Sydenham High has launched a Sixth Form rowing scholarship to coincide with their first competitive regatta season.

From a standing start 18 months ago, rowing has taken off in a big way at the school.

An opportunity for a handful of girls with no previous experience to take a training course with Dulwich College the Summer before last has quickly developed into 25 students from year 9 to year 12 who regularly attend training sessions at Dulwich College during the week and on the Thames at weekends.

The first recipient of the scholarship is one of these founding rowers, currently in year 11.

To prepare for their regatta debut, a group of 20 regular rowers attended a special rowing camp near Amsterdam over the Easter holidays with teams from Dulwich College.  They trained hard over the week to perfect their technique, stamina and speed to the point where they beat the DC teams twice in sprint races.

The Sydenham High teams took part in their first regatta at Putney on Saturday 13 May and the year 10 team came within inches of beating one of London’s most established school teams.

They will now compete at the Thames Valley Regatta on 18 June, looking for their first competitive victories.