Brand new guidance published today will help inspire the next generation of British athletes by supporting schools to promote high quality sport and school sport. This will lay the foundation for an active, healthy lifestyle and help children follow in the footsteps of the sports heroes they will watch this summer at the Olympics, Paralympics and the 2024 European Football Championships. The guide, published ahead of the Women's Six Nations Championship, builds on the Government's commitment to improving the quality of sport and sport for all students.
As set out in the updated School Sport and Activities Action Plan, published last year and delivering on the Prime Minister's and Education Minister's promises to the Lionesses, the guidance will support schools to offer equal sporting opportunities to girls and boys, and beyond that a minimum of 2 hours Sport per week to give our children a better future.
This is just one of the ways the Government is supporting schools to give young people the best start in life, regardless of their background. The plan is working as school standards continue to rise: 90% of schools were rated good or outstanding last year, up from 68% in 2010.
Based on exemplary case studies from across the country, the new guide encourages schools to offer inclusive, high-quality physical education, sport and physical activity to all students. It shows how schools can remove barriers to physical education participation by considering students' specific needs, embedding plans into the school's strategy and building relationships with local and national sports associations.
Using the new guidance will help schools meet both the National Curriculum objectives and the Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines, which recommend that children should engage in an average of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day .
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
Sport is extremely important – it is good for our physical health and good for our soul.
That's why we ensure that girls and boys have the same opportunities for school sport and can benefit from at least two hours of sport per week.
Together with the £600 million we are investing in school sport, this new approach will enable students to improve their physical and mental wellbeing and learn important skills such as teamwork and leadership
Education Minister Gillian Keegan said:
As the Women's Six Nations kicks off, I'm delighted that we're taking the next step to support schools to help boys and girls follow their sporting role models. I know there are so many benefits to being active, not only in terms of physical health but also for building wellbeing and positive mental health.
It's inspiring to see the innovative ways schools across the country are using to provide every child with access to quality sporting opportunities, regardless of their background, and this guidance will help even more schools instill a lifelong passion for sport and fitness in every young person.
Examples cited in the guidance include Shoreham Academy, where PE staff worked closely with their inclusion and learning support team to ensure pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) were able to take part in PE. By purchasing new equipment for accessible activities such as bocce ball and goalball, students with disabilities such as muscular dystrophy and Down syndrome were able to fully participate in school sports.
Key to the Government's vision for physical education in schools is to ensure that boys and girls have equal opportunities for school sport. The new guidelines put the spotlight on schools that are taking the lead in ensuring this is not a barrier to participation in sport, whether you are a girl or a boy.
From Telford Langley School, which worked with the Rugby Football Union to offer a regular after-school rugby club for girls, to Alexandra Park School, which trained groups of girls to run girls-only football sessions, schools across the board are following suit Country innovative approaches ensure girls feel empowered for school sports.
The guide shows that some schools that offer excellent PE and sport provision have seen improvements in pupils' behaviour, self-confidence and wellbeing, while a strong extra-curricular sport provision in school can strengthen children's sense of community and belonging. For example, Wright Robinson College has introduced a number of casual, non-competitive sports clubs that take place during the school day, creating an inclusive environment that develops character and promotes mental health.
Schools are expected to use these case studies and examples to drive improvements in their own school sport provision and ensure they provide equal opportunities for girls and boys.
Martin Robinson, principal of Wright Robinson College, said:
It is vitally important that all students have access to two hours of PE and PE each week. Physical and mental well-being impacts all areas of college life.
If we want to develop healthy, resilient young people who are equipped to meet the challenges of modern life, there is no better medium to do this than through high-quality sports and leisure activities. This guide will help school leaders find solutions to deliver PE and school sport effectively so that all children can benefit.
Sue Wilkinson MBE, CEO of the Association for Physical Education (afPE), said:
afPE firmly believes that physical education is the key to improving children's physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. The guide provides examples of how some schools have reviewed and developed practice to ensure children and young people can achieve the best results. Physical education is the foundation that enables all children and young people to be physically active and to engage in a range of additional sporting and physical activities.
The profession can unite behind this guidance and work together to ensure effective implementation for the benefit of all children and young people.
Ali Oliver, CEO of the Youth Sport Trust, said:
The Youth Sport Trust welcomes the new non-statutory guidance. Children and young people who engage in regular physical activity have better physical, mental and social wellbeing, while maximizing sport and school sport can help address some of the educational challenges we face in terms of attendance, behavior and achievement.
Too many children and young people are currently inactive and fewer than half are achieving the level of daily physical activity recommended by UK health authorities. This guide offers school leaders further insight into why exercise is so important for young people's education and development and how they can unlock the potential of sport, school sport and physical activity in their school. As a youth-led charity, we are particularly pleased to recognize the importance of the youth voice that is embedded everywhere.
Participating in physical activity from a young age is a crucial way to develop healthy lifestyle habits. Last year the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched the National Physical Activity Taskforce, bringing together government agencies, industry bodies and sporting figures to help achieve the targets set out in the Get Active strategy. Ugo Monye, former England rugby player and co-chair of the National Physical Activity Taskforce (NPAT), said:
As a father, it is personally important to me to get children active and to awaken a passion for sport at a young age.
As co-chair of NPAT, I am calling for improved access to high-quality school sports. This announcement is a welcome step in the right direction and will help further advance the NPAT's important agenda.
Lark Atkin-David, English rugby player and former teacher, said:
Access to sport in school is so important to encourage girls and boys to be active, stay healthy and develop sporting skills, many of which are transferable regardless of the sport played. Exercise offers you much more than just physical and mental health benefits when you are active. It teaches you the value of teamwork, instills leadership skills, builds friendships outside the classroom, and gives you confidence through your athletic achievements.
School sports were so important to me and I'm not sure I would be where I am today if I hadn't developed the fundamental skills I learned through physical education at school.
The new guidance adds to up to £57 million already supporting over a thousand schools across England to open sports facilities outside of the school day. This fund is aimed at girls, disadvantaged students and students with SEND. Primary schools will also have access to over £600 million in funding for the PE and Sport Premium in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 school years, which aims to give children an active start in life.
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