What is the School Games?

Our mission and vision

The School Games will make a positive and meaningful difference to the lives of children and young people through sport and physical activity.

The School Games will continue to put physical activity and school sport at the heart of schools, and provide young people with the opportunity to enjoy and learn through competition to achieve their personal best.

Our pledges

To celebrate the ongoing investment into the School Games, in July 2023 we committed to three School Games pledges through to 2025:

1. Tackle inequalities to increase participation of schools from the most underserved communities
2. Ensure physical literacy and positive experiences are created and promoted for children and young people
3. Embed youth engagement to enhance the principle of ‘by young people, for young people’.

These pledges aim to address the national priorities of tackling inequalities, youth engagement, and physical literacy through the School Games.

The School Games outcomes

The School Games has five clear outcomes to ensue there is a clear direction for our network:

1. To advocate and position the delivery of the Chief Medical Officer’s daily active minutes for all young people, as a universal offer to maintain and grow school engagement
2. To ensure all competition has clear intent and creates positive experiences based on the motivation, competence and confidence of the young people that need out support the most
3. To have a clear focus on secondary school engagement and transition points
4. To support the personal development of targeted young people through youth engagement and leadership
5. To advocate and engage key stakeholders on the value of School Games to support local provision and improve the experience for young people and their families.

What makes an activity School Games?

• There is a strong emphasis on inclusion within School Games activities to ensure all young people are given the opportunity to take part and achieve their 60 active minutes
• School Games activities are delivered to address a key area of need and can be targeted to support a specific group of young people in greatest need. This will be determined locally so School Games offers may vary from area to area.
• Young people are offered additional opportunities to take part and support their personal development through youth engagement (i.e. by leading, coaching or officiating)
• Creating a positive experience is at the heart of School Games to inspire regular participation in sport and physical activity
• Community opportunities are signposted to clearly
• Participants are encouraged to follow our Spirit of the Games values: determination, eco-friendly, honesty, passion, respect, self belief, and teamwork.
• Activities are age group appropriate and meaningful for young people taking part
• Activities can be developed and delivered using School Games resources, such as National Governing Body competition formats