Benefits of the School Games

Benefits for young people

By taking part in the School Games, young people can have fun, build friendships, and meet new people. They develop determination and resilience, learn to respect others, and manage their emotions.

Being part of a team helps them understand their role and contribution while competing teaches them to win with pride and lose with grace. They also learn the value of practice and preparation, set realistic goals, and work towards achieving them. They consider the wider environmental impact of their participation, challenging themselves to strive for improvement.

Learn more about the benefits of the School Games:

Benefits for teachers and schools

By joining the School Games in your area, teachers and schools gain access to a range of exclusive resources. This includes tools, videos, case studies, and guides to help organise and run events.

Schools will connect with their local School Games Organiser (SGO), who will share an annual competition calendar. They can also help schools to increase physical activity throughout the school day. An SGO will assist in applying for the School Games Mark- a national award to celebrate schools that promote physical activity.

Benefits for School Games Organisers and Active Partnerships

School Games Organisers and Active Partnerships can access a range of exclusive content and resources to support their role. They can manage the progress of their local schools by their School Games Mark status and events activity. They can create and manage event calendars for local and county-level competitions to coordinate and share opportunities.

By staying updated with the latest School Games news through their dashboard, SGOs can maximise the benefits available to them. Their work also plays a crucial role in contributing to the success and national impact of the School Games.

Tackling Inequality

Not all young people feel engaged in traditional school sport and some face challenges in getting active. Those most affected include:

• young people with special educational needs or disabilities
• children from lower-income families
• girls ( who are generally less active than boys)
• young people from Asian and Black backgrounds.

The School Games aims to bridge this gap by breaking down barriers and creating more opportunities. This ensures every young person has a positive experience with sport that can stay with them for life.

Keeping Children Active

The Chief Medical Officer advises children aged 5-18 should take part in 60 minutes of physical activity each day. The recommendation for disabled children and young people is 20 minutes. This should include a mix of activities that help develop movement skills, strengthen muscles and bones, reduce sitting time, break up long periods of inactivity, and spread activity throughout the day.

Schools should provide 30 minutes minimum of activity during the school day. The remaining 30 minutes should come from activities outside of school. The School Games supports this by organising events to encourage less active children to take part, developing strategies to engage those who are least active, and sharing good practice through training, awards, and case studies.

Understanding Physical Literacy

Physical Literacy is how we engage with movement and physical activity throughout our lives. The Physical Literacy consensus statement for England considers how we move, feel, think, and connect through physical activity. It highlights the importance of positive experiences in PE, school sport, and physical activity.

The School Games supports Physical Literacy by organising events to help children enjoy being active. It encourages schools to promote movement throughout the day. The School Games helps schools collaborate with their SGO to embed Physical Literacy among staff and the wider community. Schools should use student feedback to improve how they encourage and develop Physical Literacy.

Youth Voice

The School Games offers PE, school sport and physical activity opportunities to benefit all young people. To have a real impact, shaping these opportunities must involve young people. This means giving them different roles, listening to their opinions, and understanding the needs of those who take part the least.

This led the Youth Sport Trust to launch a Youth Voice Plan and a Youth Voice toolkit. These resources support schools, SGOs, Active Partnerships, and other partners to create activities designed to engage young people.