£320 million confirmed for PE and Sport Premium in 2022/23

The government has confirmed that the PE and Sport Premium, worth £320 million, will be delivered to schools in 2022/23.

The funding will help give more children access to high quality PE lessons and sporting opportunities, supporting both their physical and mental wellbeing.

The government has also confirmed £11 million to support the continuation of the School Games programme to give passionate and talented young people the opportunity to participate in competitive sport.

To further boost children’s engagement with sport both inside and outside of school, the School Games programme aims to develop sporting talent at an early age. Multiple Olympic athletes have started their careers on the programme, with 29 School Games alumni winning medals at the Tokyo Olympics.

CEO of the Youth Sport Trust, Ali Oliver MBE, said: "At the end of a really successful National School Sport Week, we welcome confirmation of this funding for primary schools across England, it is urgently needed, and we know schools will be relieved to be able to confirm arrangements for September. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those working in and with schools who have maintained momentum, keeping children active and schools moving.

"Unhappy and unhealthy children don’t learn, if children don’t learn we won’t have a society fit for the future. The Youth Sport Trust is working to build back play, physical activity, and school sport in children’s lives, helping them to balance the demands of a digital age, and create societal change when it comes to the place and value of PE and school sport. Today’s announcement is a positive first step toward this.

The PE and Sport Premium and School Games programme support the government’s commitment to ensuring children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes, or 20 minutes for children with a disability, of physical activity a day. Building on this commitment, £10 million is supporting schools to open up sport and swimming facilities. The Department for Education has already provided funding from phase one and two of this initiative to schools and is currently procuring a national delivery partner to allocate further funding and advice to schools over the next phase of the programme.

Minister for Public Health, Maggie Throup said: "Levelling up the nation’s health, tackling disparities and giving every child the healthiest start in life – no matter where they’re from - is a top priority for government.

"This major investment means children will have access to more high quality PE lessons and opportunities to try different sports.
Being physically active in childhood is vital to long-term health and wellbeing, and this funding will help children enjoy leading more physical lives."

The PE and Sport Premium is funded by both the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care.
The Government’s commitment to ensuring that children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes of sport and physical activity per day is set out in the school sport and activity action plan.