Sport for Development Coalition members have welcomed the Government’s announcement that the £320million Primary PE and Sport Premium will continue for the academic year 2022/23.
The funding is a ring-fenced grant for English primary schools to provide additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE, sport and physical activity. It is aimed at ensuring children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes, or 20 minutes for children with a disability, of physical activity a day, as per the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines.
The announcement came at the end of National School Sports Week, which is co-ordinated each year by the Youth Sport Trust and forms a key part of the Coalition’s #OpenGoal framework focused on ‘Closing the gap in education and development’.
RELEVANT
Youth Sport Trust CEO, Ali Oliver MBE, who is a Board member of the Coalition, said: “At the end of a really successful National School Sport Week, we welcome confirmation of this funding for primary schools across England, it is urgently needed, and we know schools will be relieved to be able to confirm arrangements for September. However, we hope this will be an interim announcement as long-term funding is desperately needed. We must reimagine PE and school sport so it is inclusive and relevant to all young people and contributes to improving health and education outcomes.
“National School Sport Week focused on building belonging through sport, and the importance of a place for every child in sport. A generation of children are struggling to recover from the many consequences of Covid, increasing screen time, and the wider impact of the digital age. We face a ‘new pandemic’ of children’s health and happiness, and this demands a long-term commitment to transform activity levels. Only last week it was reported child type 2 diabetes referrals in England and Wales have jumped 50% amid an obesity crisis, and children mental health referrals are soaring.
“We want to work with more parents, teachers, politicians, and public influencers to address what should be a matter of public concern. Unhappy and unhealthy children don’t learn, if children don’t learn we won’t have a society fit for the future. The Youth Sport Trust is working to build back play, physical activity and school sport in children’s lives, helping them to balance the demands of a digital age, and create societal change when it comes to the place and value of PE and school sport. Today's announcement is a positive first step toward this.”
Sue Wilkinson MBE, the CEO of the Association for Physical Education (afPE), commented: "Schools will be pleased to know that another £320 of investment will be available for physical education and sport in primary schools for the 2022/23 academic year.
"The past two years’ disruption caused by Covid brought to the forefront the critical impact and implications on children and young peoples’ physical and emotional wellbeing.
SOLUTION
"Their physical, social, emotional and cognitive development is vastly improved by learning in PE, taught by a highly skilled workforce. The subject is part of a broader solution to develop and improve both physical and health literacy as well as making a significant contributions to child development.
"In addition this funding can help to top up swimming provision to ensure every child leaves primary school able to safe self rescue and swim a minimum of 25 metres. Now more than ever we need to recruit, retain and value the workforce as they are key to ensuring all children have access to an excellent PE curriculum that is relevant to their needs and context.”
The Youth Sport Trust has put together resources to help primary schools think about how the funding can support sustainable changes. Click here to access.
