Menston-based St Mary's School Sports Partnership are to introduce new activities, such as girls' basketball, inter-cricket and girls' rugby next year.

The aim is to increase the number of pupils regularly involved in sport by a further five per cent, while creating a state-of-the-art structure and co-ordination.

Partnership Development Manager Richard Chattoe has highlighted the development of a new inter-school football programme as a model to be replicated across the city of Leeds and the country.

He said: "We have completely restructured secondary school football by joining the 14 St Mary's and Priesthorpe Partnership of schools together.

"This joint review and planning has seen a significant increase in the quality of organisation before and during the season, a transformation in co-ordination between schools and league and cup competitions and subsequently an increase in the number of schools, teams and players regularly involved in football, with the addition of a players' code of conduct."