Great news for the future of Physical Education!

We are thrilled to hear that the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that the Primary PE and Sport Premium funding will continue at £320 million for the 2020/21 academic year.

Importantly, the DfE has also sanctioned any PE and Sport Premium funding from the current academic year (2019-20), that schools were unable to use, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, can be carried forward to utilise in the next academic year.

The Premium is designed to help children get an active start in life, supporting primary schools to improve the quality of their PE and sport provision so that pupils experience the benefits of regular exercise – from becoming healthier both mentally and physically to improved behaviour and better academic achievement.

Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, said:

“During these challenging times, it has become clearer to me than ever the importance of keeping active and how it benefits not just our physical health but also our ability to pay attention, our mood and our mental health too."

“Every family will have had a different experience of the pandemic, and I know that many children will have missed time spent outdoors with their friends – that’s why it’s so important that ahead of a full return to school in September, schools get the certainty they need to prepare their PE and sports activities for next year."

Sue Wilkinson MBE, afPE's CEO said:

"There is irrefutable research, anecdotal evidence and first hand experiences from a plethora of people, including the former England rugby international Jason Robinson OBE, on the difference that PESSPA can make to the lives of C&YP. The impact on cognitive, physical and behavioural competencies is incredible and the afPE, ‘Head, Hands, Heart’ model clearly articulates this. All children and young people are entitled to a statutory high quality PE curriculum that develops, for example, physical competence, confidence, leadership skills, resilience and character; it also provides opportunities to engage in school sport and daily physical activity in line with the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendations."

"The COVID–19 pandemic has been challenging for everyone and the repercussions are as yet unknown, but early research clearly illustrates there is significant impact on C&YP’s emotional and physical well being. Unless they feel safe, secure, happy and confident any cognitive development and learning could be hampered and/or compromised. When C&YP ‘want to do’ something as opposed to ‘have to do’ something there is a significant difference in progress and attainment; therefore it is imperative that by working together we deliver the best PESSPA outcomes for all which includes supporting and developing a high quality sustainable workforce."

The government produced further guidance which discussed schools must use the funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of their physical education. The premium should be used to: - develop or add to the physical activity that your school provides - build capacity and capability within the school to ensure that improvements made now will benefit pupils joining the school in future years. - Increased confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport by providing staff with professional development, mentoring, training and resources to help them teach PE and sport more effectively to all pupils & hiring qualified sports educators to work alongside teachers to enhance or extend current opportunities.

Therefore the team at PEAK are very excited to work with children developing their skills, health and wellbeing through our award winning PECS programme & delivering 'outstanding' physical education.

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