Secondary Team Championships

The Secondary Schools Team Relay Championships organiser is Tim Hartley

The Secondary Schools Team Relay Championships is the longest running championship series organised by the ESSA.
It is open to secondary school aged swimmers from across England, including state, public and home-schooled students.
Teams compete in 4x50m Freestyle and Medley relays.
The Championships is run as a national final with competing schools determined by the fastest times achieved in a qualifying round organised by the ESSA divisions.
Some divisions hold multiple qualifying galas in different locations to ensure a wide participation.
In 2022 we had two thousand and ninty-nine teams from over three hundred schools that participated in the qualifying round in twenty separate galas across the country.

2023 Event

Sat 18^th November 2023 - 65^th Secondary Schools' Team Championships
Venue : This year we are pleased to announce the Finals will be hosted in an exciting new venue.
The Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham was purpose-built to host aquatics at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Making best use of the legacy from the games, our events team have been working hard behind the scenes to secure the venue for our Championships.

Qualification Round

See Divisional Pages and the map below for qualification round events in your area.
See the Frequently Asked Questions below for further information about the event - including how to enter

Start Lists, Results, Live Streaming and Records

Start Lists, Results and Streaming of the event will be available from our live event page [the streaming remains available from last year's event].
Livestreaming is produced by Hexibox logo Photography by malaper photography
There are links to the results of previous years' championships and the championship Records at the bottom of this page.

Finalists

The event handbook contains important information, and answers many common questions, about the event including timings, travel information, and so much more.
Please read this carefully in preparing for and attending the event.
Please do not email questions to the organisers until you have read this handbook - the answer is probably in there, but we are always happy to answer questions or provide clarification where it is not.

ESSA Secondary Schools Team Championships Handbook 2022 (V4 - Updated 9th Nov)

Secondary School Team Championships Pool Familiarisation Timetable 2022 v4 (FINAL Updated 14th Nov)

There are a number of different forms for finalists to complete - these are in the qualifiers pack:

The Acceptance form is an online form (link in the letter within the pack) – this needs to be completed by 5th Nov to secure your place.
- As soon as you fill this in and click ‘submit’, the details are sent electronically to us.
The Accreditation form for Team managers/Adults accompanying the team (link in the letter within the pack) – this needs to be filled in for each adult.
- The form needs to be completed for any adult that form part of your team delegation i.e. that will be with the swimmers in the balcony seating area or poolside.
  - Provide a passport style photo
  - Provide your DBS number and date of issue
  - Provide a photo of your school photo ID or
  - an authorisation letter from the head teacher:
    - stating you are a teacher at the school or
    - in the case of a non-staff member (e.g., a parent/club coach) stating they had authorisation to supervise the swimmers on the school's behalf
  - With regards to the safeguarding training, we are asking that adults who are directly in contact with the swimmers provide evidence to confirm that safeguarding training has been undertaken (within the last 3 years)
    - Acceptable evidence includes a photocopy/screenshot of a suitable training certificate or an email from the school confirming the adult has conducted such training
- Without completing the form adults will not receive a pass and security will prevent them entering into the swimmer areas (changing rooms / swimmer balcony seating / poolside).
The Swimmer Nomination Form is an excel spreadsheet (with pdf alternative) which needs to be completed with swimmer details and handed in on the day at the registration desk
The Swimmer Consent form, which needs to be filled out for each swimmer and retained by the team manager for the school – this is only required to be passed to ESSA if there is an incident or issue on the day.

Additionally there is a merchandise order form (not included in the pack - see below).

Merchandise

Details of event merchandise (T-shirts, Hoodies, Hats & Towels) will become available nearer the date from the Merchandise page (click HERE).

The deadline for pre-ordered personalised t-shirts and hoodies for this event is TBA.
We will also have some non-personalised merchandise available to purchase on the day at the championships. Stock is limited and is sold on a 'first-come' basis.

Regulations

Regulations for the event were last changed in August 2017

Secondary Schools Team Championships Regulations (Oct 2017)

Ages are calculated at midnight 31st August/1st September at the beginning of academic year of competition:

e.g. for competitions in school year 2022/23, swimmers must have been born in the date range below (inclusive) to participate in that age-group's events:
NOTE: Nominal school years are provided for information only and will not apply if a student is outside of the normal intake age for the year e.g. if they have retaken a year.

	Date of Birth		Age		Normally School year		Date of Birth range
Age Group	Latest	Earliest	From	To	From	To	Date of Birth range
Junior	31/08/12	01/09/10	11	12	7	8	01/09/10 - 31/08/12
Inter.	31/08/10	01/09/08	13	14	9	10	01/09/08 - 31/08/10
Senior	31/08/08	01/09/05	15	17	11	13	01/09/05 - 31/08/08

Qualification Round: Qualifiers and Reserves

A full listing of the consolidated results from the qualification round, together with a list of qualifying and reserve schools for each event will appear here when qualification rounds are complete (typically Mid October).
A Finalists pack for Qualifiers and Reserves containing information on how to confirm the school's place in the finals and other information required for the event will also apear here.

It is ESSENTIAL that qualifiers and reserves complete the information required in the letter within the pack by TBA.
NOTE: This is a zip file containing a number of documents. If you download on a mobile you may see only one file (typically the Conditions of the championships). To see the full contents you may have to go to your downloads folder

Officials

This is not a licensed meet. We are currently short of a few volunteer Officials to help make the event run smoothly
We invite officials to sign up to officiate at the national finals using the following link: TBA
Expenses will be paid in accordance with our expenses policy:

Expenses Policy - Officials

Expenses Form - Officials

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who can enter?

This is a team event where swimmers represent their school rather than their club. It is open to all secondary school aged swimmers. All schools are automatically affiliate to ESSA on entry to any of its events; there is no need to pre-register or affiliate. Home schooled swimmers that wish to participate should contact their division representative.
Para swimmers represent their division.

How does my school enter?

Entry forms are made available by each division for their qualifying gala. These forms are often emailed by division representatives to schools that have previously participated or expressed an interest, and are also made available via the division's webpage of this website. Schools may enter only ONE qualifying gala. Some qualifying round galas permit a school to enter more than one team in each age group, but this is subject to the organisers discretion and only the nominated A team will be eligible for progression to the national finals.
Para teams are organised by the division's representative, so if you have a swimmer in your school who is interested in competing, please contact your division representative.

When is the qualifying event in our area?

All qualification galas are published on the relevant division's webpage of this website.
Schools are not restricted to entering galas in their own division (or county where events are organised at a county level), however the organiser may place restrictions on out of area schools to ensure safe and efficient running of their gala.

What events are included?

Teams compete in 4x50m Freestyle and Medley relays. These are always run short-course (in a 25m pool) during the qualifying round. National Finals are usually run long-course (in a 50m pool); however, this is subject to the availability of a suitable pool. There are three age groups (Junior, Intermediate and Senior), each of which is run as a Boys and a Girls event.
In addition, Divisions can enter Para teams, run as separate Boys and Girls events, with a range of disability point to accommodate a wide range of para swimmers.

Can we enter a team with an underage swimmer?

No, swimmers must be within the applicable age range for their age group. ESSA events are based on age groups that set upper and lower ages for swimmers. Ages are based on ages at the start of the academic year (31st August/1st September).

Can we change swimmers between rounds?

Yes, A team can be changed between the qualifying round and the national finals. Further changes can be made between the heats and finals of an event within the National Finals gala. Also, whilst each age group can participate in a Freestyle and Medley relay, there is no requirement for these to use the same four swimmers.