Venue: Kings College School, The Kings Club Swimming Pool, Woodhayes Road, SW19 4TT.
There will not be any spectators allowed on site for this event, please make sure all parents/ guardians are made aware of this when you invite your swimmers.
This event is for schools in the Central Wimbledon, West Wimbledon and West of Morden Clusters.
- Please click HERE to see a list of our schools per EAST/WEST cluster.
- If an event is full, schools will be placed on a waiting list and be notified of this.
- MSSP will contact schools should places become available in the build-up to events.
For Mitcham and East of Morden Schools, please book onto the event on Monday 24th March 2025.
Team Entry Form
Please enter the names of the children in the events which they are competing. Please email the form to: n.osborne@harrismorden.org.uk. Entries to be received before Friday 14th March 2025.
Important Information
Any last-minute name changes must be emailed to MSSP in advance of the day. There is space for up to 12 school teams at each of our Galas this year. Schools might be able to bring two teams of 12 if space allows – please enquire if you are keen to do this.
All students MUST be Swim Tested to at least 25m, with no support required whatsoever, before being entered into your team.
Please be mindful that some children may be able to swim 25m to a beginners level when completing their lessons but the excitement of a swim gala can be stressful for some students and can affect their breathing and cause panic. Please consider this when selecting your team to ensure your students can have a SAFE, positive and enjoyable experience at this competitive event.
A school swim team will consist of up to 12 swimmers: 3 x Yr 5 Boys | 3 x Yr 6 Boys | 3 x Yr 5 Girls | 3 x Yr 6 Girls
The event is open to your strongest swimmers in years 5 and 6. We appreciate that you may have some strong year 4 swimmers but please consider that under 9’s do not swim competitively at club level. We would not encourage you to swim year 4’s up, unless they are already swimming at a higher competitive level and will be able to cope with swimming against year 5 children.
We hope that schools can bring a full team of 12 swimmers to give as many children as possible the opportunity to represent their school in this competitive event and gather points for the School Team Award Trophy. However, we understand that for some schools there may not be enough experienced swimmers to fill all event categories. We would not want schools to enter children, to maximise their opportunity to gather points towards the team award, if those children could be in danger or have a negative experience at this event.
Swimmers will be timed across all heats and will be allocated an overall placing for their category based on their heat finish time. This placing will be allocated points to go towards your team’s overall score. Placing 1st would score 12 points, 2nd = 11 points etc… with 12th receiving 0 points.
The team with the most points will win our Team Award Trophy (not medals).
If you are unable to bring 12 strong swimmers, individuals can still swim for your school (and reach finals/medals) in up to 2 different strokes; however, scores will only be taken from their single best individual performance to contribute towards your team award points. In the other race they will score 0 points.
If you cannot field a swimmer in any given race, your school will again be awarded 0 points for that race.
Finals
For individual races finals will be held with the top 3 swimmers timed across all heats competing for gold, silver and bronze medals. (Please note that this is a new format, and we hope there will be time for this. If there isn’t, medals will be awarded based on Heat Times – please arrive on time to help us fit everything in!)
We plan to run two finals alongside each other in the pool to help with the schedule and time constraints.
Lanes 1,2,3 will be for the year 5 race and lanes 4,5,6 for the year 6 race in each category.
Relays
- This year our relay races will be for fun and to promote team spirit, they will not score towards your overall team award nor be placed Gold, Silver or Bronze (no medals).
- We want to keep the relays to give the children a chance to swim more than once and to encourage team spirit and enjoyment, but with our new format of a ‘one day event’, it will be impossible to fit in timed heats / scored relay races.
- There will be a girl’s relay (6 swimmers/legs) and a boy’s relay (6 swimmers/legs).
- They can choose whatever their fastest stroke is for each leg.
- Some swimmers may have to swim twice if your team is low on numbers.
- Swimmers cannot complete more than two legs for their team.
- The 1st, 3rd and 5th leg will start at the deep end and swimmers may dive in if required but all other legs will start in the water.
Diving Blocks – We cannot guarantee that diving blocks will be available at Morden Pool but if they are and children have good experience of using them, they may use the blocks. At Kings College School the diving blocks are particularly high from the ground, and we have decided again that they are not beneficial for this age group and could be detrimental.
Gender categories – described as Boys/Girls to help us ensure that ‘Girls’, as an under-represented group, are encouraged to compete at more of our events. However, all children are welcome to compete in the gender group that they feel best aligns to their preferred gender identity. Swim England use the categories Male/Open (preferred gender) or Female.
Results
- Results and event report will be available on the news webpage within 24 hours of the event ending.
Winners Pathway
- The heats and finals will now take place all on the same day at Morden Pool.
- There is no progression round from this event.
MSSP Duty of Care
MSSP have a duty to take all measures that are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure the health, safety, wellbeing and welfare of all participants and any other attendees involved in the relevant event. MSSP have tried to ensure that all reasonable steps have been taken in its duty of care being discharged, and to the requisite standard of care, MSSP have ensured the following guidance and actions have been adhered to and carried out:
- That the advice of the UK Government and public health authorities has been followed
- That the bespoke guidance and protocols issued by the relevant NGB, federation and/or umbrella organisation (if applicable) have been followed.
Safeguarding and DBS
MSSP acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice and the requirements of the Partnership’s host organisation, the Harris Federation.
We recognise that the welfare and interests of children are paramount in all circumstances. We aim to ensure that regardless of age, ability or disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, socio-economic background, all children and young leaders:
- have a positive and enjoyable experience of sport or physical activity at MSSP events in a safe and child centred environment
- are protected from abuse whilst participating or officiating at MSSP events
All MSSP staff at the event are fully vetted and enhanced DBS checked. It is the schools’ responsibility to ensure any staff and volunteers who attend the event comply with the host venue safeguarding and welfare policy and can provide documentation to support this on request.
Spectators will not be permitted entry to school/private sports facilities and should be informed of this when letters are sent to parents. In order to safeguard children at our events, we will only allow entry to parents if they have been DBS checked and vetted through safer recruitment procedures and authorised to attend by your school. The school will maintain responsible for them at all times. At public sites such as parks we will section off an area for the public where parents that are not with the school party may spectate from.
For more information regarding MSSP’s safeguarding, please click here
If you have any concerns about a child at our event please make sure you say something. The MSSP safeguarding team contact details will be on display at all events or for more information on who to speak to please click here
Please see attached Risk Assessment in the ‘Resources’ sections for event specific planning and considerations.
REFSPECT
MSSP values the contributions by all those involved in making our events a FUN, safe and enjoyable environment for children to take part in sport. To ensure our events continue to be successful we promote our REFSPECT campaign. We expect everyone attending our events to maintain respect for the rules, officials, opponents, teammates and themselves. Only designated staff and volunteers will be allowed on the side-lines. All spectators are to remain behind the barriers, providing positive support and encouraging a fun and fair event.
For more information about REFSPECT and codes of conduct for attendance at our events, please click here
If any staff, adults or children are deemed to be in breach of our REFSPECT codes of conduct they will be asked to leave the event and the Head Teacher of the relevant school will be informed immediately.
Photo Consent
Photographs will be taken at this event by staff members from MSSP and may be used for promotional material. If you have any children that do not have permission to be photographed, please inform a member of staff before the start of the event.
Please ensure your school only take photographs of their own students and do not share any photos of other children on social media without consent from that school.
Social Media
For information and updates from our events, please follow and use the platforms below.
Email:info@mertonssp.org.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mertonssp
First Aid
MSSP will have a basic first aid kit and qualified person at all events but will not be available to tend to less urgent first aid, as they will be delivering the event. As part of the school’s risk assessment a qualified first aider should be with the school team at all times (including travel) to tend to their children during the event.
Comments, Compliments and Complaints
MSSP aims to deliver a first-class service to all of its stakeholders. We see all feedback, whether good or bad, as a valuable way for us to learn and improve. Therefore, we welcome all comments, compliments and complaints. For further details, please click here
Entry reference:
Eligible West Merton Schools
Holy Trinity CE, Merton Abbey, Park Academy, St Mary’s RC, The Priory CE, Wimbledon Park, All Saints CE, Bishop Gilpin CE, Garfield, St Matthew’s CofE, Merton Park, Pelham, Sacred Heart RC, West Wimbledon, Wimbledon Chase, Dundonald, Hollymount, Joseph Hood, Hillcross, Poplar, St John Fisher RC, Aragon, Hatfeild