Sunderland City Council has announced funding for a new esports programme across 14 primary and secondary schools in the city, delivered by British Esports, with the investment expected to total between £900,000 and £1 million and to reach around 3,600 pupils.
The programme is being run by the British Esports Federation, which is headquartered in Sunderland, together with Sunderland City Council and Together for Children, the organisation that delivers children’s services on the council’s behalf. Ryhope Junior School is one of the first schools in the city to finish its dedicated esports suite and will act as the flagship school for the launch.
The schools taking part were chosen using data on attendance rates, exclusions, suspensions and eligibility for Free School Meals, a government-funded program. The idea is to direct the money to communities where extra support and opportunities are likely to make the biggest difference, and to raise pupils’ engagement in those areas.
As a part of this programme, each school will receive staff training, coaching qualifications, online safeguarding guidance, competitions and curriculum resources, so that esports can be run safely and effectively. Students from Sunderland College will also help the schools develop learning resources. The organisations involved also highlighted that the primary objective of this programme is to give pupils a clear route from primary school through college and university and on into work.
Councillor Chris Eynon, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said, “This is a unique opportunity to take advantage of the benefits that come from having British Esports headquartered in Sunderland for young people across our city. Esports is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and this partnership not only paves the way for more of our young people to develop future careers in the digital, creative and technology-based sectors, but will help equip them with wider transferable skills that employers are looking for.”
Kalam Neale, Vice President of Education, Skills and Innovation at British Esports, said, “What makes this programme significant is not simply the investment in esports facilities, but the creation of a connected education and skills ecosystem.”
Kimberley Richardson, Director of Education at Together for Children, said, “Enrichment activities don’t just support children’s mental and physical health – there’s strong evidence to show that they also boost attendance and engagement. That’s why we’re taking a proactive, data driven approach, using the link between enrichment and attendance to improve outcomes for children in the schools identified.”
The esports work sits within a council-funded £2m enrichment programme run alongside Together for Children. That programme covers a range of other projects, including outdoor adventure spaces, social, emotional and mental health provision, and facilities meant to improve children’s experiences both inside and outside the classroom.
This latest programme follows other recent school-focused projects from British Esports. Most recently, on 3 November 2026, the British Esports Federation helped create EGAMES DUBAI27, an international gaming competition for school students, launched together with the education investment company Varkey Group. Before that, in April 2026, the federation entered a formal partnership with WorldSkills UK to help young people build careers in esports.
