Three schools took the honours at the 61st ESSA Secondary Schools Team Swimming Championships at the London Aquatic Centre.

Of the twelve titles up for grabs at the first national schools’ championships of the new school year, Millfield School won seven finals while Devon’s Mount Kelly School claimed four and Plymouth College one.

(To read a full report with pictures check out the next edition of School Sport Magazine. Subscribe for just £29. Single copies available for £6 each)

King’s Ely staged one of the comebacks of the season to qualify for the third round of the England Hockey National Schools U18 Girls Championships.

The Cambridgeshire side were 4-1 down with just eight minutes to go against Wellingborough School when up stepped Rebecca Daniel to score four goals (all eight of her team’s total in the competition so far) to secure a 5-4 victory.

King’s Ely, who had defeated Stamford High School 3-0 in the first round, will play their third round tie before Christmas.

More than 100 schools have entered the tier one U18 championships which, this season, are being held in a knockout format for the first time.

The 38th English Schools ESAA Cross Country Cup will take place on Saturday November 24 at Woodbridge School in Suffolk.

The event - the premier schools’ team cross country event in England – will feature 24 school teams in each of the four age group finals with almost 600 runners taking part on the day.

A series of regional finals held last weekend sorted out the finalists after more than 8000 school athletes took part in first round trials.

Favourites for the intermediate U15 girls’ race include Amersham’s Dr Challoner’s High School, Coopers Company & Coborn School and Millfield.

The junior U13 boys event could feature Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, Ilkley Grammar School and Essex’ Eastwood Academy.

Favourites for the junior U13 girls’ race include Dr Challoner’s High School, Bradford Grammar and Durham High School while the intermediate U15 boys event could feature hosts Woodbridge, Calday Grange Grammar and Tomlinscote School.

The programme will start at 1pm with the intermediate girls’ race followed by the other three races and the presentation is scheduled for 3.15pm.

Dozens of national competitions have been completed and hundreds of schools have turned in a series of remarkable sporting achievements after months of hard work.

To work out the best of the best, School Sport Magazine has poured over the outcomes of dozens of events to highlight those schools that have achieved the best results on the national stage in 2018.

So congratulations to winners Coopers Company & Coborn School, from Essex, who have regained their number one slot after finishing third last year.

Coopers reached the summit for the second time in three years after a superb all-round season that saw them enjoy national success in athletics, badminton, cross-country, swimming and tennis competitions.

Well done too to second-placed Northampton School for Boys, who finished in the top two for the sixth successive year with accomplishments in football, basketball, athletics, rugby union and cross country competitions.

Congratulations also to Aylesbury High School, in third, who bounced back into the top three, after successful runs in badminton, basketball, tennis and cross country.

And cheers to fourth-placed Barking Abbey School, from Essex, Cheshire’s Wade Deacon High School in fifth, who made the top ten for the first time.

Hats off also to the other 24 teams who have made it into the top 30 of our sixth annual chart – not to mention the hundreds of other schools that haven’t made the list this year but are still providing excellent competitive opportunities for their pupils.

An indication of just how difficult it is to reach the list can be seen when you realise that reaching the top 30 means you are in the top 1% of sporting schools in the country while the top 100 represents the top 3%.

Our top sporting state schools of the year reflects competitive achievement in a range of sports throughout 2018 and honours those schools that take competitive sport especially seriously.

Based on more than 20 different sports and more than 120 different national competitions, keep watching online at www.schoolsportmag.co.uk for our extended top 100 list which will be uploaded online shortly and our top independent sports schools of the year which will be revealed in our January edition.

New Hall School golfers have been crowned winners of the national Independent Schools Golf Association (ISGA) Junior Schools Cup at Sunningdale Heath Golf Club and ISGA Schools Cup nett winners at Collingtree Park.

The talented junior team - Henry Styles and Freddie Warn - picked up the team trophy while Styles also came second in the individual competition.

The senior team - Ben Carson, Oliver and Freddie Warn - also excelled with Carson also finishing runner up in the individual nett event.

Head of golf Kevin Searle said: “Their hard work in preparation for the tournaments has paid off. They have competed against some extremely talented teams and I am really proud of their success.”

Golf is a very popular sporting choice among New Hall students, who enjoy a wide ranging co-curricular programme.

Fixtures and tournaments take place during midweek games sessions for those who have been selected to represent the school in all age groups.

Each team and individual has a challenging fixture programme that allows them to compete against some of the best teams in the country.

The search for the best of the best schools’ footballers has started with the most talented players having the opportunity to represent their country in the 2018-2019 schools’ football season.

U18 boys’ trials will commence on the 20th October in the North of England, where nominated players will be given the opportunity to impress selectors.

By being nominated, players have already achieved recognition from their county having already been put forward to play for their own local teams.

Players will be given the chance to play internationally by proving their ability to play effectively both individually and within a team.

The best players will be chosen to make up the ESFA England squad, where they will have the honour of representing their country.

The English Schools’ Football Association has been the governing body for schools’ football for England since 1904 and has been running it since 1907.

Those students that chose to remain in mainstream education and chose not to opt to join the academy system are rewarded by the ESFA, particularly at U18 level.

This is because the ESFA has deeply rooted values in education, celebrating students that make the decision to build a solid foundation of qualifications, wherever their football career may take them.

The selected England squad will have the opportunity to go on to represent their country in the Centenary Shield home nations competition.

The north trial will take place at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Blackburn this Saturday at 12.30pm, the Midlands trial at South Bromsgrove High School on Sunday at 2pm, the south east at Bedfont Sports Centre in Middlesex on Sunday October 28, the south west at 12.30pm with the final at Stafford Town on December 1.

Eight new sides have been quick to enter next season’s School Sport Magazine National Schools U15 T20 Girls Cricket Cup.

Two thirds of the places available have already been taken so schools need to move fast to ensure they book their place.

2018 champions Millfield have signed up for next season alongwith fellow finalists Shrewsbury School, Brighton College and the Leys School.

They will be joined by debutants Bede’s School, from Sussex, Holyrood Academy, from Somerset, Huntingdon’s Kimbolton School, King’s School Bruton, Monmouth School for Girls, Maidstone’s Sutton Valence School, Ripon Grammar and Ipswich’s Royal Hospital School as the growth in grass roots girls’ cricket continues.

Returning teams will include Berkhamsted School, Bradfield College, Colfe’s School, Ellesmere School, Emanuel School, Felsted School, Framlingham College, Godolphin & Latymer School, Gildredge House School, Hurstpierpoint College, Ibstock Place School, Leicester Grammar, Mayfield School, Moreton Hall School, New Hall School, Norwich School, Ormskirk School, Oundle School, Oxford High School, Parkstone Grammar, Queenswood School, St George’s College Weybridge, St Helen & St Katharine School, St Joseph’s College, Wigan’s St Peter’s Catholic High School, Wakefield Girls High School, Somerset’s Wellington School and Wellingborough School.

The 11-a-side hardball competition will be run on a local, county and regional basis in the early rounds to avoid excess travel and will be played mainly in midweek but weekends if preferred.

Run in group stages before the summer half term, the 16 pool winners qualify for the knockout stages with finals day taking place in early September 2019.

To take part in the 2019 cup, email [email protected]

Premier League footballers have headed back to school and joined PE lessons to encourage children to be active.

Visits so far have seen Tottenham Hotspur’s Kieran Trippier heading to St John Vianney Catholic Primary School and Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Conor Coady joining Fairfield Primary School for a PE lesson to remember.

Whilst at the schools, each footballer donated a Premier League Primary Stars equipment pack, including footballs, numbered and lettered floor spots and giant dice, which teachers at the primary school can use in lessons across the curriculum to help inspire children to learn and get moving.

Teacher Carol Burns, from Bromet Primary School in Watford, benefitted from the scheme and said: “This kit we’ve got now is absolutely superb because it gives the children opportunities and there’s even some children that have said they are now taking part in activities that they never would have taken part in before.

“Just looking around I’ve got a mix of boys and girls playing together and just getting on. It’s fantastic”

Nick Perchard, head of community at the Premier League said: “We are pleased to launch the Premier League Primary Stars Kit and Equipment scheme for the third successive year and give primary school teachers the chance to apply for a full Nike football kit for their class or an equipment pack which includes items that will encourage children to be active throughout their school day.

“Having footballers head into local primary schools to deliver free equipment and get involved in Premier League Primary Stars PE sessions is something I’m sure will having a positive and lasting impact on pupils and teachers alike.”

Run in partnership with Nike, the scheme provides primary school teachers with football kit and equipment to aid active lessons both in the classroom and on the sports field.

More than 8,000 schools have benefited from the initiative so far, with even more schools set to benefit this term, with applications now open for primary school teachers across England and Wales to apply for a free Nike football strip or a free equipment pack.

The scheme is available to primary school teachers who register to participate in Premier League Primary Stars at PLPrimaryStars.com, where curriculum-linked resources including lesson plans and worksheets are available to download for free.

Teachers based in England and Wales have until Friday October 26 to visit PLPrimaryStars.com to register and apply for the free Nike kit or free equipment pack.

A host of new and returning sides have been quick off the mark to enter next season’s School Sport Magazine National Schools U15 T20 Girls Cricket Cup – and we’d love you to join them.

Just a week after entries opened, half the places available have already been taken so schools need to move fast to ensure they book their place.

Just two weeks after an exciting 2018 finals days, this year’s champions Millfield have signed up for next season alongwith fellow finalists Shrewsbury School, Brighton College and the Leys School.

They will be joined by debutants Bede’s School, from Sussex, Holyrood Academy, from Somerset, Huntingdon’s Kimbolton School, Monmouth School for Girls, Ripon Grammar and Ipswich’s Royal Hospital School as the growth in grass roots girls’ cricket continues.

Returning teams will include Berkhamsted School, Bradfield College, Colfe’s School, Emanuel School, Felsted School, Framlingham College, Godolphin & Latymer School, Gildredge House School, Ibstock Place School, Leicester Grammar, Mayfield School, Moreton Hall School, New Hall School, Ormskirk School, Oundle School, Oxford High School, Parkstone Grammar, St Helen & St Katharine School, St Joseph’s College, Wigan’s St Peter’s Catholic High School, Wakefield Girls High School and Wellingborough School.

The 11-a-side hardball competition will be run on a local, county and regional basis in the early rounds to avoid excess travel and will be played mainly in midweek but weekends if preferred.

Run in group stages before the summer half term, the 16 pool winners qualify for the knockout stages with finals day taking place in early September 2019.

To take part in the 2019 cup, email [email protected]

The ESFA PlayStation Schools’ Cup, the biggest grassroots football competition in England, is back for a sixth season.

The partnership with the English Schools’ FA (ESFA) builds on PlayStation’s long-standing support of grassroots football, which is set to give more than 200,000 schoolchildren a chance to compete in high-profile national tournaments for boys and girls.

Since its inception, more than 40 Premier League players, including eleven of England’s recent World Cup squad, have backed the competition.

And with previous stellar names including Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Harry Maguire and John Stones, leading footballers will once again be recruited to help inspire the next generation of football stars.

This season will also see the return of National Schools’ Football Week, where hundreds of schools used the power of football to inspire pupils both on and off the pitch.

As part of the campaign, Fulham FC stars Ryan and Steven Sessegnon made a surprise visit to their former school in Surrey.

The twin brothers won the PlayStation Schools’ Cup with Coombe Boys’ School and have since gone on to football stardom with Fulham FC and England youth teams.

The 24 secondary school tournaments range from the main PlayStation Schools’ Cup through to ‘Small Schools’, ‘B Team’ and ‘Elite Schools’ cups, that are accessible to schools of all sizes and abilities.

Knock-out rounds take place between September 2018 and March 2019 while a professional football stadium will once again host the national finals, as part of a multiple day football festival in May 2019.

Sony Interactive Entertainment UK managing director Warwick Light, said: “Since our partnership with the ESFA started back in 2013, we have continued to increase the number of boys and girls taking part in the PlayStation Schools’ Cup.

“We’re working hard to provide both fun and competitive formats, so kids can enjoy representing their schools in high-profile football tournaments. We are equally proud of the impact our work with leading footballers is having on the stars of the future as we help to keep raising the profile of schools’ football.”

ESFA chairman John Martin added: “This is an exciting announcement for both the ESFA and the thousands of schools participating in these tournaments. We are delighted to continue our relationship with PlayStation, which has had a huge impact on schools’ football over the last five years.

“The first season of PlayStation Schools’ Cup consisted of 15 tournaments, which has been increased to 24 formats of the competition, as we continue to improve the standards of schools’ football across the country.”