PE: Schools asked to provide 2 hours sports a week

DfE school sport plan: Two hours of PE a week and award for equal access

Two further years of PE and sports premium funding also confirmed, along with £57m to open up school facilities in the evenings

Freddie Whittaker

New requirements not statutory

Schools Week understands neither requirement will be statutory, though Ofsted will be asked to check on equal access to sport.

Leaders also warned that school timetables were already “crammed with a multitude of expectations from the government”, with school funding “under huge pressure making it much more difficult to put on extracurricular activities such as sports clubs”.

The announcement follows a campaign last year by the England women’s football team. They said “every girl in the nation” should be offered the opportunity to play football at school.

The squad also called on the government to ensure all girls can access a minimum of two hours of physical education a week.

Sunak said Lionesses’ victory in the Euros “changed the game”.

“Young girls know when they take to the pitch that football is for them and, thanks to the Lionesses, they too could be a part of the next generation to bring it home for their country.

“We want schools to build on this legacy and give every girl the opportunity to do the same sports as boys, as well as provide a minimum of two hours of PE. This means every child can benefit from regular exercise and we are proud to provide them with the support needed to do so.”

Ofsted will look at equal access to sport

Ofsted will also publish a report on PE to “inform future inspections and set out what they believe is possible in terms of offering high quality PE and equal access to sports”.

The watchdog will also be asked to check up on school PE when it looks at enrichment during inspections and will comment in reports when there are issues with equal access.

This follows a pledge made by Rishi Sunak during the first 2022 Conservative leadership campaign to ask Ofsted to assess PE in every school.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan said “every child – girl or boy – should have access to high quality sport and activities”.

“Not only are these opportunities great for both physical and mental health – but also for all those other skills young people will need throughout their life like teamwork and communication.

“Today, on international women’s day, we are breaking down the barriers some children face to access sport and building on the Lionesses’ legacy to ensure girls have the same access to all their favourite sports as boys.”

Timetables ‘crammed with expectations’

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL school leaders’ union, welcomed the funding announcement and the “warm words from the government about championing sport and PE in schools”.

He said he was “sure that the vast majority of schools already provide equal access to sport for boys and girls and that they strive to ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for PE and sport during the school week”.

But he said there needed to be a “reality check”, with school timetables “crammed with a multitude of expectations from the government in all sorts of areas and it is a constant battle to find the time for everything”.

“There is a real need for a comprehensive curriculum review that slims down expectations and gives the right weighting to all these competing demands.

“In addition, school funding is under huge pressure making it much more difficult to put on extracurricular activities such as sports clubs. We need a proper strategy and resources rather than piecemeal announcements and new targets.”