Hundreds of children from schools within the Flying High Partnership join together for athletics events
- News
- Posted on: July 2, 2025
- Partnership: Flying High Partnership
Children from Flying High Partnership primary schools located across Derbyshire, Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire have joined together to take part in two indoor athletics competitions held at Kirkby Leisure Centre, and Nottingham’s David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham.
Scott Hardy is a Director at Next Level Sports/Elite Swimming and organised the athletics meets, he said, “It’s a great opportunity for the primary pupils to come together and enjoy what is one of our favourite events on the calendar, – the sports hall athletics. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the children enjoyed a variety of activities, including running, jumping and throwing events.”
Scott says the event has become so popular that two days of competition are held to accommodate schools on the north and south of the counties. “The north athletics meet was held at Kirkby Leisure Centre and schools from the south attended the David Ross Sports village in Nottingham. Each event saw many school teams taking part and we can’t wait to celebrate their achievements at the upcoming Flying High Partnership Awards celebration. We look forward to this competition taking place on an annual basis.”
Kirkstead Junior Academy children from Pinxton who took part said they enjoyed the experience. Pupil Logan is in Year 6 and said, “I liked competing against other schools in the trust!” Fellow year 6 pupil Tilly said, “I enjoyed the races at the end where we raced against other schools.”
Chris Wheatley OBE is founder and CEO of The Flying High Partnership, and he said, “The Flying High Partnership sport events, organised by Next Level Sports, have been a fantastic success and our children loved the opportunity to take part in all of the fun activities.
“At Flying High, we value creating collective events throughout the year, to bring our together children from the 35 schools in our partnership. These events are wonderful opportunities for children to learn and interact with each other, developing their experience, confidence and communication skills, in a fun and safe environment. A huge thanks to all who helped make this event happen for our children. The feedback from pupils across the trust demonstrates just how much fun they had showcasing their sporting skills on behalf of their schools.”
