We were extremely pleased this weekend to see the Department for Education’s (DfE) commitment to continue the £320 million PE and Sport Premium investment for another academic year (2020/21). We know from our work with primary schools across the country that this investment is highly valued and enables children and young people endless opportunities to enjoy high quality PE, engaging extra-curricular activities and rewarding competitions. Schools are increasingly using the PE and Sport Premium to adopt active school approaches which uses the power of PE, school sport and physical activity to contribute to whole school improvement e.g. behaviour and attendance. This continuation of funding will enable more schools to do this as part of their Covid-19 curriculum recovery plans, placing physical and mental wellbeing at the heart of school planning.
As a network, we were also very pleased to see that DfE provided clarity to schools that they could use any 2019/20 underspend in the next academic year which will be welcomed news to many. We know that school’s plans for their PE and Sport Premium were significantly affected by the pandemic and rolling over this investment will enable them to support more young people next year.
Charlie Crane, Partnership Manager said:
“The ringfenced PE and Sport Premium is needed now more than ever to support children and young people’s recovery from Covid-19. We know that the inequalities gap in activity levels amongst young people has been exacerbated by the pandemic and we will be actively working with schools to provide support and guidance in planning their 2020/21 PE and Sport Premium to ensure it reaches those most in need”
