As part of our Active School Flag application we decided to focus on improving our teaching of the PE strand Games. Here is some of the actions that we took over the course of the year:
Gaelic Football
We have put a big effort into Gaelic Football over the last year. 6th and 5th class buddied up with Junior and Senior Infants for Gaelic Football to teach them the rules of the game and help improve their skills. Darren from Seneschalstown GAA has been working with 1st, 2nd and 3rd class in helping them improve their skills. We then have boys and girls from 4th-6th that are members of our school Gaelic football teams that compete in Cumann na mBunscol competitions.
Football / Soccer
Soccer is a very popular sport in our school and is played by classes from 1st-6th during yard time. Soccer is often practiced during PE lesson and we have had coaches from the FAI and local teams Balrath GBFC and Kentstown Rovers FC visit the school. In 2024 we had a very successful year in the FAI Primary 5s completion. We were crowned Meath, North-Leinster and Leinster Champions. We then came 3rd in the National Finals.
Basketball
In 2024, for the first time ever, we entered boys and girls basketball teams into the Meath NS Mini-Basketball League. We also had Coach Casey from Basketball Ireland visit the school to teach us skills during PE lessons.
Rounders
Rounders is another sport that we enjoy in Kentstown NS. We practice rounders a lot after Easter during PE lessons. Our 5th and 6th class students compete in the Cumann na mBunscol competitions and our 3rd and 4th class students go to a Mini-Rounders event where they compete against other schools. And of course we have our flagship Students v Teachers Rounders game at the end of the year.
Tennis
Each year, local tennis coach Hugh coaches 2nd and 6th class. It is always a very enjoyable experience for everyone.
Other Games
We also play other games during PE lessons including Olympic handball, hockey, volleyball, badminton, benchball, dodgeball and cricket.