Head teachers 'very concerned' about PE funding plan

2 hours ago

Luke WaltonNorth East and Cumbria correspondent

News image — Headteacher Karl Ellerbrook says the current system grants his school an extra £22,000 per year

BBC Karl Ellerbrook smiling into the camera. He has short blonde hair and is wearing a blue suit with a white patterned shirt and blue patterned tie. He is standing on a grassy field with children behind him, a couple of them are running to the left. Behind them is a large, red brick Victorian school building. The sky is blue with a few clouds. — Headteacher Karl Ellerbrook says the current system grants his school an extra £22,000 per year

Plans to replace a scheme providing extra PE funding to schools could reduce children's opportunities, head teachers say.

The government recently said it would scrap the PE and Sport Premium for primary schools next year and introduce a new School Sport Partnerships Network, aimed at widening pupil access.

But Schools North East, which represents senior staff, warned the change would mean less cash for primaries and could lead to a reduction in activities for pupils. In a recent survey it carried out of leaders of about 150 schools, four out of five said they were "very concerned".

The government said too many pupils were still not getting the exercise and sporting opportunities they deserved.

The PE and Sport Premium was introduced in 2013 in a bid to build on the legacy of the 2012 London Olympic Games by improving provision in primary schools.

Schools North East director, Chris Zarraga, said: "School leaders are sending a clear and consistent message: this decision risks taking opportunities away from the children who need them most.

"For many young people across the North East, particularly those growing up in disadvantaged communities, school provides their main access to sport, physical activity and enrichment experiences."

A sad looking basketball hoop with the corner of a white football goal behind it. Westgate Hill Primary Academy is behind it which is a large red brick Victorian building. — The headteacher of Westgate Hill Primary Academy says the changes will reduce their budget by 22%

Head teacher at Westgate Hill Primary Academy, in Newcastle, Karl Ellerbrook, said the current PE Premium scheme meant an extra £22,000 a year for his school.

"We can bring in external providers to provide rugby, hockey, judo, dance," Ellerbrook said.

"It also enables us to provide a large range of extra-curricular clubs, which is really important in a school like ours, where a lot of children don't have outdoor space at home."

But Ellerbrook said the planned replacement of the premium with a new scheme would reduce that extra financial support by 22% and limit his ability to decide how money was spent.

End 'one-size-fits-all'

Westgate Hill's PE lead, Abaigh O'Neill, fears it will reduce options for children.

She said without the funding, "we're not going to be able to give these children opportunities that they should have".

"All children should be able to participate in sport."

The new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will support secondary as well as primary schools and will be operational from spring 2027.

Ministers said they were investing more than £1bn in school sport over the next three years and promised to "end the one-size-fits-all that has failed too many children for too long".

They said the new scheme, which has been backed by sporting bodies including the Football Association and England and Wales Cricket Board, would modernise the "sports partnership" approach taken by a previous Labour administration in the early-2000s before the scheme was scrapped by the coalition government.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "Our new approach will see every child - across both primary and secondary - more physically active regardless of their circumstances, background, ability or where they go to school."