As the PE and Sport Premium turns 11, is it time to leave Primary Schools?
In this article, Dr Vicky Randall discusses the history of the PE & Sports Premium in primary schools and whether it’s had the desired impact for the future of the fund to be secure.
The Primary PE and Sport Premium, announced in March 2013, has left an indelible mark on primary education, with over £2.5 billion invested in improving physical education, PE, and school sport. As the Premium reaches its 11th birthday, I reflect upon its past, present and future and hear from educators who have managed this funding over the last decade.
How the PE & Sports Premium funding was developed for primary schools
The origins of the Primary PE and Sport Premium can be traced back to 5 July 2012, when then-Prime Minister, David Cameron announced a major financial commitment to PE and school sport. This was part of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games aimed at "Inspiring a Generation." With funding from three government departments - Health, Education, and Culture, Media, and Sport - the Premium sought to harness the excitement of the Games and boost physical activity in schools.
By September 2013, schools began to receive funding, now around £18,000 annually per school. To date, this investment has reached approximately £177,000 per eligible school. No other subject in recent time can boast of this level of additional funding, on this scale, in the primary curriculum.
The original purpose of the Premium was to promote sustainable and impactful improvements in PE and school sport. The goal was to build capacity in schools and ensure long-lasting benefits for future children and young people. Eleven years later, we must ask: has it lived up to that vision?
Has the PE & Sports Premium funding resulted in the desired outcomes?
The impact of the Premium is best understood through the eyes of those most closely involved, teachers. While there is limited national data on its long-term effects, schools have valuable insights into how the Premium has shaped their PE and sport provision.
One experienced PE leader reflected on the evolution of spending priorities:
“How we have spent our Premium has changed a lot. Looking back at 2013/14, our focus was on subject leader buyout, teacher CPD and ensuring we had a well stocked PE cupboard. Our focus now has shifted much more to whole school physical activity and how to get children moving more”.
(PE Subject Leader of 12 years).
Another primary PE subject leader noted the Premium’s reliance on external providers:
“I am not sure what we would do if the Premium stopped. We rely on it so much to support outsourced curriculum delivery. Many of our teachers are not confident teaching PE and I am not sure they would know where to start.”
(PE Subject Leader of 1 year).
Perhaps the most encouraging feedback came from a school that has created a culture of daily movement:
"We’ve built an expectation that children move and play every day. That’s been a great legacy for us."
Simple ideas, such as providing child-led play equipment, have proven incredibly effective. One school shared how they filled wooden crates with play equipment like skipping ropes, foam discs, and chalk, rotating the items weekly to encourage new forms of play. These small, low-cost changes have made a big difference in fostering a love of movement among students.
Some of the children’s playtime favourites include:
• Various playing balls
• Skipping ropes
• Ankle skips
• Foam discs
• Slo-mo bump balls
• Super scoops
• Chalk
• Gonge River Stones
• Sensory balls and shapes
• Numbered floor markers
• Beanless airbags
• Bounce discs and ball
• Mini play bats
While the Primary PE and Sport Premium is secured for at least one more year, its long-term future remains unclear. As we look ahead, it's crucial for schools to continue using the funding to foster a culture of movement, build an inclusive curriculum, and prioritise teacher development.
We must also use this time to reflect on the children whose needs are not yet being met and explore how to address these gaps as a matter of priority. Equally important is understanding what children from the "Premium generation" now expect from PE, sport, and physical activity. Retaining these opportunities and expectations remains a priority, beyond any short-term decisions around funding.
Dr Vicky Randall is a teacher educator, researcher and consultant specialising in Primary Physical Education. She is co-editor of the international selling text ‘An Introduction to Primary Physical Education’ and content creator for the Physical Education Teacher Hub on our content site, EuHu. To discover Vicky’s lessons, visit here https://www.euhu.co.uk/physical-education
Reach out to Vicky
@VicksRandallEdu
VRandallEdu@gmail.com
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