PRIMARY schools in Westbury have welcomed the news that the Government will put more money into school sport.
Funding to improve the provision and quality of sport in England will be worth £150million a year for the next two years.
Schools will receive a lump sum, with a top-up per pupil. A primary school with 100 pupils can expect to receive £8,500 per year, while a primary school with 250 pupils could expect to receive £9,250 per year. This is expected to fund the equivalent of two days a week of a teacher or a coach’s time.
The ‘ring-fenced’ funding is only to be spent on sport, and will go directly to teachers so they can allocate it according to the school’s sporting needs.
The funding comes after £162million of ring-fenced funding for national School Sport Partnerships was abolished in 2010, and last year Ofsted reported there was not enough physical activity in many of England’s school PE lessons.
Jan Ball, headteacher at Westbury Infants School said, “Whilst we are very fortunate to receive this funding from the Government it actually replaces funding that was removed from school budgets after the election. This funding will enable us to introduce a range of sports to the children, both during the school day and at after school clubs. It is very important that sport has a high profile as many children no longer walk to school and spend many hours playing on their computers.
“Not only does sport improve the health of children, it can also build self-esteem, confidence and personal responsibility.”
David Ross, headteacher at Bitham Book Primary School said, “We are very pleased with the pledge of additional funding for school’s PE and we think it will help to make a real difference for our children. At Bitham Brook we already have a great deal of success in football, rugby, netball, swimming, gymnastics and athletics. There is a high level of involvement and children really enjoy the opportunities that are given.
“We want to use the funding to build on the good foundations that are already in place and collaborate with other schools in the west Wiltshire area so that we can access expertise and coaching for the benefit of our children. This gives us the chance to work closely with other schools in working together and also providing the competitions that children really enjoy.
“We are interested in developing other sports such as sailing, as well as strengthening the areas where we already thrive. This funding will go a long way in helping us to make sport even better for our children.”
