Barnet Primary School Swimming Championships 2023
On the 20th of March 2023, Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre hosted the annual Barnet Primary School Swimming Championships which returned after a 3 year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 150 children from 15 Barnet primary schools took part in this year’s gala which was organised by Barnet Copthall Swimming Club (BCSC) who arranged for the staffing, and GLL who provided pool space free of charge.
Swimming is the only sport to be included within the national curriculum for physical education, with all primary schools having to provide swimming and water safety lessons to all pupils in either Key Stage 1 or 2. Whilst we continue to offer school swimming lessons at GLL, in Barnet we also have the Better Swim School and the comprehensive Barnet Training Scheme which offers young people in the borough with the opportunity to pursue a career in competitive swimming. The Primary School gala held on the 20th of March gave the children a glimpse into what competitive swimming involves, and the opportunity to represent their school in a range of events including Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Medley Relay.
The atmosphere was electric thanks to the many parents, teachers and pupils who cheered for their respective schools, helping to create some very close races. All swimmers and teams gave excellent accounts of themselves - not just in their swimming performance but the support they gave their teammates and sportingly, their applause for children from other school teams.
After 15 races, points were totalled up and the winners were announced, with Our Lady of Lourdes finishing in 3rd place overall with a total of 155 points, Colindale School in 2nd place with a total of 167 points, and Brooklands Junior School winning the gala with a total of 180 points. The trophy was presented by Madam Mayor Councillor Alison Moore, with gold, silver and bronze medals also being awarded to schools placed first, second and third overall. Huge congratulations to everyone involved!
We’d like to thank Barnet Copthall Swimming Club (BCSC) who arranged for the staffing on the day, and Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre who provided pool space. We’d also like to thank Deirdre Donlevey for all her hard work and commitment that she has dedicated to the Barnet swim school programme over the past 20 years, and wish her all the best with retirement!
Petrit Krasniqi – Community Sports Manager
