Hat-trick for Great School Run

A RECORD number of schools took part in the third Great School Run at Stonor Park.

Pupils, parents and teachers from more than 50 schools, nurseries and pre-schools took part in the event, which raised £430 for Be Free Young Carers, an Oxfordshire charity that provides support for children caring for a loved one.

The event was organised by Rupert House School in collaboration with Education Henley, an alliance of teachers set up to encourage collaboration between local schools.

About 350 children ran different distances according to their age and there was a race for parents and carers.

The nursery and reception children ran 340m, years one and two ran 780m, years three and four ran 940m and years five and six ran 1,850m, the same distance as the parents and secondary pupils.

The race was primarily organised by keen runner and Rupert House parent Birte Hayes supported by Kevin Nutt, a former PE teacher at Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge School, and his wife Helen.

Staff and parents from Rupert House helped on the day with registration, marshalling, first aid and photography and a number of parents and grandparents helped marshal the route and pace the races.

All finishers were presented with participation certificates and the top three boys and girls in each category were presented with eco-friendly wooden medals by Rupert House headteacher Nick Armitage. The Mayor’s Cup, for the school with the highest percentage of participants relative to its size, was awarded to Rupert House School where 40 per cent of all pupils took part.

The Bell Street school was followed by St Mary’s Preparatory School in St Andrew’s Road and the Heights Primary School in Caversham.

Mr Armitage, who participated in the parents’ race said: “It was great fun. I wasn’t able to run last year as I was injured.

“We talk about role models a lot with the children, so it’s good to practise what you preach.”

His wife Polly took part in the women’s race and his youngest daughter Claudie, a year one pupil at Rupert House, ran 780m.

“Claudie loved it,” said Mr Armitage. “My wife and I both ended up mid-table in our races but it was really fun to do.

“There were lots of people there that we knew so it was a very social with a lovely
atmosphere.

“It was quite a challenging course for the older kids and adults. You start by running up a slope and then it turns left and loops around again. It’s about 2km but it’s very quick.

“It’s a great event to be a part of and it’s all about the taking part and being active — we wanted everyone to feel a sense of achievement.

“We had lots of representation from other schools with teachers and sports leaders taking part. There was a real community feel to it and it wouldn’t work if it weren’t like that.”

Mr Armitage said Be Free Young Carers had asked to be the beneficiary. “It’s amazing the work they do,” he said. “We have children at Rupert House who are classified child carers, as do the other schools in the area so it’s great to be able to support children in those positions.

“We did this event in partnership with Education Henley — all the schools pushed it out to their parents and parent bodies and we had more than 50 schools, which is amazing.”

Mr Armitage thanked the Stonor family for hosting the event and for providing a PA system which was used by compère and Rupert House parent Ben Watson.

The schools that took part were: Alfred Sutton Primary School, Badgemore Primary School, Benson School, Bix Montessori School, Cabin Pre-School, Caldicott Preparatory School, Caversham Preparatory School, Danesfield School, Denning Montessori School, Emmer Green Pre-School, Eton Pre-School, Ewelme Primary School, First Steps First Nursery, Goring Primary School, Great Binfields Primary School, Harpsden Pre-School, Heathfield School, Highmoor Nursery School, Jelli Tots Nursery, Kidmore End Primary School, Lambrook School, Little Hearts Pre-school, Little Squirrels, Maiden Erlegh School, Moulsford Prep School, Nettlebed Community School, Nettlebed Pre-School, Peapods Nursery School, Peppard Primary School, Queen Anne’s School, Reading Blue Coat School, Reading School, Robert Piggott CofE School, Rupert House School, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Sherfield School, Shiplake Primary School, Sonning Common Primary School, South Stoke Primary School, Spinfield School, St Andrew’s Pre-school, St Mary’s Preparatory School, St Nicholas Infants School, Thameside Primary School, The Abbey, The Heights Primary School, The Manor Preparatory School, The Oratory Prep School, Trinity Primary School, Trinity Pre-School, Valley Road Primary School, Watlington Primary School, Wise Owls Nursery, and Woodcote Primary School.

The results were as follows:

Nursery

Boys: 1 Oscar Robbins, Jelli Tots Nursery; 2 Xander Milne, Denning Montessori School; 3 Doug Hamand, Peapods Nursery School

Girls: 1 Freya, Bix Montessori School; 2 Etra Benson, Little Hearts Pre-School; 3 Melody Jones, Highmoor Nursery School

Reception

Boys: 1 Joshua Cima, The Heights Primary School; 2 Jack Friend, Rupert House School; 3 Harrison Barr, Rupert House School

Girls: 1 Phoebe Conway, Nettlebed Community School; 2 Milly-May Pontin, Rupert House School; 3 Zara Kingsford, Nettlebed Community School

Year 1

Boys: 1 Aston Mole, St Marys; 2 not known; 3 Emerson Jones, Kidmore End Primary School

Girls: 1 not known; 2 Gabriella Fernandez, St Mary’s Prep School; 3 Anya Barcella, Badgemore Primary School

Year 2

Boys: 1 Max Smith, Sacred Heart Primary School; 2 Finley Stowell, Trinity Primary School; 3 Finn Star, Trinity Primary School

Girls: 1= Phoebe Soles, Nettlebed Community School, and Alice O’Brien, Trinity Primary School; 3 Tattie Kertesz, St Mary’s Prep; 3 Poppy Starmer-Smith, Nettlebed Community School

Year 3

Boys: 1 Joseph Conway, Nettlebed Community School; 2 William Ellera, Valley Road Primary School; 3 unknown

Girls: 1 Sophie Longdon, The Oratory Prep School; 2 Isabelle Bromley, Trinity Primary School; 3 Florence Smith, Rupert House School

Year 4

Boys: 1 Elliot Parsley, Goring Primary School; 2 Frank O’Brien, Trinity Primary School; 3 Thomas Mills, The Heights Primary School

Girls: 1 Teddy Molnar, Rupert House School; 2 Ellie Smith, Sacred Heart Primary School; 3 Imogen Beever, Peppard Primary School

Year 5

Boys: 1 Lucas Robinson, Moulsford Prep School; 2 Evan Cuthbert-Brown, Peppard Primary School; 3 Mark Green, Trinity Primary School

Girls: 1 Jemima Watson, Rupert House School; 2 Eloise Wouters, Rupert House School; 3 Taba Campbell, Valley Road Primary School

Year 6

Boys: 1 Raph Odlin, Caversham Prep School; 2 Isaac Ryder Caversham Primay School; 3 Austin Lawrence, St Mary’s Prep School

Girls: 1 Sassy Balfour, The Oratory Prep School; 2 Matilda Groh, Rupert House School; 3 Freya Hodgkins, Rupert House School

Secondary

Boys: 1 Cotty Paulin, Caldicott Prep School. No other entrants

Girls: 1 Elsie Paulin, Heathfield School; 2 Amelia Moore, The Abbey

Adults

Men: 1 Richard Cannings, St Mary’s Prep School; 2 Nick Friend, Rupert House School; 3 Anthony Campbell, Valley Road Primary School

Women: 1 Birte Hayes, Rupert House School; 2 Rebecca Keating, The Heights Primary School; 3 Sarah O’Connor, Trinity Primary School