From designing their own playing shirt to walking out at Twickenham during England’s Six Nations next year, students at Elthorne Park High School 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.

Elthorne Park High School is one of 100 new schools taking part in the workshops in September and October, and four lucky students headed to Twickenham on October 12 to get to grips with their initial shirt designs.

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.

Elthorne Park High School’s workshop took place in the Presidential suite of Twickenham Stadium, with pupils getting the VIP tour.

P.E. teacher Alex Simmonds said: “It was excellent, a really good day and the kids loved it.

“It was well run, and a nice different experience for them.

“I think that’s the first time they’d been in the nice areas, the VIP, that was an experience for them being able to go in there and it was empty and to go out and look at the stadium.

“With the design, they’ve gone for a white base layer with red, black and maroon dashes across the torso that are made up of the school values.

“We have four school values, proud, prepared, persevering and principled, each dash is made up of those values repeated over and over again in small lettering.

“It’s been brilliant, we’ve started with coaching in our lessons, already students are starting to show a real interest in it and starting to take it (rugby) up after school.

“It’s already starting to take hold and we are hoping that actually over the next few weeks and few months it’s going to grow even more.”

The event formed part of the CBRE All Schools programme that 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