Planning the Curriculum & PE and Sport Premium
How much time do we have to provide?
There is a lot of discussion and dare I say lack of clarity around the issue of time for PE and the links with the terms and conditions of the grant for PE and Sport Premium. The most common that I see and hear is that ‘our school has reduced the allocation of time for PE to one time-tabled slot a week, how does this fit in with the funding and wider approach?’
Well, put simply – It is NOT mandatory for schools in receipt (or not) of the PE and sport premium to deliver two hours of PE a week, every week. It has never been mandatory. I am old enough to remember when it was set as a ‘Public Service Agreement’ (PSA) target previously of two hours a week but again this was not statutory or mandatory. However, schools were at this time pushed on this PSA target by School Sport Partnerships (SSP’s), Local Education Authorities, Youth Sport Trust, Association for Physical Education et al to achieve this. Some authorities achieved 100% of all schools Primary, Secondary and Special, delivering this aspirational target or PSA.
Subsequent funding was provided to aspire towards two hours a week of high-quality PE every week but with no real reporting push or real joined up working. Indeed often the concept of ‘high-quality’ PE is not referenced but rather simply, ‘2 hours a week’ is referred to in many cases. However, I am delighted that the new guidance for PE and Sport Premium 2024/25 does continue to refer to high-quality and to the aspiration of two hours a week saying:
- “Schools should aim to provide high-quality PE and sport for at least 2 hours a week, complemented by a wide range of extracurricular sport and competitive opportunities.“
Click HERE for link direct to latest DFE guidance so that you can read all the document etc. It is good to see this reference to ‘High-Quality’ remain. It is and remains therefore an aspiration for all schools to provide two hours a week for pupils in Key Stages 1 to 4 and for opportunities to be given to pupils in Key Stage 5.
The full two hours should be from within the curriculum and not from time allocated in and out of school hours such as clubs, breaktimes etc. This is because the curriculum is available and accessible to ALL pupils, 100% of the pupils will therefore potentially benefit. As stated clearly in the DFE guidance quoted above, out of school hours / extracurricular sport and competition enhance the curriculum and therefore schools should continue to offer numerous and diverse, inclusive activities. Indeed the 5 key aspects of effective use of the premium make reference to this through the guidance.
AfPE – the Association for Physical Education have available a simple but highly effective document with frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) regarding the 2 hours a week and the aspiration for all schools to offer this. You can download this document below:
- two-hours-of-pe-final-1 – AfPE FAQ – Transformative PE: An aspiration to provide a minimum of two hours per week
I highly recommend PE Subject Leaders read it, familiarise themselves with it and reflect upon where they may need to advocate for change. Do also read the latest guidance from DFE regarding their expectations for accepting the funding and reporting its spend. Some are seeing this as a bridging year before cessation of the funding and focussing on sustainability.
Do take the time to take on board that the curriculum affects 100% of all pupils and strive to ensure that it is ‘High-Quality’. As a company we offer nationally accredited CPD qualifications and focus our attention 100% on the curriculum. We are here to help empower you and help ensure that ALL pupils receive a high-quality entitlement and experience of two-hours a week PE – every week!