Trust Games are a Sport for All Success

The annual Viking Games saw more than 1,300 pupils from Upton Juniors, Chilton Primary and Ramsgate Arts Primary – all members of the Viking Academy Trust – joined together in four colour ‘house’ teams especially for the tournament.

Each ‘house’ honoured Kent sporting heroes and were inspired by their varied achievements.

Red was for England footballer Alessia Russo whose success include winning the 2022 Euros, World Cup 2023 runner up and a Champions League winner with Arsenal this May; yellow - Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Yarnold, a former British skeleton racer winning two Olympic Gold medals; green – sprinter Adam Gemili who has won gold and silver European, World and Commonwealth championship medals; and blue –cricketer Megan Belt from Margate who has won the County Championship four times and was the leading wicket-taker in 2013 Twenty20 Cup.

Event days were held at each school with teams competing in a range of age-specific games that were appropriate to their year groups. Pupils accumulated points for their teams and the VAT Games 2025 overall winner was declared as the red ‘house’.

Competitors tried their hands at a myriad of activities and sports including go karting, basketball, tennis, football, running races, archery, dodge ball, seated volleyball, together with a raft of games for younger pupils.

The Viking Games were launched in summer 2018 and the Trust’s Executive Head Teacher Michaela Lewis is impressed how the event has grown.

She said: “Every year the event becomes more engaging for all of our children. I am pleased to see it flourishing - keeping active and building and maintaining fitness is really important from a young age.

“It is also a perfect way to highlight and reinforce the strong community bond between the schools in the Trust partnership.

“Our games are inclusive and represent our ‘sport for all’ initiative Congratulations go to the victorious ‘house’ – but most importantly, all our children are winners.”

PE leaders Emma Knight (Chilton), Callum Noble (Upton) and Alice Piper (RAPS) praised the performances of children at the various challenges and thanked their colleagues and the pupil sports leaders for the smooth running of the event.

They added: “The aim is to try new things and make new relationships, giving the opportunity to start conversations with different people and to also engage in teamwork and mutual support.

“It has been another fantastic year of celebrating school sport within the Trust and our summer Viking Games brings us all together. Our children have been incredible and it is a real delight to see so many engaged in school sport.

“Their effort, determination and enthusiasm in their mixed school teams was evident throughout and it was clear to see they were having a lot of fun as well as enjoying the competitive side of the games.”

The large event across three sites ran smoothly thanks to the support of the dedicated and enthusiastic sports leaders at RAPS, Chilton and Upton who ran the Reception, KS1 and Lower Key Stage 2 events, and Upton staff who helped run the Upper Key Stage 2 event.

Final points table: 1st - 1697 - Russo (red); 2nd - 1663 - Yarnold (yellow);

3rd - 1633 - Gemili (green); 4th - 1622 - Belt (blue).

 

*Contact Viking Academy Trust Executive Head Teacher Michaela Lewis on 01843 582847