PE and school sport

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The Government wants Physical Education (PE) and school sport to be fun and attractive to all children whatever their level of skill. PE and sport play an important role in school life, help to raise standards, improve behaviour and health, increase attendance and develop social skills.

Over £1 billion is being invested by the Government (including £459m to implement the PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy over 3 years from April 2003) to support PE and school sport.

We want all children to spend at least two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport in and out of school. We are working — in partnership with the DCMS — to implement the PE, School Sport and Club Links Delivery Plan. An ambitious PSA target has been set to increase the percentage of 5— to 16-year-olds who spend at least two hours each week on PE and school sport, within and beyond the curriculum, to 75 per cent by 2006.

Spearheading action will be the massive expansion of the specialist sport college and school sport co-ordinator programmes. We aim to have 400 sports colleges/academies with a sports focus — subject to sufficient high quality bids being submitted. This target could be reached as early as 2005. We also aim for 75 per cent of schools in England to be within a school sport co-ordinator partnership by 2006.

National Curriculum PE

PE is a compulsory component of the national curriculum at all Key Stages for all pupils. Pupils should learn a variety of activities in accordance with the subject's programme of study including dance, games and gymnastics at Key Stage 1. During Key Stages 2 to 4 teachers must offer two other areas from: swimming and water safety, athletics and outdoor and adventurous activities. Swimming and water safety is a statutory activity at Key Stage 2 in order that pupils achieve the teaching requirements outlined in the programme of study, unless already done so at Key Stage 1 — i.e. pupils should be able to swim unaided over a distance of at least 25m.

DfES/QCA guidance recommends that at least 75 minutes per week at Key Stages 1 and 2 and 90 minutes per week at Key Stage 3 are need to effectively cover the PE programme of study. No guidance has been issued for Key Stage 4 where the emphasis is on health, fitness and well being.

National Strategy: PE, School Sport and Club Links

The Prime Minister launched the PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy on 2 October 2002. It is being delivered by the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) through eight interlinked work strands:

School Sport Co-ordinators

Partnerships of schools that come together to enhance sports opportunities for all. The partnerships are made up of a Specialist Sports College, eight secondary schools and 45 primary or special schools. Each partnership receives a grant of up to £270,000 each year. This pays for: a full time Partnership Development Manager; the release of one teacher from each secondary school two days a week; the release of one teacher from each primary or special school 12 days a year; and Specialist Link Teachers who fill the gaps created by teacher release.

The aim is to have 400 partnerships by 2006 including 75% of schools in England. Since September 2003, 30% (over 7500 schools) are currently within the 222 operational partnerships.

Specialist Sports Colleges/Academies with a Sport focus

Sport is one of 10 specialisms within the Specialist Schools programme. Specialist status has been guaranteed for all schools that meet the standard to enter the programme. Schools are invited to apply for specialist status through twice yearly (March and October) application rounds and start operating as Specialist Sports Colleges each September.

The aim is to have 400 specialist sports colleges/ academies with a Sports focus by September 2005. There are currently 231 sports colleges, with an extra 33 applications agreed and 3 academies with a sports focus making a total of 264.

Professional Development

This will ensure that teachers and others have the tools and expertise they need. All maintained schools in England will be able to access the programme free of charge. Schools will be able to draw from a menu of resources (including videos, workshops, mentoring opportunities and interactive training).

The programme was piloted in 31 LEA areas during Autumn 2003. A further 70 LEA areas are taking part in Year 2 of the programme. Year 3 will see all LEAs areas benefiting from the programme.

Step into Sport

Step into Sport will encourage children, young people and adults to begin and continue an involvement in sports leadership and volunteering. At the same time, it will encourage national sports governing bodies, county sports partnerships and clubs to develop and implement volunteering strategies. By addressing the supply and demand of sports volunteering, Step into Sport will ensure that the local clubs are geared up to receive, develop and deploy a steady supply of new volunteers. Step into Sport is being delivered from 2002-04 in up to 200 School Sport Coordinator partnerships.

School/Club Links

School/Cub Links will increase the proportion of children guided into clubs from School Sport Coordinator partnerships.

Gifted and Talented

The Gifted and Talented programme is part of the Government's wider strategy to improve gifted and talented education. It aims to improve the range and quality of teaching, coaching and learning for talented sports people in order to raise their aspirations and improve their performance, motivation and self-esteem. Up to 10% of pupils in primary and secondary schools will be supported. Core activity is focused locally, where schools will be provided with training and resources to support talented sports people. In partnership with coaches and parents, schools will be encouraged to develop strategies to maximise talented young athletes' sporting and academic potential.

Swimming

Targeted support will ensure many more children are able to swim 25 metres safely by the end of Key Stage 2. The support includes: the development of a water safety website launched in October 2002, two pilot top-up schemes to test out what can be done to support those in danger of reaching the end of key stage two without being able to swim 25 metres and the development and publication of a swimming charter in December 2003 which offers practical guidance and examples of best practice.

QCA PE and School Sport Investigation

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is currently working with 100 plus schools (primary, secondary and special) to explore and develop ways of improving the quality of PE and school sport. The key aim is to investigate the difference that high quality PE and school sport make to young people and the impact that this has on their schools. QCA's work will also help drive the content of the professional development work strand.

Recent developments

Coaching

Work is being led by DCMS. Coaches will play a key role in supporting the delivery of high quality extra-curricular school sport. Coaches will also be one of the key bridge builders for young people in their transition from schools to clubs. Following recommendations made by the Coaching Task Force, major changes to coach education, employment and deployment will be introduced over the next three years (starting April 2003). In particular, a Community Sports Coach scheme will increase the number of coaches.

Facilities

£130 million is being provided to improve the primary school sports and arts infrastructure via the Space for Sport and Arts scheme in 65 deprived areas. £541 million is being provided from the New Opportunities Fund (across England) to fund a step-change in the provision of sporting facilities for schools which will also be available to the wider community — all LEA areas are benefiting. DfES' Sporting Playgrounds programme is providing £10 million — from the Capital Modernisation Fund — to support improvements to over 580 primary school playgrounds in 27 target areas.

Football Foundation

This was established to create new football facilities at grassroots level around the UK, to strengthen football and community links and use football as a vehicle for community enhancement.

Swimming

As part of the overall PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy we are providing targeted sport to enhance swimming opportunities. In response to the Swimming Advisory Group's recommendations (an executive summary of their report and the Government's response was published 17 October) we:

have set up a new website providing guidance and ideas for teachers and others which includes a 'splash' area for children;
published in 2003 a Swimming Charter that will offer practical guidance and help spread best practice; and
run two pilot schemes (one urban and one rural) for children who get to the final year of primary school and can't swim at least 25 metres.

Main text
Legislation
Key documents
Further information