Department for Education
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Funding for primary school sports until 2015
£150 million a year will help to secure the Olympic and Paralympic legacy by supporting sports in primary schools.
Prime Minister David Cameron has committed to keeping the £150 million a year Primary PE and Sport Premium until 2015.
The dedicated fund, which was announced in March 2013 and began the following September, goes directly to primary school head teachers so that they can decide how best to use it to provide sporting activities for pupils.
A typical primary school with 250 primary aged pupils this year received £9,250, the equivalent of around 2 days a week of a primary teacher or a coach’s time – enough to make sure every pupil in the school can do sport with a specialist.
Healthy lifestyle
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
Sport is so important because it encourages children to be active, lead a healthy lifestyle, make friends and, of course, have fun.
But quality school sport has benefits that spread right across the curriculum and beyond – it develops confidence and a sense of achievement, it teaches young people how to rise to a challenge, and nurtures the character and skills that will help them get on and succeed in life.
It’s an important part of our long-term plan to deliver the best schools and skills for young people.
Double Olympic Champion Mo Farah said:
School sport is massively important for children and so it is good news to hear there will now be funding available over the long-term.
The help I got at school was a key part of how I got to where I am today and so it can make a big difference. Through support like this and the work that is underway with the Mo Farah Academy, I hope lots of children and young adults will to get involved in sport and fulfil their ambitions as we cement the Olympic legacy for years to come.
Outdoor space
In addition to extending the premium, the Prime Minister also confirmed that from this month primary schools across England will be able to apply for a share of an £18 million fund to improve outdoor spaces for PE and sporting activities.
The Lottery-funded scheme will be run by Sport England and will prioritise schools with limited outside space and a strong commitment to PE and sport. The schools are expected to receive an average of £30,000 each to help them vastly improve their sports provision. The funding will make sure they have better equipment and facilities - eg turning a concrete playground into a quality space for PE and sporting activities.
Training for sports teachers
The Prime Minister also confirmed that a new pilot programme to produce a group of primary teachers who specialise in PE has seen 61 trainees complete the course and 59 more began last month.
The total 120 specialist teachers, who will support other teachers to develop their skills and improve quality of PE teaching, will start in primary schools from September. The training schools are currently recruiting for a further 120 trainees to start training in September 2014, which will mean over 200 specialist primary PE/sport teachers in post by September 2015.
School Games
The Prime Minister also announced an additional £11 million investment for the School Games to help continue to inspire more young people to take up competitive sport.
Organised by the Youth Sport Trust and supported by National Lottery and exchequer funding from Sport England, the School Games aims to enable every school and child to participate in competitive sport, including meaningful opportunities for young people with disabilities.
Designed across 4 levels, for both primary and secondary pupils, it offers opportunities for young people to compete in intra-school, inter-school and regional competitions.
