More than 25,000 members of the Association of School and College Leaders will have access to esports support and guidance from British Esports
Sunderland, October 14th 2025 – British Esports, the national esports federation for the United Kingdom, has today announced a new partnership with the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) to boost esports opportunities for students.
The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will see ASCL members – such as headteachers, CEOs of multi-academy trusts and other education leaders across the UK – gain access to expert support, advice and guidance around competitive video gaming.
The MOU will also see the British Esports Federation have a presence at the ASCL Annual Conference and other regional events, organise and promote esports tournaments for students (both online and in-person) and provide digital skills development, including a new webinar series for colleges.
With esports ever-popular amongst young people, there is a growing need for teachers to properly understand it and to enable students to access its benefits – from fostering skills in leadership, teamwork, communication, problem solving and more – while staying safe online at the same time.
Esports clubs and tournaments in schools, such as the British Esports Student Champs, have been found to improve student engagement, attendance and behaviour, helping students to build friendships, be part of a team, and represent their school in a nationwide competition.
Esports also supports the development of STEM and digital skills, as well as other transferable skills linked to careers not only in esports and video games, but also in a variety of other digital and tech industries. These include cyber security, events, social media, marketing, broadcasting, content creation and more.
British Esports has also developed an esports curriculum pathway with programmes from Level 1 to Level 7. Examples include Level 2 & 3 Esports BTEC qualifications with Pearson and Level 1 & 2 programmes with the Leadership Skills Foundation, plus recently launched esports coaching and safeguarding courses.
Tom Dore, British Esports Vice President, commented: “Esports forms an exciting part of many young people’s lives, and schools have a key role to play in supporting them to engage in it safely, with balance.
“Our new partnership with ASCL is about giving school leaders the tools, knowledge and confidence to understand the opportunities esports can provide – from digital skills to developing teamwork and communication. We look forward to helping ASCL members to support young people to pursue their passions in a safe, healthy way.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We are delighted to partner with British Esports. This is an industry that has evolved rapidly in recent years and is now extremely popular among children and young people, as well as having a number of transferable skills.
“We are really pleased that, through this partnership, we can provide ASCL members with the tools and information required to safely provide esports opportunities for students.”
British Esports & ASCL will be hosting a webinar on Thursday 13th November at 15:45 to allow ASCL members to find out more. Follow the link to register: British Esports and ASCL-partnered webinar
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Contacts
Press | British Esports | press@britishesports.org
ASCL | info@ascl.org.uk
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About the British Esports Federation
Established in 2016, British Esports is the national body for esports in the UK. As one of the world’s leading esports authorities, we are the recognised member of the Global Esports Federation for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and founding member of the International Olympic Committee Esports and Gaming Liaison Group. From nationwide amateur grassroots competition to cutting edge esports curriculum and national representation on the global stage, we’re dedicated to increasing levels of esports awareness, improving esports standards, and inspiring future esports talent. For more information and all the latest news, visit www.britishesports.org or follow British Esports on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitch, YouTube, TikTok.
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About the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)
The ASCL is the leading professional association and trade union for all school, college and trust leaders. It is proud to support and represent more than 25,000 leaders of primary, secondary and post-16 education from across the UK.
Its members are responsible for the education of more than four million young people and children. The ASCL works to shape national education policy, provide advice and support to its members and deliver first-class professional development.The ASCL has no political affiliation. It represents school and college leaders with a wide range of roles including executive headteachers, CEOs of multi-academy trusts, principals, heads of school, deputy heads and vice principals, and many more.