PE & School Sport: Funding, access and targets

LISTENER REQUEST EPISODE! Our producer Tom plays (well, tries to play) football each week, as do his children. One of Tom's team-mates is a PE teacher, who, when chatting about Tom's crazy podcast idea, asked (demanded) to know to what the government are doing about the lack of playing fields for his pupils. So...this one's for you, Mr Harrision!

We explore the National Curriculum requirements for PE across key stages, the recommended minimum of 2 hours of PE per week, and the government's focus on equal access for boys and girls.

We delve into the crucial topic of funding, examining the Primary PE and Sport Premium and how schools should be using it to make sustainable improvements. Discover the impact of the soft drinks industry levy on school funding and the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund. We also touch upon the School Games, a key part of the sporting legacy, and the government's latest Sport Strategy (2023) and School Sport and Activity Action Plan (2023). Finally, we look at recent data on children's physical activity levels and key findings from Ofsted's subject review of PE (2023).

Key Takeaways:

• PE is compulsory in the National Curriculum for maintained schools, while academies must offer a broad and balanced curriculum promoting physical development.
• Primary schools receive ring-fenced funding through the PE and Sport Premium.
• Schools are encouraged to provide a minimum of 2 hours of PE per week.
• Schools must provide suitable outdoor space for PE and for pupils to play outside, and selling publicly funded school land, including playing fields, requires the Secretary of State's consent.
• The government aims to have more active adults and children by 2030.
• Equal access to sport for boys and girls is a key priority.
• Recent surveys show around 47% of children are meeting physical activity guidelines.
• Ofsted's 2023 review highlighted variable quality in PE curriculums.

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No outside chatter: source material only taken from Hansard and the Parliament UK website.

Contains Parliamentary information repurposed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0....