New Forest at the County Championships! A special mention to Mayleigh, who produced the standout performance of the day—charging from around 30th to 4th place with a relentless, determined, and daring effort that paid off, also earning her County qualification.
Team Results:
Year 5 Boys – 1st (Gold Medalists)
Year 5 Girls – 2nd (Silver Medalists)
Year 6 Girls – 2nd (Silver Medalists)
Year 6 Boys – 4th
An incredible effort from every runner—well done to all our athletes, and best of luck to our 5 County qualifiers!
Back to back football for our Girls and Boys Teams!
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On Wednesday 12th February, we took both girls' teams to Brockenhurst College for the New Forest County Qualifier event. Both teams were a pleasure to coach and represented the school with passion and excellent attitudes throughout the day. They demonstrated remarkable skill and teamwork, which truly stood out.
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Our A team advanced confidently all the way to the final, where they faced a tough Abbotswood side. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, leading to extra time and eventually penalties. Unfortunately, it wasn't our day and we ended as runners-up. However, our girls qualified for the Hampshire County Tournament in March, alongside Abbotswood. Well done to the A team, and good luck in March!
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Meanwhile, our B team showed great teamwork and improvement with each match. Competing in Tier 2, they narrowly missed out on the bronze medal match, finishing 3rd in their group. Well done girls for your effort and commitment!
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On Thursday 13th February, we were back at Brockenhurst for the boys' tournament. The boys matched the girls' energy, showcasing fantastic attitude, passion and skill, all while upholding our school's values.
The A team qualified for Tier 1, playing with great teamwork and determination. Unfortunately, they didn’t progress to the medal rounds, finishing 4th in their group and an overall equal 5th. Well done boys for your hard work!
Our B team, made up entirely of Year 5 students, qualified for Tier 2 and fought hard to reach the bronze medal match, finishing 2nd in their group. In a thrilling final moments, they managed to secure a 1-0 win against Calmore, earning the bronze medals. Well done, boys—what a match to witness!
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!
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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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!
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Individual Medalists:
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Year 5 Boys: Kaan – 1st (Gold Medalist)
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Year 6 Girls: Mayleigh – 3rd (Bronze Medalist)
Team Results:
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Year 5 (Combined Boys & Girls Team) – Orchard 2nd!
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Year 6 (Combined Boys & Girls Team) – Orchard 2nd!
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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.
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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
