Amidst the controversy and excitement of the World Cup we took the opportunity to allow our students the opportunity to watch England’s first match of the tournament against Iran.
Similar scenes took place across the nation – most adults will have watched a big match in a large communal arena – so having this initial experience in the safety of the school setting was a welcome opportunity.
The school’s internet bandwidth meant it had to be a highly co-ordinated event with Year groups getting set locations to watch the game, but the sight of football shirts, ‘casual’ fashion tops, flags, banners and posters, were common in all venues.
The end results of 6-2 generated lots of excitement and goals were met with roars so loud the foundations, never mind the roof, were shaking. Those children who loved their football were in their element, and those less keen got to experience a once-in-a-lifetime school experience and perhaps a taste of future days in World Cups to come.
Matt Allman, Headteacher, said: “I am old enough to recall the last ‘school day’ World Cup in 2002 – Seaman lobbed and metatarsal headlines – and remember schools closing and World Cup fever taking hold. With this day game looking like a one-off for England we took the decision to watch the game as a reward and communal event. There was a lot to celebrate and now we crack back on with the hard work in lessons.”
