MSP | School Games

School Games

The mission of the School Games programme is ‘Keeping competitive sport at the heart of schools and providing more young people with the opportunity to compete and achieve their personal best’

MSP believes that this fully-inclusive programme offers lots of benefits for children and young people, not just within sport itself, but in their wider academic and adult life. It’s why we’re pleased to deliver the Level 3 School Games in the Liverpool City Region on behalf of Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust, in partnership with a network of School Games Organisers.

To put Level 3 School Games into context, the School Games consists of four unique types of competition:

Intra-School Competition (Level 1)
Local Inter-School Competition (Level 2)
County Final (Level 3)
School Games National Finals

The Level 3 School Games help us to deliver key outcomes for the people of the Liverpool City Region, including seeing wellbeing improved, skills for life developed and communities and networks strengthened. They offer memorable sport experiences that inspire future participation, but more than that they are a driver for creating the very best citizens of tomorrow, setting children up for success in their broader school life and boosting their employability by creating the right attitudes and skills.

To deliver Level 3 we work with National Governing Bodies of sport, local clubs and other reputable deliverers to provide quality experiences. Consideration is always given to developing and signposting to onward pathways for participation beyond School Games events through coaching and clubs, including Satellite Clubs.

A look back at the 2019 School Games in action

Benefits for young people

School Games:

Establishes a sport and physical habit for life.
Improves academic achievement.
Establishes skills and attributes ready for working life.
Improves physical health.
Promotes better mental wellbeing.

Active children are 20% more likely to earn an A in Maths or English*

Benefits for schools

The School Games programme is underpinned by 6 values, which it aims to instil in young people – i.e. determination, honesty, passion, respect, self-belief, and teamwork. These values align with the Ofsted guidance on what school life should instil and, as a result, the School Games programme can give schools a head start in terms of developing key attributes in their pupils including the following, taken directly from the Ofsted guidance:

A sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them..
A willingness to reflect on their experiences.
An understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions.
The use of a range of social skills in different contexts, for example, working and socialising with other pupils, including those from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
Willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively.
Acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; they develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.

A 13% increase in physical activity, leads to a 21% decrease in teachers’ time managing behaviour.**

“An amazing experience for the children from the qualifying tournament in March to the day at Wavertree.” School team manager

Benefits for the community

School Games:

Creates volunteering opportunities for individuals.
Offers CSR benefits to businesses through sponsorship and employee volunteering
creates well-rounded future citizens.
Promotes local club and participation opportunities.

Find out more here about the benefits of the School Games programme.

“I had so much fun and have recommended to my colleagues today they should all apply to volunteer next year. I also slept like a baby last night! Thanks for having me :)” School Games Volunteer

Want your school to start enjoying the benefits of the School Games?

The pathway to your school being involved in a Level 3 event is to link with your local School Games Organiser (SGO) and get involved in the initiative at Levels 1 and 2, or through ‘open entry’ events.

Click here to get started by registering your interest via the national School Games website. This will trigger contact from your local School Games Organiser. They will finalise your registration and be in touch to support your school to get the most out of signing up to the initiative.

The team at MSP hope to see your school at a Level 3 event soon!