Nintendo backs UK’s first national junior school esports tournament

Dom Sacco, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 17/06/2025

Digital Schoolhouse (DSH), the education initiative from UK games industry trade body Ukie, has announced a new junior school esports tournament.

The DSH junior esports tournament competition has been put together in partnership with Nintendo UK and British game developer Outright Games following a pilot last year.

It’s for students aged 8 to 11 and features Switch games Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Race with Ryan and Crayola Scoot, as announced in this article on the Digital Schoolhouse website.

Teachers are also able to use plug in resources to use different games as they teach students about roles in the games industry, with activities mapped to subjects on the curriculum including Computing, English, Maths, Design & Technology (DT) and Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE).

The junior school esports pilot scheme last year found that 84% of pupils wanted more lessons in school similar to the esports tournament, while 55% of teachers reported that their pupils’ level of attainment was higher than usual. And 91% of teachers reported that pupils were either very or extremely interested in careers in games.

Digital Schoolhouse will also run its separate Super Smash Bros Ultimate Team Battle esports tournament for 12 to 18 year olds

Kalpesh Tailor, head of communications of Nintendo UK, commented: “We are thrilled in our role as lead partner for Digital Schoolhouse to be bringing yet another transformative and inspiring programme to young pupils across the UK with Nintendo Switch.

“In the past year our partnership has reached over 10,000 pupils and 1,000 teams in schools and colleges across the UK with the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Team Battle tournament. We have seen first-hand the positive impact this has had on pupils who have benefited from teamwork, strategy and social improvements.

“It is great that we can deliver a tailored educational programme using Mario Kart 8 Deluxe so primary school pupils can also engage and get hands on experiences in a multitude of important roles developing and running a nationwide innovative tournament.”

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Dom Sacco, Senior Editor

Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He has almost two decades of experience in journalism, and left Esports News UK in June 2025. As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late '80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He also previously worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation.

All Posts By Dom Sacco