DfE confirms doubling of Primary PE and Sport Premium
As you are no doubt aware, the Department for Education recently announced a significant increase in the Physical Education and School Sport Premium for the start of the academic year.
The changes that take effect from September 2017 are:
• Schools with 16 or fewer eligible pupils receive £1,000 per pupil; and
• Schools with 17 or more eligible pupils receive £16,000 and an additional payment of £10 per pupil
This is a straight doubling of the current allocation and will mean that all schools will be able to deliver further improvements to their PE and Sport provision. The mechanism for payment will remain the same, with schools receiving 7/12ths of funding in Oct/Nov and the remaining 5/12ths in April/May. The webpage clarifying the formula can be accessed here. The DfE have committed to publishing the school level breakdown of funding for the academic year 2017/2018, including formal conditions of grant, in October 2017.
This funding remains ring-fenced and Schools must use the funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and sport they offer.
This means that you should use the premium to:
• further develop or add value to the PE and sport activities that your school already offers
• make sustainable improvements now that will benefit current pupils and those joining the school in the future
Anecdotally there are many examples of good practice in South Cambs and we have seen schools;
• hire qualified PE specialists to work alongside classroom teachers
• provide existing staff with training or resources to raise standards of teaching and learning in PE and sport
• introduce new activities or sports to increase participation levels
• support and involve the least active children by running or extending dedicated clubs and activities
• provide intervention opportunities for young people through activities such as top-up swimming, balanceability training, sensory circuits and change 4 life clubs
• increase pupils’ participation in intra and inter school competitions
• run sports activities with other schools.
The Department for Education makes it very clear that Schools should not use this funding to:
• employ coaches or specialist teachers to cover planning preparation and assessment (PPA) arrangements
• teach the minimum requirements of the national curriculum – including those specified for swimming
OFSTED will scrutinise how primary schools spend their PE and sport premium, seeking demonstration that spending has led to a “direct and sustained” improvement in sporting provision.
Page 37 of the Ofsted School Inspection Handbook says that in making a judgement on the effectiveness of leadership and management, inspectors will consider:
‘… how effectively leaders use the primary PE and sport premium and measure its impact on outcomes for pupils, and how effectively governors hold them to account for this’.
There is an expectation that schools publish details of how the PE and sport premium funding has been invested on the school’s website. The Association for PE (AfPE) and the Youth Sport Trust (YST) have collaborated in publishing a very good online template for evidencing the impact of this funding that is available to schools.
South Cambs SSP will continue to support schools to use the PE and Sport premium in a way that maximises outcomes for young people and which ensures the sustainability of this investment into schools.
If you would like any support with reviewing your current PE and sport provision or ideas and advice on spending your PE and sport premium funding please get in touch.