Esports success for Warwickshire school

King Edward VI School, Stratford (KES), has reached the national finals of the groundbreaking annual Digital Schoolhouse (DSH) e-sports tournament, supported by Warwickshire County Council.

Four Warwickshire schools - KES, Campion School, Kineton High School and The Coleshill School - competed in the regional finals hosted by Staffordshire University and Belong by GAME.

The KES team now has the national title in its sights after overcoming Shire Oak Academy (Walsall Wood) in the final to become regional champions. They will compete in the Grand Final Event, hosted by Gfinity, which will coincide with the London Games Festival in April 2019.

The regional event entailed much more than the competition. Professionals were on hand to deliver inspirational talks and provide opportunities for students to ‘mingle with the pros’ and speak one-to-one about potential careers.

The four Warwickshire schools are taking part in Digital Schoolhouse after it became clear to the county council that the prestigious scheme is beneficial on a number of fronts: helping business to address the skills gap, young people into work and, in the medium and long terms, the county to retain its place as a leader in the Digital Creative Sector.

Digital Schoolhouse is delivered by the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) and is backed Warwickshire County Council along with industry leaders PlayStation, Sega and Ubisoft.

Warwickshire County Council welcomes involvement of businesses from the county’s digital sector. Any who would like to be involved should contact: stacyoconnor@warwickshire.gov.uk.

If you would like your school to join the Digital Schoolhouse programme please contact: http://www.digitalschoolhouse.org.uk/articles/2019/01/applications-have-opened