On the 17th July 2024 the Essex School Games took place in Basildon and brought together 650 students from 51 schools across the county to participate in a multi-sport event designed to promote physical activity among children and young people.
Hosted at Basildon Sporting Village, the games were organised by the Active Essex School Games Organisers (SGOs), who work year-round to create diverse sporting opportunities for students. The event is part of the broader Essex School Games strategy, which includes the Develop For All and Compete pathways, providing a platform for students to engage in various sports, learn valuable life skills, and build a sense of community among schools.
The summer celebration was themed around the Paris 2024 Olympics, adding an international flair to the festivities. In keeping with the French theme, a fruit stall encouraged pupils to practice their French. Additionally, circus performers, whose art originated from France, showcased their skills, captivating the young audience.
The event featured a wide range of activities, including Netball, Sport Hall Athletics, QuadKids, inclusive Panathlon-led events, and an Olympic Year carousel of four Olympic sports. These activities were supported by 90 young leaders from seven Essex secondary schools who had completed their Active Essex Legacy Leaders training. This year, the Year 4 Olympic Carousel was organized in response to requests from the School Sports Partnership (SSP) youth boards across the county, who sought more Olympic-themed activities. Students had the opportunity to try Archery, Tennis, Football, Breakdancing (the newest Olympic discipline), and Taekwondo.
In addition to physical activities, the Essex County Council music service provided a range of instruments for the students to try, while a DJ played music throughout the day and lent his equipment to the children.
Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive. One parent remarked, “It was a great opportunity to watch my child enjoy physical activity with children from other schools. It would have been great to have more events like this when I was younger as I may have found a sport I continued to do past school.”
A teacher noted, “All events were really well organized, and every child listened and understood what the instructors and teachers wanted from them.”
A student commented, “I really liked the fruit stall idea as it was great to practice our French skills that we had learned in lessons in the real world.”
Steve Bish from the Active Essex Children and Young People team, who helped organise the day, said, “It was fantastic to see such a broad range of activities and sports taking place as part of our Active Essex summer Olympic celebration event. The aspect which really made it special was how secondary-aged Legacy Leaders supported the organization and delivery of all the events. We hope this event was inspirational and motivates more young people to enjoy being active and playing sport.”
