Sports

Athletic season takes place during the third term and all learners are encouraged to participate.

Junior Primary:  Learners are taught skills during their P.E. lessons.  The annual J.P. Sports Day is a fun-filled event where all learners participate in novelty and inter-class relays.  Individual sprint races allow learners to demonstrate their speed.

Senior Primary:  Trials are held during the school day for all learners.  Once learners have been identified as having an ability in a particular code, they are encouraged to attend practice sessions after school.  The season culminates in the Senior Athletics Day where learners represent their particular house.  The best athletes on the day are selected to represent Penzance at the Inter-School Champs which is held at Port Natal.

Maypole:  This tradition of dancing around a pole with ribbons, forming patterns, is done by the grade 7 girls.  Penzance is proudly the only school who does this.

Tug-o-War:  This tradition is for the grade 7 boys.  The House teams show their strength by pulling the rope.  The winning house receiving a Tug-o-War trophy and adding points to their House.

If you have any queries about Athletics, please email [email protected]

Cricket is the main summer sport played at Penzance. On any given day, a cricket match is being played on the main sports field.
Junior Primary: The boys begin playing mini-cricket in grade 1 and then move onto hardball cricket in grade 2. They play in matches on a Saturday morning.

Senior Primary: In the Senior Primary we have 15 cricket teams. Each team has their own coach and the boys play in fixtures against other schools. We have the use of 3 fields. We have recently upgraded our indoor and outdoor cricket nets to facilitate coaching practises.

We have cricket coaches of the highest level with many of them playing cricket at a high level in KZN. Our cricket teams, under the guidance of these coaches, are growing from strength to strength.

If you have any queries about Cricket, please email [email protected]

The Penzance Cross Country Team consists of the top four boy and girl runners in each age group from Grade 3 to Grade 7.

In Term 2, we do pre-season training on Friday afternoons, and in Term 3 we train once a week and participate in various events on Friday afternoons.

If you have any queries about Cross Country, please email [email protected]

This activity takes place on Friday afternoons at Queensway Stables in Moseley from 1:30 – 4:30pm. There are limited spaces available and a termly fee is payable. Children are taught all about horses, from riding to grooming and much more. Learners have lessons and are put into groups according to their ability and experience. They are also taken on outrides. The equipment needed for this Extra Mural is a Penzance Equestrian Club shirt (available from the school shop), black riding slacks or leggings, riding helmet, riding boots and a riding crop.

If you have any queries about Equestrian Club, please email [email protected]

Hockey is a sport which continues to grow in our school being the most participated by boys and girls. Boys and girls from Grade 1-7 are afforded the opportunity of learning and playing the game. Penzance Primary, together with Durban Girls’ High and Glenwood Boys’ High, are part of the “3 Schools Trust” which is responsible for the Astroturf across the road. This Astroturf affords the children the opportunity to play on the latest technology of Astroturf, the facility continues to undergo upgrades.

Junior Primary:

Grade 1 and 2 learners participate in mini-hockey. This 6-a-side game is where the children learn the basic skills and techniques needed for the sport. In Term 2 we have pre-season training twice a week, whereby the focus is on building the 5 fundamental skills of hockey. In Term 3 we start to bring our attention more to the tactical game play as we begin to play matches. We cultivate good sportsmanship and passion for the game through positive coaching and encouragement. On Friday evenings there is great excitement when the children participate in Mini-hockey festivals, hosted by Penzance Primary.

Senior Primary:

The Senior Primary, along with Grade 3 learners, have one training session a week in Term 2.  The focus in Term 2 is to continue to build on the 5 fundamental skills of hockey learnt in previous years. In Term 3 we look at tactical game play and playing as a team and training is increased to twice a week. Matches against schools in and around Durban are played during the course of Term 3. Our first teams are afforded the opportunity of participating in Festivals hosted by other schools. A few players within our first teams are selected each year to represent the school at KZN level. This is a great achievement for learners and the school and demonstrates the development of hockey in the school.

If you have any queries about Hockey, please email [email protected]

Indoor hockey is a growing sport in our school, which takes place in Term 4 for girls only. Currently only selected U10, U11, U12 and U13 learners have the opportunity to play and develop their indoor hockey skills. Each age group has training once a week and participates in the Indoor Hockey League along with all the top schools in and around Durban.

If you have any queries about Indoor Hockey, please email [email protected]

Netball is very popular amongst the girls and has grown in leaps and bounds.  Our Head of Netball and her motivated coaching staff have implemented a structured programme.

Junior Primary:  The Grade 1, 2 and 3 girls play Mini-Netball.  In the first term the focus is on learning basic rules and skills. In Term 2 we focus on skills and positional play and the girls play in weekly tournaments hosted at various schools.

Senior Primary: Due to the eager participation of the girls, we now boast 16 netball teams.  In Term 1 the girls participate in pre-season training and fixtures to prepare them for the season in Term 2 during which the girls participate in weekly matches at various schools in and around Durban and KZN. We have 3 netball courts where the girls train under the guidance of qualified netball coaches.

If you have any queries about Netball, please email [email protected]

Penzance Primary has taken a more serious approach to rugby and as a result is producing players who have gone on to make representative teams.

Junior Primary:

Mini-Rugby: This is played by the Grade 1 and 2 boys to develop their technical skills.

Grade 3 boys play contact rugby and form part of our weekly fixtures in the U9 age group.

Senior Primary:

Penzance Primary is fortunate enough to have many experienced coaches and as a result, the boys are taught the latest techniques and skills.  At any given fixture, Penzance fields 13 teams which makes for a busy day of good, hard rugby.  U11 and U13 boys play rugby with a full field of a 15-man team.

Seven’s Rugby

Penzance Primary has Seven’s Rugby in the 3rd Term and this is offered to U12 boys only. Our specialised coaches will select one team for the season and this is due to the festival invites received for this term.

If you have any queries about Rugby or Seven’s Rugby, please email [email protected]

Softball is played during the third term.

3 Boys and 3 Girls teams are entered into the local league and matches are played on Friday afternoons or Saturday mornings.  Softball teams are coached by KZN players.  We have consistently produced KZN Representatives some going on to represent South Africa.

If you have any queries about Softball, please email [email protected]

Swimming is offered throughout the year in the heated Penzance swimming pool.

Every learner is taught to swim during their P.E. lessons in Term 1 and 4.

Junior Primary: The Grade 1, 2 and 3 learners participate in a J.P. Gala in the first term.  The focus is on participation and fun.  Every learner is given the opportunity of swimming in a race that is suited to their ability and level of proficiency.

Junior Primary Swim Squad: These learners are identified during their swimming lessons and are asked to join the team.  They participate in Inter-school galas in the first term.

Senior Primary:  There are 2 galas held annually.  The Top 8 Gala affords swimmers the opportunity to participate in individual races.  The Senior Primary Gala is an Inter-house gala where learners participate in relays against each other.  Much fun is had by all and the competition is always stiff between the houses.

Penzance Primary School has 2 Swimming Schools which operate out of the school pool:

Penzance Swimming Club:  head coach Petro Nortje

Seals Swimming Club: head coach Wesley Vickery

Penzance has produced many top swimmers, none more so than the South African Olympic Champ, Chad le Clos.

If you have any queries about Swimming, please email [email protected]

Water polo is a rapidly growing sport at Penzance. This growth has been fuelled by the passion and drive of both girls and boys and the coaching staff.

Water polo is a fast-paced and exciting water sport that combines speed and strength, as well as teamwork and a high level of fitness. At Penzance, it is enjoyed by Grades 5 – 7 pupils and is especially suitable to strong swimmers or Nippers with experience in the water.

It is a summer sport offered in the 1st, 3rd and 4th Terms each year. We have two U13 teams – a girls’ and a boys’ team – as well as two U11 teams. Boys and girls compete in an inter-schools’ league against other schools around KwaZulu-Natal.

If you have any queries about Water Polo, please email [email protected]