I should like to let your readers know about my backing for an excellent initiative which is re-engaging young people with school through sport.

As the new National School Sport Champion, I am supporting the Youth Sport Trust, Sky and the Department for Education and Skills' Living For Sport initiative, which targets young people at risk of opting out of school. It provides 11-16 year olds with a wide variety of sporting activities that develop leadership, teamwork and communication.

Three years into the project, new research shows that six out of ten young people are showing considerably improved behaviour and confidence, and seven out of ten are showing better attitudes towards teachers.

So far, Living for Sport has reached 4,500 young people in 300 secondary schools. We would welcome more schools from your area.

This initiative is just one of the campaigns I am supporting in my Government backed role of National School Sport Champion, in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, Sky through the Living For Sport programme and Norwich Union.

Please visit www.sky.com/lfs or www.youthsporttrust.org or www.teachernet.gov.uk/pe.

Dame Kelly Holmes,

National School Sport Champion.