Statement by Education Minister
Linked statements:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-03-08/hlws602
The Government has announced additional funding to support
schools to provide high quality PE and sport to pupils and action
to ensure girls and boys have equal access to sport in school.
Schools are being asked to ensure girls are offered the same
opportunities as boys during PE and extracurricular activities.
Where schools are able to evidence and demonstrate their delivery
against the Government ambitions of parity between the sexes in
school sport, this will be acknowledged through the School Games
Mark, an assurance scheme that recognises a school’s commitment
to the development of competition across their school and into
the community.
The Government is encouraging schools to offer a minimum of 2
hours’ curriculum PE time so that pupils can experience the
benefits of regular exercise – from becoming healthier both
mentally and physically to better academic achievement and
improved attainment. With the support of the Football Association
and other sporting organisations, the Government will identify
schools that offer a minimum of 2 hours PE and equal access for
girls to sport during curriculum time and additional
extracurricular activities and will share good practice. This
will help all schools to improve their provision despite wider
pressures.
The Primary PE and Sport Premium will continue for academic years
2023/24 and 2024/25 with a total of over £600m of funding across
the two years, with funding provided by the Department for
Education and the Department for Health and Social Care. The
Primary PE and Sport Premium is provided to all primary schools
in England, with an average of £18k per school. Schools must use
the funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to
the quality of PE and sport they provide, with eligible spending
including teacher training, providing a wider range of sports to
pupils and top-up swimming lessons. Schools will receive updated
guidance this summer setting out how schools should be using the
funding to the best advantage of their pupils. A new digital tool
will also be introduced for schools to report on spending of
their allocation of the PE and Sport Premium.
An additional £11m per year to fund School Games Organisers is
being made available for a further two academic years until 2025,
provided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the
Department of Health and Social Care. This national network of
450 School Games Organisers works directly with their local
schools to coordinate inclusive sport competitions across 40
different sports and activities.
The Department for Education is funding up to £57m to deliver
phase three of the Opening School Facilities programme which
allows schools to open their sport facilities outside of the core
school day, in weekends and holidays. The programme is being
delivered by consortium partners Active Partnerships, ukactive,
Youth Sport Trust and StreetGames. Up to 1350 schools across
England will be targeted where the funding will have the most
positive impact in their communities including for girls,
disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and
disabilities and other groups who have lower participation levels
in sport.
The Government’s announcement made on 8th March will be followed
later in the spring by publication of the Government’s new sport
strategy and an update to the School Sport and Activity Action
Plan.
