What is the Sports Premium?
All children and young people should live healthy active lives. The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that all children and young people should take part in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes every day. Children with special educational needs and disabilities should take part in 20 minutes of daily activity.
The Childhood Obesity Plan says that at least 30 minutes of daily activity should take place in schools.
Schools have a key role to play in achieving this aim. This is particularly true of primary schools where the foundations of positive and enjoyable participation in regular physical activity are embedded. All children should have equal access to high-quality PE provision and opportunities to experience and participate in a wide range of sports and physical activities. Academic achievement can improve in school because of the benefits children can gain.
Schools should use the PE and sport premium funding to help achieve these aims. It must not be used for core-type school activities. They should use it to make additional and sustainable improvements to the PE, sport and physical activity they provide, such as:
- funding high-quality PE and sport for at least 2 hours a week, complemented by a wide range of extracurricular sport and competitive opportunities
- providing or improving equal access to sport for boys and girls
Schools should prioritise PE and sport premium spending to improve in the following 5 key areas:
- increasing all staff’s confidence, knowledge and skills in teaching PE and sport
- increasing engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity and sport
- raising the profile of PE and sport across the school, to support whole school improvement
- offer a broader and more equal experience of a range of sports and physical activities to all pupils
-
increase participation in competitive sport
Purpose of Funding
Schools will have to spend the sport funding on improving their provision of PE and sport, but they will have the freedom to choose how they do this.
Possible uses for the funding include:
- Hiring specialist PE teachers or qualified sports coaches to work alongside primary teachers when teaching PE
- New or additional Change4Life sport clubs
- Paying for professional development opportunities in PE/sport
- Providing cover to release primary teachers for professional development in PE/sport
- Running sport competitions, or increasing participation in the school games
- Buying quality assured professional development modules or materials for PE/sport
- Providing places for pupils on after school sport clubs and holiday clubs
Future versions of the strategy will reflect the changes that are currently being made.