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Retail bank Lloyds TSB has scored success with National School Sport Week, inspiring seven out of ten primary school children and more than a third of secondary school children to take part in more sport. 

Five million schoolchildren participated in the event, which offered them taster sessions in some of the less well known Olympic and Paralympic sports, such as fencing, canoeing, Boccia, a sport for athletes who require a wheelchair owing to physical disability and goalball, designed for blind athletes.

Schools devoting whole days to the event were also encouraged to integrate opening and closing ceremonies, torch relays and intra-school contests into their activities to give children a flavour of the Games themselves. The school event is part of Lloyds' sponsorship pledge to promote the culture of the Olympics.

Research conducted before and after the week-long event found that children's regular participation in sport increased from 76 per cent to 82 per cent.

Less common sports experienced a particular surge in popularity, with Boccia and goalball reporting a 200 per cent increase in participation between July and May and interest in handball leaping 129 per cent and canoeing 35 per cent. 

Efforts to demystify London 2012 seemed to work. The study also found greater pride and excitement around the Games after the National School Sport Week amongst those who had participated. Pride that the Olympics were being held in the UK rose by 50 per cent from 36 per cent in May before the school taster event to 54 per cent afterwards in July. Eagerness to take part in the Games themselves jumped from 16 per cent to 25 per cent.

The school event itself has seen a dramatic rise in participation over the last year, from 10,500 schools taking part in 2009 to 14,000 schools this year.

Olympic Gold Medallist, Jonathan Edwards, said: 'It was great to see first-hand the excitement that British schoolchildren have for trying new Olympic and Paralympic sports. Seeing them put that excitement to the test during this year's Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week was a real positive for me. By giving more children the opportunity to try a wider variety of sports, we hope to increase participation levels and help young people be more active.'

Sebastian Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: 'The fact that nearly 14,000 schools took part in National School Sport Week in 2010 confirms what we witness every time we travel around the UK - that children are excited about trying new sports. The enthusiasm up and down the country and overall support for the London 2012 Games is clear, and it is great to see the impact it is already having on school children.'

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