Esports is continuing to grow at Dame Allan’s Schools, with pupils now competing — and succeeding — at the highest level of national school competition.

Over the past three years, Dame Allan’s has developed its competitive esports programme through the Digital Schoolhouse tournament, run in partnership with Nintendo. After reaching the national finals for the second consecutive year, a team of Year 12 pupils recently secured the top prize.

Lucas C, Edward C, Charlie M-W and Emily R, alongside reserve Raees Saqib, became national champions in the 2026 Splatoon 3 finals at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. The team outperformed thousands of players from 47 schools across seven regional qualifiers and two semi-finals, winning every match on finals day.

Splatoon 3 requires close coordination, with teams of four working to claim territory while navigating complex maps and different game modes such as Turf War and Tower Control. Having finished fourth in the national competition the previous year, the team spent the last 12 months refining their approach.

“We were really proud to make it so far in a national competition and to represent our school and the North East, as both teams who previously won were from the South,” said Lucas. “It was great to meet people who shared our passion for Splatoon and be part of such a friendly community. It’s an experience we won’t forget.”

Preparation for the competition was largely pupils-led. The Sixth Form team established an unofficial practice club on Wednesday afternoons in the school computer rooms, alongside additional practice at home and online scrimmages against teams they had met at previous tournaments.

Lucas added: “The biggest difference compared to last year was our mindset going into the final tournament. We spent a lot of time practising, reviewing our previous games for things to improve on and watching top-level players to get a feel for the game at a higher level.

“As a result, we felt a lot more confident in each other, and this positive mindset ultimately helped us win the tournament.”

Head of Computing Sarah Dunne, who oversees esports at Dame Allan’s, said the team’s success reflects the commitment and independence shown by pupils throughout the competition.

“The pupils coordinate everything themselves and were incredibly dedicated to improving and refining their strategy,” she said.

“What we’ve found with the esports competition is that it brings pupils into a highly competitive team environment who perhaps wouldn’t necessarily take part in traditional school sport. It allows them to represent the school, work together and experience that same sense of achievement and pride.”

Interest in esports continues to grow across the school, with Mrs Dunne running a weekly Esports Club for pupils in Years 7 to 9.  With gaming hardware loaned through Digital Schoolhouse, pupils take part in supervised sessions playing games including Minecraft, Mario Kart, Rocket League and Splatoon in a structured environment.

“Esports is a very popular club,” Lucas said. “The most enjoyable part is how open it is to everyone; you don’t need prior experience or your own console. You can pick up a game, play with friends or meet new people. That’s largely thanks to Mrs Dunne and the way she supports it.”

Esports continues to develop regionally, through initiatives such as the British Esports Federation’s National Esports Performance Campus and the launch of a major esports arena in Sunderland. At Dame Allan’s, its growing popularity reflects how gaming can support the development of communication, strategy and teamwork skills.

“It’s a rapidly growing area,” Mrs Dunne added. “At club level, it gives pupils a chance to relax with friends and enjoy gaming in a positive environment, but competitively it has shown pupils that with independence, teamwork and practice, they can genuinely beat the best in the country.”