South Yorkshire is set for its very own School Games featuring pupils from Sheffield schools.

Thousands of youngsters from hundreds of primary and secondary school across Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley will be competing at various age groups across a wide range of sports, including disability formats, with successful individuals going forward to national finals to be held in London’s Olympic facilities.

Two School Games festivals, both over two days, will be held in South Yorkshire for three years from 2012. The Winter festival will be held at the world-class facilities of the English Institute of Sport Sheffield in Attercliffe, Sheffield on March 12-13. The Summer festival will be held on July 2-3 at the Abbeydale Sports complex in Sheffield.

Organisers estimate there will be:

• 3,200 participants
• 284 school teams
• 200 young people involved in cultural elements
• 100 volunteers
• 1,200 spectators at each festival

The winter festival will feature athletics, netball, gymnastics, basketball, cheerleading, boccia and new-age curling. The summer festival will feature tennis, cricket, rugby union, rounders, rowing and football.

Both festivals, which will have a strong cultural element showcasing a range of school-based activities such as dance, drama and music, will have opening and closing and medal ceremonies based on the Olympic and Paralymic ideals. They will be the culmination of intra school and inter-schools competitions.

The Sport England funded School Games are designed to motivate and inspire young people to take part in more competitive school sport that will form part of the Olympic Legacy for years to come. Under the wing of South Yorkshire Sport, the county sports partnership, the event will young event ambassadors and volunteers profile the talents of other youngsters – young reporters will be on hand to raise the profile.

Helen Cund, Head of Operations South Yorkshire Sport, said: “The School Games will provide young competitors from across South Yorkshire with a unique ‘Olympic’ style experience. County Sports Partnerships are delighted to be supporting the new School Games, an exciting new Olympic/Paralympic style school sport competition. The Games aim to further revive the culture of competitive sport in schools.”

Nationally, Sport England is working with Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Education, the British Paralympic Association and the Youth Sport Trust to deliver the School Games.

Sport England will provide the Lottery funding in England and will work with national governing bodies of sport to make sure they are able to be part of the new competition. Every school in England, and subject to the agreement of the Devolved Administrations schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will be given the opportunity to get involved, potentially giving every school child the chance to take part.

The competition will run at four levels:

Level 1 – Intra-school competition
There will be more competition in every school and an enlarged programme of intra-school competition (for example class or form matches).

Level 2 – Inter-school competition
Next there will be more competitions between schools through a rolling programme of leagues and tournaments.

Level 3 – County festivals of sport
Children and young people will progress from the inter school tournaments/leagues to one of up to 60 new county festivals of sport. These will incorporate the finals of inter school competition in every area, and showcase the best of local competitive sport.

Each area will establish an organising committee which will be chaired by a head teacher and bring together the local schools, the county sports partnerships and other local partners.

Level 4 – National event
The country’s most talented young sports people will have the opportunity to take part in a high profile national event to showcase their talents within school sport. The first national event will take place in summer 2012. The schools of the competing athletes will be recognised and rewarded for their participation.

The School Games will be open to all children. However, particular attention will be paid to widening participation through the new competitions across the groups who traditionally have under participated in sport – girls, youngsters with special needs or disabilities, those from deprived background or BME heritage.

To find out how your school can compete contact South Yorkshire Sport on 0114 223 5672 for more details.