In the year of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Berkshire School Games will be a fantastic sporting celebration of the talents and skills of young people from across the six local authority areas in the County.
Children and young people of all ages, abilities and those with disabilities will take part in multi-sport festivals throughout 2012, culminating in 5 days of county-level competition in April and June.
Schools from Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham will run intra-mural tournaments in school and take part in tournaments in a range of different sports in their local areas. The local area winners will go on to represent their school and their Borough at the showpiece Berkshire School Games County Finals.
The School Games are a key element of the Government’s Legacy Plan for sport, with some funding from the Sport England Lottery Fund to support the delivery of each event.
Over the three years of the event, over 60,000 children and young people will be involved in 25 different sporting events at the 3 levels of competition – in-school, in their local authority area and at a County level. Over 5000 of these young people will experience the County-level event.
The Berkshire School Games is not solely about those who will play and compete in sport though. The Legacy of the Games will also be in the young people who are trained as sports leaders, coaches, journalists, announcers and statisticians.
Mission, Vision and Outcomes for the Berkshire School Games
The mission of the Berkshire School Games is:
‘To inspire and enthuse young people in Berkshire through the power of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games’
The vision for the Games is:
-To deliver a sustainable educational, sporting and community 2012 legacy across Berkshire’
The Local Organising Committee is committed to ensuring that the benefits of the Berkshire School Games reach far beyond the competition and event days. The sporting events will be focal points for the development work that will take place in schools, clubs and other community settings. The focus will be on developing the skills, confidence and commitment of children and young people through the medium of sport and other areas related to sport and to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The key outcomes for the Berkshire School Games are that:
-Children and young people experience a county-level Olympic-style event and the pride of representing their school and their area
- Children and young people learn through the Values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and have opportunities for education, personal development and growth
-Children and young people with disabilities are fully included in the School Games events and have opportunities to play and lead sport in school and the wider community
-More children and young people make the transition from school sport to sport in community settings, encouraging lifelong participation in sport and a healthy lifestyle
-More young people engage in cultural activities including music, arts and dance both in school and community settings
-A new workforce of future leaders is developed, with young people accessing training and accreditation in sports leadership, coaching and sports-related activities such as journalism, commentating and managing statistics
-New adult volunteers are recruited and involved in delivering the School Games and provide a legacy of involvement inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Games