It is no surprise that the Physical Education of children is a huge part of their education, and in recent years there has been greater Government attention on the areas of childhood activity, physical ability, and health. This is such an important area of development that the Government have announced there is additional funding to be given to schools and education settings for pupils of 10 and under to improve the Sports and PE capabilities of the school setting.
This grant seeks to improve the sporting and PE provisions of schools, the grant is interested in making sustainable improvements to schools so that the whole experience of sport, PE and activity is improved at primary schools up and down the country.
What can you get?
Fundamentally, this Premium represents financial aid for schools and Primary aged education settings in regard to PE and other sporting ventures; the Government outlines that as well as receiving high-quality PE lessons, school children should also be spending approximately 30 minutes each day enjoying some exercise- this could be during the pupils break and lunch.
The grant should be used to improve the 5 following indicators within schools:
- Increase the confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in PE and sports.
- Pupils should all be able and hopefully enthusiastic about engaging in physical activity.
- PE and sports become an important part of school life, it becomes and influential factor of school improvement.
- Broader experiences of sports and activity becomes available to all students.
- Increase the participation of the students and the school in competitions and competitive sports.
Schools receive different amounts of funding depending on the size of the school and the requirements of their PE and Sports department. It is always worth asking about the amount of funding received if there is any doubt surrounding the sum of money; if nothing is ventured, then nothing can be gained.
However, funding is calculated by considering the following pieces of information:
- The number of pupils/The size of the school.
- Whether the school is under the care of the Local Authority, an Academy or alternative set-up.
In 2022-2023 Funding, a school with 16 or fewer students could receive £1000 per pupil. Whereas a school with 17 or more pupils could receive £16,000 and an additional payment of £10 per pupil.
Eligibility
The vast majority of primary schools are eligible for this funding, although there are instances where this is not the case. The following list of school/education settings are not however eligible, but if in doubt, it may still be worth investigating the funding further and making an enquiry:
- Nursery schools
- Studio schools
- University technical colleges (UTCs)
- Independent schools (except for non-maintained special schools, which do receive the funding)
Additional information regarding this aspect of eligibility can be found using the link at the end of this blog.
Accountability and Online Reporting
Given the importance of physical activity and education, as well as the significant sums of money this grant could bring into the school purse, there is a system to follow while in receipt of this funding.
Governors and organisation leaders have to monitor closely how the funding they receive has a positive impact on the physical activity and well-being of their students. They have to regularly assess:
- How the funding is being spent.
- How the improvements fit into the wider school improvement plan.
- How it has influenced students.
There must also be online reporting of how the funding has been used. Online reporting must clearly show:
- The amount of PE and sport premium received.
- A full breakdown of how it has been spent or will be spent before of the end of the academic year.
- The impact the school has seen on pupils’ PE, physical activity, and sport participation and attainment.
- How the improvements will be sustainable in the future.
Failure to meet these rules of accountability may result in a DfE (Department for Education) investigation into your school. Should the outcome demonstrate a misuse of the funds, the money will be recovered from the school, and there is a possibility that any future eligibility for the grant may be refused until all the funding is recovered.
Further Guidance:
We know this is a lot of information to receive, and it has potentially very exciting outcomes in terms of funding and opportunities that will become available to your setting, but should you need further information, please follow this link to the official page about the PE and Sports Premium Announcement:
PE and sport premium for primary schools – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)