Taking Part
Schools are supported to build more physical activity into the school day and take part in competitions designed to engage less active young people.
Discover the different types of School Games opportunities for your school.
Events and Competitions
The School Games is inclusive to all young people and provides opportunities for everyone to get involved either within school, against other local schools, or at county level. The type of competition will determine how to get involved as a potential participant, a school group / team, or as an organiser.
Our Sports
National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs) work alongside the School Games to build and develop sport formats for school competition. These formats encourage all young people to participate and are based on supporting young people to build and extend their skills and confidence.
School Games Mark
The School Games Mark is a government-led award that recognises schools committed to developing competitive sport and wellbeing for all pupils. It provides a structured way to assess your school’s PE and sport provision, helping you set clear goals for improvement.
Schools can apply annually and are awarded Bronze, Silver, or Gold levels, with a Platinum award for those achieving Gold consistently.
Inclusion
We are determined to ensure that there are opportunities for all young people to compete throughout the School Games, and therefore provide resources to help schools provide a more inclusive sport provision for their pupils, including:
- Inclusive Health Check tool
- Unified specific inclusive sport formats
- Project Ability
Leadership
Young people can play a fundamental role in shaping, developing, and running the School Games.
To achieve this, many schools utilise School Sport Organising Crews or School Sport Organising Committees (depending on setting) to help with the planning and delivery of their intra-school competition programme.
Benefits of the School Games
The School Games is an enjoyable and engaging way to involve all young people in school sport.
Sport helps develop important life skills. We encourage teachers and event organisers to celebrate achievements based on our 'Spirit of the Games' values: determination, eco-friendliness, honesty, passion, respect, self-belief, and teamwork.