More than 1,000 talented young sportspeople took part in the School Games National Finals which were held in Loughborough, last weekend.
The biennial four-day event sees the next generation of British sporting stars compete across ten Olympic and Paralympic sports.
Funded by National Lottery investment and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, the Games are the culmination of a series of competitions, progressing from intra-school events up to the National Finals.
Our investment not only helps the National Finals take place, but we also work with School Games Organisers and other partners to ensure the impact of the Games is felt not just by those competing at the National Finals.
"We’re proud to have provided long-term investment into the School Games via National Lottery funding,” said our strategic lead for children and young people, Jayne Molyneux.
"This past weekend has, once again, demonstrated the depth of talent among our young people and many congratulations to all of those selected to compete in Loughborough.
"But it’s not just about those that make it to the National Finals, though, as our funding shows.
"We continue to work with The Youth Sport Trust, the network of Active Partnership, London Youth Games and the School Games Organisers to reach those children who may not have previously been engaged with the School Games and competitive sport.
"Our mission within our Uniting the Movement strategy is to make sport and physical activity a normal part of everyday life for everyone in England – and our work with The School Games is evidence of that in action."
Almost 19,000 schools are registered with the School Games and they help to put on almost 5 million participation opportunities each academic year.
In recent years our work with School Games Organisers has seen them switching from their role in putting on county, inter and intra-school competitions to helping keep the nation’s children active during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
"Our mission within our Uniting the Movement strategy is to make sport and physical activity a normal part of everyday life for everyone in England – and our work with The School Games is evidence of that in action."
Lead, children and young people
And as part of our work to build a lasting impact from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, we also invested £2 million of National Lottery funding to help the 450 organisers reach children who previously hadn’t engaged with the School Games.
This work is all contributing to one of the five big issues our Uniting the Movement strategy is based around – creating positive experiences for children and young people.