As this extraordinary academic year comes to a close, we look back with immense pride at the strength, depth, and ambition of our sports programme. Across football, netball, cross-country, swimming, hockey, cricket, athletics, dance, and trampolining, our pupils from Year 7 through to the Sixth Form have competed with fierce determination, resilience, and a visible pride in representing the school. This comprehensive review brings together all the historic scorelines, team championships, individual elite representations, and exciting developments celebrated this year.

The 2025-26 football season has been a landmark year of growth and strategic development, demonstrating exceptional individual progress and team cohesion across the school.

Unprecedented Depth: We fielded a total of 17 different football teams and contested 82 matches throughout the year, finishing with an impressive record of 32 wins and 17 draws.

Major Campaign Highlights:

• The Under 16s delivered a commanding performance to reach the Quarter Finals of the GDST National Rally.
• The Under 15s showcased great tactical maturity during a phenomenal cup run in the County Cup.
• The Under 13 A team secured a clinical 5-0 victory against Croydon High School, while the Under 13 B team completed an extraordinary, completely unbeaten season!
• The Under 12 A team produced an unmatched attacking masterclass with a historic 9-0 victory over Bromley High School.

Coaching Excellence: We were absolutely delighted to welcome UEFA B licensed coach, Abi Ingram, to our coaching staff. Her elite expertise, along with the immense fun and energy she brought to the Year 7 training sessions, was a delight to witness.

Our sincere thanks go to our dedicated coaching team, Mr. Rowlands, Mr. Guevara, Mr. Whittingham, and Mr. Wallbank, for their exceptional time, effort, and support throughout the season.

Our netball programme has experienced another fabulous season, expanding not just in participation numbers but significantly in tactical execution, skill development, and competitive drive.

Massive Engagement: An incredible 16 netball teams took to the courts this year, battling through over 115 fixtures. With A-D teams performing in Years 7 and 8, and A and B squads dominating the upper years, approximately 140 performers proudly represented the school.

Standout Local Fixtures:

• The U15A team secured a dominant 21-8 victory against St Dunstan’s.
• The U13B squad dug deep in a high-pressure, closely fought match against Bromley, winning 10-9.
• The U12B team displayed beautiful court coverage to defeat Royal Russell 19-2.
• The U12A squad showed flawless excellence with a resounding 25-4 win over Sydenham School.

Sisters n Sport Knockout Brilliance: In the highly demanding, long-format 3rd round of the prestigious Sisters n Sport Cup, our U16A team shifted into another gear to achieve a staggering 43-3 victory against Kingsdale Foundation, applying advanced tactical circle strategies practised in training.

Tournaments & Rallies: The U14s travelled to Northampton High for the GDST Rally, showing tremendous early-season progress after concluding their previous year at Condover Hall. The U13 A and B teams then made their mark at Condover Hall, where the U13B squad finished as Plate Champions. At the highly competitive Kent Netball Rallies, the U13s secured a hard-fought 6-1 victory against Rainham, while our unstoppable U12s won the vast majority of their matches.

This season has been incredibly exciting for Hockey, with growing numbers across all squads. Over 60 girls trained regularly from U12 up to the Senior squads, building a strong reputation for resilient defensive lines and quick transitions.

Junior Squad Enthusiasm: The U12 and U13 squads displayed unparalleled enthusiasm, with over 30 girls regularly attending morning training. The U12s secured key wins against Croydon and finished as Plate Runners-Up at their GDST Rally.

U13 Progress: Building beautifully on last year’s foundations, the U13 squad also secured Plate Runners-Up at the GDST Rally, narrowly missing out on moving forward in London Schools purely due to goal difference.

Senior Squads: The U14 and U16 squads made immense progress in refining wide distribution and cohesive defensive unit play, celebrating standout victories against St Dunstan’s and Kingsdale.

Swimming Excellence

It has been another fantastic year in the water, combining highly disciplined morning training sessions with elite gala successes. Our Monday and Wednesday morning swimming sessions saw fantastic attendance from Year 7 all the way up to Year 13.

Bromley Swimming Gala: Lilias H won the U13 100m Individual Medley (IM). The U13 relay team, comprising Amelie C, Tabitha D, Lilias H, and Georgie H, swept the gala by winning both the 4x100m IM relay and the 4x100m Freestyle relay. Amelie swam a brilliant breaststroke leg, and Tabitha executed a powerful 3rd leg in the freestyle to anchor these glorious victories.

GDST National Gala: Competing against some of the absolute best swimmers across the country, Samuela achieved a significant milestone by qualifying for the U14 Final and the 50m Freestyle Final, proving her skill while competing against older athletes.

Trampolining Composure

Trampolining continues to provide an excellent pathway for developing technical execution, air consistency, and mental composure under pressure. Competitors were judged rigorously on their execution, difficulty, height consistency, and central alignment on the bed across both their compulsory and choreographically tailored ten-bounce voluntary routines. This year, the discipline provided an outstanding competitive arena for our GCSE PE pupils, who performed exceptionally well in high-stakes matches against regional rivals including JAGS and Sydenham School.

Our cross-country season was packed with historic team milestones and landmark long-distance achievements across challenging courses.

Lewisham Borough Championships: Our runners put on a masterclass, with Charlotte finishing 2nd and Ava finishing 3rd in Year 8. With 6 runners placing in the top 10, the Junior team qualified to represent the borough at the London Schools Championships, where they took a magnificent 2nd place finish across London on a dry, hilly course.

ESAA English Schools Cross-Country: The Junior team qualified as regional finalists. Braving an extremely wet, waterlogged course, they showed outstanding grit, with Charlotte crossing the line as the first runner home at an impressive 17th out of 92 elite runners.

London Schools Championships: Competing for places on the London national squad, Ava finished 12th out of 131 runners to earn an English Schools selection letter. Orla finished an incredible 5th, securing a coveted spot on the London team to run at the National English Schools Championships. The Junior team placed 4th out of 19 teams overall.

GDST Cross-Country Championships: Facing a demanding, woody course in Croydon where every single runner’s placing contributed to the team score, our athletes excelled. Orla won the Senior Race outright, propelling Sydenham High to finish an incredible 2nd place overall in the GDST—our highest team finish in school history!

Cricket has enjoyed an outstanding year, marked by soaring participation rates, vibrant team spirit, and expanded schedules for both girls’ softball and hardball cricket.

Morning Training & Fixture Success: Attendance at early morning training sessions reached an all-time high. This directly translated into fixture success, with our U12 B and C teams securing notable victories over Blackheath High School, Bromley High School, and Croydon High School.

National Schools Cricket Day: On Thursday April 23, over 150 girls across the junior and senior schools united to celebrate National Schools Cricket Day. Pupils took part in explosive catching and batting challenges to test reactions, coordination, and technique, with prizes awarded for the top scores in each year group.

A special thank you goes to Mrs. Bebbington-Nixon and Mr. Wallbank for their exceptional commitment in running the AM sessions and managing the summer competitive fixtures.

The track and field athletics season was nothing short of breathtaking, culminating in regional titles, standard-shattering records, and an inspirational celebration event.

ESAA English Schools Track & Field Cup Double Victory

On Friday May 8, our athletics teams delivered a phenomenal performance at the ESAA English Schools’ Track and Field Cup, bringing home 1st place in both the Junior Girls and Intermediate Girls competitions! Facing prestigious rivals—including Thomas’s Battersea, St Dunstan’s, Saint Cecilia’s, Eltham College, Blackheath High, and City of London School for Girls—our athletes rose to the occasion to top the regional leaderboard.

Key individual results included:

• Ava F: Won the Junior 800m with a dominant time of 2:31.9.
• Charlotte B: Won the Junior 1500m with a superb clocking of 5:18.9.
• Sophia A: Secured a strong, composed finish in the 1500m at 5:34.2.
• Nahla B: Clocked a blistering 13.2 seconds to win the 100m sprint.
• Elliot A: Delivered a highly determined, well-paced 300m finish in 44.1 seconds.

Regional & London Championships Standings

Lewisham Champions: We once again won the Lewisham Schools Championships, sending a powerful delegation of 20 athletes across Years 7–10 to represent the borough at the London Schools Championships. At Mile End, 14 of our athletes achieved exceptional standings:

• Artemis: Finished 2nd in London in the Javelin.
• Bea: Finished 4th in London in the 70m Hurdles and set a high jump Personal Best (PB) of 1.20m.
• Ava & Charlotte: Placed 5th in London in the 800m and 1500m respectively.
• Monica: Smashed her Personal Best with a leap of over 4 metres in the Long Jump.
• Both the Year 7 and Year 8 relay teams were made up entirely of Sydenham & Dulwich Girls’ athletes!

Regional Track & Field Cup Finals: Following first-round victories, our Junior Girls finished an outstanding 4th overall in the Region, and the Inters placed 10th. At these finals, Charlotte won the Junior 1500m across the entire London & South East Region, while Elliot won the Intermediate 300m. Nahla took 1st in the 100m, and Sophia A placed 3rd in the 1500m.

GDST Athletics Rally: Facing 25 schools, the Senior team finished an incredible 4th overall. Podium finishes included Golds for Nahla (Year 10 100m and Shot Putt), Silvers for Imona (100m) and Kalypso (100m), and Bronzes for Bea (Hurdles), Nielle (200m), Charlotte (1500m), and both the Year 7 and Year 10 relay teams. Nahla was named Athlete of the Day as a triple medalist!

Record-Breaking Sports Day & Awards Evening

Annual Sports Awards Evening: On Monday 29th June, we hosted our annual awards celebration. We were deeply honoured to welcome guest speaker Marilyn Okoro—Team GB Olympian, Olympic Bronze Medalist, World Championship Bronze Medalist, and European Silver Medalist. Her presentation on dedication left our students profoundly inspired.

Historic Sports Day: Fierce house rivalry culminated in five long-standing school records being officially broken:

• Thalia H (Year 7): Broke the Year 7 Javelin record.
• Bea C (Year 7): Broke the Year 7 Hurdles record.
• Ava F (Year 8): Broke the Year 8 800m record.
• Elliott A (Year 10): Broke the Year 10 300m record.
• Orla W (Year 12): Smashed both the Senior 800m and 1500m records.

After combining all track and field points, congratulations go to Gurney House, the overall Sports Day Winners!

Our More Able and Talented (MAT) and High Performance Programme (HPP) provision has delivered an exciting, multifaceted year dedicated to full elite athlete development.

Workshops & Seminars: Scholars engaged in comprehensive sessions covering high-performance nutrition, elite sport psychology, and menstrual wellbeing. A highlight was the interactive Nutrition Seminar led by Team GB Nutritionist George, providing tailored strategies on pre-performance fueling, structural diet management, and recovery.

Excursions & Inspiration: Students thoroughly enjoyed trips to witness elite sport in action, including observing the dynamic “King and Queen of the Court” volleyball competition at Crystal Palace Park and attending an inspiring tennis excursion to Eastbourne. At our Careers in Sport Evening, scholars gained invaluable perspectives from three successful women detailing their professional pathways within the sports industry.

Looking Ahead: Strategic Programme Enhancements for Next Year!

We are thrilled to unveil substantial additions to our elite athletic support infrastructure for the upcoming year:

1:1 Individual Mentorship: Starting from Year 7 upwards, every scholar will be paired with a dedicated staff mentor who will provide continuous baseline guidance and remain with them throughout their entire school career.

VEO Performance Video Analysis: Every scholar will receive a personal school VEO account, allowing them to digitally stream and visually analyze recorded school fixtures to directly inform tactical progress with their mentors.

FitFor Gym Strength & Conditioning: In an exclusive new partnership with FitFor Gym, scholars will complete comprehensive fitness assessments to establish baseline metrics. These will form the foundation of personalised strength and conditioning programmes, executed across two weekly guided sessions in our brand-new fitness suite.

Optimise Sport Psychology Seminars: We will introduce three specialised sport psychology seminars distributed across the terms with Optimise Sport Psychology to manage competitive anxiety and build a resilient mindset.

What an unbelievable year of sporting excellence! We wish all our pupils, families, and staff a wonderful summer break, and look forward to hitting even greater heights next season!