A SPIKE in sports participation at schools across Swindon has resulted in 19 separate national awards – up from zero in 2013.

The Sainsbury’s School Games Mark is a government-led awards scheme launched in 2012 to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition among pupils and into the community.

Andy Steckbeck, school games organiser for Swindon School Sport Partnership, said the awards were dished out according to how many events within Sainsbury’s School Games a school attended.

The total of 19 in Swindon alone would have beaten every other town and city’s total across the South West in 2013.

Two of those 19 secured a gold award, which were South Marston School and Oakhurst Community Primary School.

Andy puts the sharp rise down to an increase in Government funding geared towards sports development in schools and more opportunities.

“The schools have had to provide opportunities for all its pupils, not just those in the mainstream,” he said.

“The more you engage children as a part of the main curriculum, the more likely they are to put effort in and come to after-school classes.

“The average primary school gets £9,000 a year in ringfenced funding, and that can be used to bring in outside people to coach up the children, and get them confident enough to compete.

“Then of course there’s the issue of giving teachers the time to drive the pupils to the competitions. That money can be used to provide cover when that teacher is out of school.

“The schools which tend to do better, those with silver or gold awards, normally have a particularly enthusiastic member of staff on the inside providing the motivation.

“Primary schools don’t have dedicated P.E. staff like secondary schools, so they need those other staff members to get motivated.”

Criteria through bronze, silver and gold awards, gets progressively more difficult. For South Marston and Oakhurst it’s likely they would have needed to enter more than eight events throughout the year to impress the judges.

Andy said the schools would have a broad and balanced curriculum, which didn’t focus all their energies on football and the boys most likely to enjoy playing that.

“South Marston was particularly impressive,” he said.

“The fact they only have 90 pupils makes their achievement all the better.”