Participation in sport among young people declined during the 2019/20 academic year but a study commissioned by Youth Sport Trust has suggested the majority of six to 15-year-olds want to exercise more; thousands of school kids nationwide got involved in the seven-day festival of sport
Saturday 26 June 2021 19:12, UK
Over 800,000 young people enjoyed a week-long celebration of school sport promoting the importance of physical education to help children reconnect.
The Youth Sport Trust's National School Sport Week campaign ran from Saturday June 19 to Friday June 25 with the aim of boosting health and wellbeing for kids across the country following a difficult year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sporting stars like wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft urged children to 'Pause to Play' and take a moment to connect and be together again by harnessing the power of sport.
MP Nigel Huddleston gave his backing to the week-long celebration by visiting a primary school in London along with former Team GB swimmer Jazz Carlin.
Prior to the week, another of the initiative's supporters, former CBBC presenter Leah Boleto said: "This year we have all been guilty of being glued to our screens. For children and young people, especially those born during the pandemic like my daughter Lucia, most of what they know is connection through a screen and social distancing.
"Really devote some time on National School Sport Week to connecting in the real world and being together again."
Using free resources provided by the Youth Sport Trust, schools found innovative ways to bring this year's theme to life, from St Elizabeth's School in Manchester basing their events around a thank you to the NHS, to Plantation Primary School in Liverpool putting on its own Highland Games for pupils to get involved in from home.
Inspired by Euro 2020, football festivals were put on promoting equal access to the game for girls.
England legend Kelly Smith inspired girls at an event put on by the FA and Youth Sport Trust at a London school, part of the Game of Our Own Leadership Programme.
Separately, the Manchester United Foundation was one of several club foundations to get involved, inviting children from local schools to hold sports day events on the pitch at Old Trafford.
National School Sport Week will return next year from June 18 to June 24, 2022.
