Pupils and teachers will fight it out on the basketball court as a school continues its proud charity tradition. The match is the highlight of the Sport Relief events at Newton Primary in Dunblane, near Stirling, one of thousands of schools taking part.

The basketball game will be among a series of challenges at Newton. And the school will also use the opportunity to give pupils an insight into life in Brazil, the focus of this year’s national campaign. There will be an extra buzz for the launch of this year’s Sport Relief from March 14-16, with two pupils appearing in a film on CBBC.

For the last Sport Relief two years ago (the event alternates with Comic Relief) the school raised more than pound;1,000, an achievement that put it in the frame when producers were casting pupils for the film.

In the end, cameras followed a day in the life of a brother and sister, in Primary 4 and 7 (Years 4 and 7), to compare with a brother and sister in Brazil. The film will be shown on March 14 at 4.30pm.

The basketball match is being organised by the pupils. “The children love organising whole-school events, and pulling off something like this gives them a lot of confidence,” says Heather White, a Primary 7 teacher.

During the campaign the school will be making use of Sport Relief resources about Brazil, including downloading films on what life is like for Brazilian children.

“It makes it real for pupils, and by the time Sport Relief comes around they can identify with these children,” Heather says. “It encourages them to take responsibility for what happens in the wider world.”

Thousands of schools took part in the 2006 Sport Relief, which raised a total of pound;18 million, with the money spent by Comic Relief on projects in the UK and abroad. But there is one tradition from the last Sport Relief that the school won’t be repeating. After finishing the obstacle course, the pupils had the chance to throw wet sponges at the deputy head. Apparently that won’t be happening this time

Grab your trainers

Sport Relief provides a range of ideas and resources for schools, from tips on organising events to lesson plans.

Fundraising ideas for primary schools include passing a football over the equivalent of a mile, crazy golf and gymnasts spelling out the word M-I-L-E, while for secondary, suggestions include a longest pass competition and a mile on a rowing machine.

Teaching ideas focus on four children who are benefiting from Sport Relief projects: a girl who lived on a rubbish dump in Brazil, a girl from a Brazilian slum, a young carer from the UK and a teenager trying to avoid gang conflict in Belfast. Packs include lesson plans, online films and photos.

The Sport Relief website also contains downloadable sponsorship forms, stickers, lessons to parents and posters.

Visit www.sportrelief.com for more information.