OLYMPIC and world champion Jessica Ennis-Hill led a day dedicated to developing key life skills and confidence through participation in sporting activities which Westonbirt School pupils took part in.

The pupils were among 300 secondary school students, aged 11 to 18, from 12 UK schools to take part in the day at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, which day formed part of Sky Academy Confidence month which runs until Saturday.

It showcased the Sky Sports Living for Sport programme that works with sports stars, schools and teachers across the country to build practical skills, experience and confidence.

The campaign was established after Sky Academy research, conducted by YouGov, discovered that one in three (33%) young people, aged 11-24, claim they are “not confident”.

The study of more than 1,600 young people and 600 parents also revealed that girls (60%) feel less confident than boys (67%), especially when faced with new and unfamiliar experiences.

Sky Academy Ambassador, Jessica Ennis-Hill said: "The best advice I would give to people suffering low self-confidence would be to talk to your parents, teachers, friends or someone you can trust, so they can help you.

"In my mind, sport is a great way to build confidence. It promotes discipline, it releases endorphins that make you feel good and when you win, it’s a real confidence booster.”

At the end of the event Isabel Viola, a Year 9 student at the school, said: "The Sky Academy Confidence Day has been a great experience, I’ve learnt so much!

"It’s so much fun learning from the athlete mentors, and they helped me appreciate the importance of things like resilience and teamwork.

"Also I can’t believe I met Jess Ennis-Hill – she’s such an amazing athlete and an inspiration.”

Teacher Lizanne Johnson said: "It’s very important for young people to have faith in themselves and trust their ability.

"Speaking to someone like Jess Ennis-Hill does wonders engaging the students and helping them unlock their potential, both in sport and academically.

"The Sky Academy Confidence Day with Jessica Ennis-Hill has been a great success and we feel so privileged Westonbirt School has been involved.”

Westonbirt School won the opportunity to attend to the Sky Academy Confidence Day after entering a nationwide Sky Sports Living for Sports competition.

Sky Sports Living for Sport is part of Sky Academy, a ground-breaking set of initiatives that use the power of television, sport and creativity to help up to one million young people develop skills and experience by 2020 across the UK and Ireland. It is a free initiative open to all secondary schools in the UK and Ireland delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust.

Sky Academy Confidence Month - details at www.sky.com/academy - is supported by a host of ambassadors including Jessica Ennis-Hill, David Beckham, Davina McCall, Thierry Henry, Alfie Deyes, Ella Eyre, Justine Roberts and Melvyn Bragg.

Over the course of the month, the ambassadors are taking part in various Sky Academy initiatives to engage with thousands of young people and share their confidence experiences.