A competition has been launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) for schools to find innovative ways of using cricket to improve standards across the national curriculum.

Details of the scheme were revealed by children's secretary, Ed Balls, at the Sports Colleges Conference, which is also designed to develop new methods to increase the reach of cricket for young people. The first challenge is to increase participation in schools and clubs through focusing on getting more girls involved, small-sided games, or increasing the number of young people who become officials, umpires or scorers.

Raising standards across a range of subjects is the second challenge, enhancing young people's learning through the way the history of the sport reflects the development of Britain's former colonies, as well as using the maths and statistics used to analyse the game. A set of 15 tickets for an ICC World Twenty20 fixture this summer is on offer for the two schools that come up with the best ideas, after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) backed the scheme to work alongside its own work in school sports development, including the Chance to shine initiative.

Balls said: "From the village green to the Ashes tests to playground scratch games, cricket is part of our national identity. Not only does it have obvious health benefits for young people, it also develops them in other ways – co-ordination, balance, team work, tactics, and remaining calm under pressure. "Cricket is one of the most popular school sports and I’m convinced it can have benefits across the curriculum too. Cricket is often called an art and a science – it’s time for schools to demonstrate that."

ECB head of development Peter Ackerley added: "The ECB is asupporting the delivery of the government’s five hour high quality PE and school sport per week initiative by ensuring cricket is available both in the curriculum and through high quality coaching at clubs. "We welcome the initiative put forward by Ed Balls and are confident that cricket teams and enthusiasts will rise to the challenge."