International Inspiration schools competition winners visit Olympic Park

The winning schools, Vandyke Upper School in Leighton Buzzard, Burleigh Community College in Loughborough and Sir Frederic Osborn School in Welwyn Garden City sent in the best examples of how schools are bringing International Inspiration to life and included photos of school exchange visits, participating in sport and play, welcoming delegations from partner countries and project specific work.  

In the UK, 164 schools have been linked with partner schools in 12 International Inspiration countries, enabling the programme to reach over 100,000 UK pupils. Through these partnerships, children are taking part in life-changing exchanges, helping them to gain a new and deeper understanding of each other’s cultures.

Teachers across the UK are also collaborating directly with their counterparts in International Inspiration countries to help develop more inclusive sport and physical education around the globe. These school partnerships are managed by the British Council, which has long experience of linking schools internationally, working in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, which utilises its expertise in developing teachers and young leaders through sport.

The competition was an opportunity for schools that have used their International Inspiration work in their applications to join the Get Set network, the London 2012 reward and recognition scheme for schools and college across the UK. Members of the Get Set network are granted the right to use the London 2012 education logo and are also given priority access to exclusive rewards and opportunities such as tours of the Olympic Park.

Whilst on the visit, pupils got the opportunity to see first-hand the work that is progressing on London’s Olympic Park, where the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be hosted in 2012. As part of the Park tour they saw the major venues being constructed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and Handball Arena, and learn about the environmental and community programmes running on the Olympic Park.

Sue Lewis, Head Teacher at Sir Frederic Osborn School, said: "We hosted a visit by the Principal and the Lead teacher from our link school in March so they could experience life in an English school and see for themselves how sport can engage young people in their learning. They took assemblies for the whole school to describe what life is like in their school and community. The benefits for our school have been very significant as we have established a very strong relationship with our link school which will extend beyond the lifetime of this project and so leave a lasting legacy. I have no doubt that this is one of the most exciting projects we have been engaged in as a school."

Amber, a pupil at Sir Frederic Osborn School said: 'London 2012 is really exciting. We are planning an exchange visit with our partner school in South Africa next year and will be seeing what different sports they do. Being part of the leaders programme has increased my confidence and shown me how we can work together as a group, not just as individuals.'

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: 'Our vision is to use the power of the Games to inspire lasting change and we took a very clear promise to Singapore – to encourage the youth of the world to choose sport. The work these winning schools have been doing on International Inspiration and their link with International Inspiration countries is another key step towards delivering that promise. I’m delighted that they won the opportunity to visit the London 2012 Olympic Park - I hope it has inspired them even more to continue their great work on International Inspiration.'

International inspiration is the official international sports legacy programme of London 2012 – delivered as a partnership between UK Sport, the British Council and UNICEF. The vision for the programme is to enrich the lives of 12 million children of all abilities, in schools and communities in 20 countries across the world - particularly in developing countries - through the power of high-quality and inclusive physical education, sport and play. It is the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that an international legacy on this scale has been implemented.

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Notes to editors: 

International Inspiration is a unique partnership of public and private organisations. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has joined forces with the programme’s key delivery partners, UK Sport, UNICEF UK and the British Council, to bring International Inspiration to fruition as a core strand of the London 2012 international education programme. Other partners and funders of International Inspiration include the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for International Development, the Premier League, the British Olympic Association, the British Paralympic Association and the Youth Sport Trust. International Inspiration is governed by an independent charitable foundation.

To enable longer-term impact, the programme is developed jointly with the governments, National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees, where appropriate, of participating countries. The programme is supported and welcomed by the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee.

As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now nineteen domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, GSK, Gymnova, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, Next, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Technogym, Ticketmaster and Trident.

There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s.

The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa