From designing their own playing shirt to walking out at Twickenham during England’s Six Nations next year, students from Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy are learning that rugby is so much more than a game.

Launched in 2012, the CBRE All Schools programme has been developed by the RFU to increase the amount of rugby in schools, encourage new players to join local clubs and create a positive legacy through the sport and its core values.

One element is the running of bespoke kit design workshops, delivered by official partner Canterbury and run in conjunction with the RFU for every school in the programme.

Not only do pupils get the chance to design their own rugby shirt but they are also invited to attend England’s Six Nations match with Wales at Twickenham on February 10.

Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy was one of 100 new schools taking part in the workshops throughout September and October and lucky students headed to Barking RFC on October 4 to get to grips with their initial shirt designs.

Head of PE, Sasha Kelly hailed the final shirt creations as a fantastic opportunity to grow the egg-chasing game at Mossbourne.  

“This is only our fourth year as a school. Rugby is something we slowly started introducing last year but we’re massively pushing it now,” said the 26-year-old.

“We’re based in a borough where the facilities of sport aren’t great – we have to jump on our minibus to play on the nearest rugby pitch.

“Our finished shirt incorporates our school’s colours with the four elements of the school’s logo – a cog, fire, wheel the atom.

“The Canterbury kids really drilled it into the kids that when they put that shirt on, they’re representing their school, just like for the England players, it’s their country. It was really inspiring and positive session.

“I’ve been at the school for four years and it’s by far the best trip I’ve ever taken the kids on.”

The workshops, which build team spirit and boost creative innovation, see pupils given unique freedom and opportunity to design their school’s shirt, which could be worn by their school’s rugby team for many years to come.

It forms part of the CBRE All Schools programme which aims to take rugby into 750 state secondary schools by 2019.

Steve Grainger, RFU Rugby Development Director, commented: “CBRE All Schools aims is to give as many young people as possible the chance to enjoy all that rugby has to offer.

“Designing their own school kit is an integral part of the programme and helps students understand more about the history, heritage and core values of our great game.

“The kit design workshops, thanks to great support from Canterbury, help the schools understand the pride associated with the shirt and I am sure that these new school teams will feel the same pride for their own shirt as our teams feel when they put on the England shirt.”

CBRE All Schools supported by Canterbury is one of the RFU’s key legacy programmes, set up to increase the number of state secondary schools playing rugby union in England. Visit www.englandrugby.com/allschools to find out more