(The Secretary of State for
Education): A positive experience of sport and
physical activity at a young age can build a lifetime habit of
participation. It is central to meeting the Government’s
ambitions for a world-class education system which promotes
character, good physical health and mental wellbeing. We face a
significant challenge to increase and maintain activity levels
amongst children and young people, particularly given the levels
of childhood obesity. Data from Sport England’s Active Lives
Children and Young People survey show that a third of children
are currently doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity a
day, less than half the amount recommended by the Chief Medical
Officer.
The Department for Education, Department for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport, and Department of Health and Social Care are
today publishing a joint School Sport and Activity Action Plan
which will set out the following ambitions:
- All children and young people take part in at least 60
minutes of physical activity every day.
- All children and young people have the opportunity to realise
developmental, character-building experiences through sport,
competition and active pursuits.
- All sport and physical activity provision for children and
young people is designed around building basic skills as well as
confidence, enjoyment, knowledge and understanding (known as
physical literacy) with a focus on fun and enjoyment, and
reaching the least active young people.
The Action Plan will set out a number of immediate actions that
feed into realising these ambitions, including a strong
commitment to joint working between schools and the sport sector.
The plan also sets out areas of activity for the future with
action to be confirmed in a further updated plan later in the
year, following the spending review.
The immediate actions include a commitment to an additional £2.5m
from the Department for Education in 2019/20 to support schools
through further work on teacher training, more help and advice to
enable schools to open up their facilities and make links with
providers, as well as providing more opportunities for young
people to volunteer in sport. The plan also sets out over £4m of
Sport England investment in new after-school clubs, strengthening
the School Games competition and building girls’ confidence
through a programme linked to ‘This Girl Can’.
The Government is also committing to develop regional pilots to
trial new and innovative approaches to getting young people
active, jointly funded by Sport England and the Department for
Education from 2020. The pilots will involve collaborative
working from the school and community sector to offer a
coordinated sport and physical activity experience for young
people.
We will be working with sporting organisations like the Youth
Sport Trust, RFU, England Netball and the Premier League to
ensure that sports clubs and programmes can reach even more
children, encouraging them to get active by focusing on fun,
enjoyment and increasing confidence.
