PE and Sport Premium continued for 2021/2022
The Department for Education has confirmed that the £320m PE and Sport Premium will be allocated to primary schools for the 2021/2022 academic year.
At a time when the health and wellbeing of our young people is a priority, the PE and Sport Premium investment into primary schools highlights the increasing national agenda to use physical activity as a tool to help support improved outcomes for all pupils.
Schools can use this fund to increase pupils physical activity levels, especially those that need it the most. Spending this funding effectively can make a significant difference to those young people that are more vulnerable, disadvantaged or are less active.
It can also help to get them on track to live a healthy and active lifestyle.
Why is the Premium so important?
The Government website states:
Physical activity has numerous benefits for children and young people’s physical health, as well as their mental wellbeing (increasing self-esteem and emotional wellbeing and lowering anxiety and depression), and children who are physically active are happier, more resilient and more trusting of their peers. Ensuring that pupils have access to sufficient daily activity can also have wider benefits for pupils and schools, improving behaviour as well as enhancing academic achievement.
This statement recognises that the Premium funding can go some way to improving the lives of our young people after the impact of such challenging times.
What does this funding mean for Norfolk schools?
Joanne Thompson, Development Officer for Education at Active Norfolk says, “We know that there is currently a significant underspend in Norfolk. The news that any underspend can be carried forward into next year is therefore very welcome. This will allow schools to be more flexible in their spending decisions over the coming months. They can plan a creative, responsive and impactful offer for 2021-22. This means we should see some fantastic outcomes next year, especially for those pupils that can most benefit from being more active.”
As part of the grant conditions, schools must publish details of each year’s PE & Sports Premium spend on their school website. The deadline to publish the spend for this academic year is 31st July 2021.
On our Advice, Guidance & Training for Schools section, we offer a wide variety of free support materials, including e-learning modules, for all schools to access.
We have a fully funded role to support schools to maximise this funding. We can work closely with schools to help them overcome some of the challenges the decisions around this funding they face. For further support or any questions please contact [email protected].
For more information and to read the Government’s announcement visit: PE and sport premium for primary schools – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)