Standard tables 2026
E.S.A.A. National Standards are those performance levels for which standard badges may be purchased at the National Championships.
Entry Standards are the minimum performance levels normally required for an athlete to be selected for a County Team for the National Championships. Additional standards for the Under 16/Under 18/Year 13 sprint hurdles and long hurdles will be included here once ESAA publishes them on their website.
County Standards correspond to a good standard of performance by an athlete competing in a County Championship meeting.
District Standard corresponds to a good standard of performance by an athlete competing at a District Championship meeting. These may need amendments to suit the variations in type of District Championship staged.
School Standard corresponds to a good standard of performance by an athlete competing at a School Championship meeting. Except for Year 7 and 8 tables – the age groups, events and event specifications are as set out in the Track and Field Competition Rules.
Years 7 and 8
The variety of events and specifications is offered to cater for the intense athletic interest and for the rapid physical changes which take place at this stage. It is stressed that success in the initial teaching of athletics stems from the understanding that the physical challenge to the pupil should not exceed that which can be comfortably handled. All children, therefore, should be started with light implements and low hurdles, and be allowed to progress as appropriate to themselves. This will almost certainly create some problems of organisation at school level, but these are NOT insurmountable.
Hurdle Specifications as used in Year 7 & 8 Tables
70 metres: Eight flights at 68cm or 76cm high; 11m approach, then 7m interval between flights and a 10m run-in to the finish.
75 metres: Eight flights at 68cm or 76cm high; 11.5m approach, then 7.5m interval between flights and an 11m run-in to the finish.
80 metres: Eight flights at 76cm; 12m approach, then 8m interval between flights and a 12m run-in to the finish.
ESAA Awards – Primary through to Secondary
The new ESAA Awards Scheme is designed to be inclusive, adaptable and challenging, taking young people on a clear pathway from the start of their initial participation in athletic activity through a journey of progression & success. As they go from playground fun in Stage 1 to Podium at Stage 9 students will learn how to set goals and challenges for themselves. Through the medium of teachers, coaches, parents and other students they will learn about problem solving, motivation and achievement. From Podium at Stage 9 students can plot the next phase of their athletic development by aiming for County, ESAA entry and ESAA National Standards to continue their pursuit of athletic success and work towards achieving their athletic dream.
The 3 main aims of the Awards are to allow students to develop in their own time, at their own pace, confidence, competence and to be competitive across a range of athletic activities. The badges you can purchase for each stage have been redesigned and are now a modern metal, pin badge that will be accompanied by a certificate.
Teachers and Coaches can adjust activities at various stages to enable all students to participate whatever their ability or physical challenges and be successful. The weights of implements can be adjusted to help develop enjoyment and confidence in using different implements with the goal being to develop a level of competence to be able to use the correct weights. Heights and distances between hurdles can be lowered and shortened to enable a competent and rhythmic three-stride pattern, with good technique over the hurdle allowing speed to develop between hurdles, at the start and in the run out to the finish. Students must then challenge themselves once they have confidence to achieve correct hurdle heights and distances as they work through the stages. The same principles can be applied with the sprints and endurance events with students working over distances that allow them to maintain speed and good technique in the arm and leg action. They must challenge themselves to discover what skills they need to develop as they move up the distances. In the endurance events students need to discover their own level of stamina and learn as the distances increase that pace judgement may become an essential skill component as they move forward.
Below are the links from the ESAA website to the Awards Scheme and the Updated Standards for 2026
https://esaa.org.uk/awards-scheme/
https://esaa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Updated-Standards-2026-3.pdf
Recent addition (as of 8th May 2026) – additional new standards for the ESAA long and sprint hurdles (see link below to event specification and a document on the new standards).
These events will take place in the even age-groups (Under 16, Under 18 ands Year 13) at the ESAA T&F Champs in July 2026, as detailed on the event specification. As with all new standards it is difficult to get these accurate to begin with, but they will be reviewed for the new competition specification for 2027.
ESAA Additional Standards 2026 v1
https://esaa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Event-Spec-2026.pdf