PE & Sport Premium Announced for 2020/21

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced that primary schools in England will receive £320 million funding from the PE and Sport Premium during the academic year 2020-21.         

The PE and Sport Premium is designed to help children get an active start in life, supporting primary schools to improve the quality of their PE and sport provision so that pupils experience the benefits of regular exercise – from becoming healthier both mentally and physically to improved behaviour and better academic achievement.

The funding, which was doubled in 2017, will once again continue at this higher rate of £320 million next year.

The Department for Education has also confirmed that any PE and Sport Premium funding from the current academic year (2019-20) that schools were unable to use as a result of the coronavirus pandemic can be brought forward to use in the next academic year, giving school leaders an opportunity to develop or add to their existing provision, or to make improvements that will benefit pupils joining the school in future years.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, said:

During these challenging times, it has become clearer to me than ever the importance of keeping active and how it benefits not just our physical health but also our ability to pay attention, our mood and our mental health too.

“Every family will have had a different experience of the pandemic, and I know that many children will have missed time spent outdoors with their friends – that’s why it’s so important that ahead of a full return to school in September, schools get the certainty they need to prepare their PE and sports activities for next year.

The DfE have published a "COVID-19 Update" to the guidance today (06.07.2020)

The below coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance section provides answers to questions that schools and other organisations may have about the PE and sport premium.

1.1 Use of the PE and sport premium to support online delivery and other uses

The existing guidelines regarding the use of the PE and sport premium continue to apply. These guidelines already permit a significant amount of flexibility in how the PE and sport premium can be used.

Any use of the PE and sport premium should continue to support at least one of the key indicators. The restrictions on using the PE and sport premium remain current.

1.2 Online reporting deadline

At present the 31 July 2020 deadline still holds, however we are keeping this position under review.

1.3 Reporting swimming and water safety attainment data

We recognise that schools’ ability to collect swimming and water safety attainment data may have been interrupted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Any data that schools do hold regarding swimming and water safety attainment should be entered into the online report with a note to clarify the proportion of the year group that this relates to and any other limitations of the data. Where no data is held, schools should state this in the online report.

1.4 Flexibility to carry forward any unspent PE and sport premium grant funding

As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Department for Education has taken steps to relax the ring-fencing arrangements for the PE and sport premium in the 2019 to 2020 academic year to allow any unspent grant to be carried forward into the next academic year (2020 to 2021). Where schools are carrying forward under-spends, their published online report should set out the amount being carried forward and give brief reasons for this under-spend.

Any under-spends carried forward will need to be spent in full by 31 March 2021 and schools should factor this into spending plans for their 2020 to 2021 PE and sport premium allocation. The 2019 to 2020 conditions of grant document has been updated to reflect this exceptional amendment to the ring-fencing of the grant.

www.gov.uk/guidance/pe-and-sport-premium-for-primary-schools#coronavirus-covid-19-update