Sports Policy (Hansard, 14 July 1995)

§ Mr. Sproat

The Government have today published a sports policy statement, "Sport: Raising the Game", which sets out our ideas for a new deal for sports at all levels. All right hon. and hon. Members have been sent a copy and copies are also available in the Vote Office.

Sport is important because it is part of our heritage. It teaches us lessons for life such as team spirit and sportsmanship and playing within rules. It is also vital as a means of introducing young people to a healthy way of life.

It is, therefore, the Government's objective to expand the opportunities to take part in sport, particularly for the young, and to provide the means for people of all abilities and ages to fulfil their sporting potential. The Government believe the time is right for this initiative because, from 1 January 1996, the new United Kingdom and English sports councils will replace the Great Britain Sports Council to work alongside those which already exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and to help to deliver our objectives. British sport will also be one of the biggest winners in the national lottery: 440 sports projects across the UK have already been awarded £74,262,000 of lottery money.

I should confirm that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will be launching today his document entitled "Scotland's Sporting Future: A New Start" setting out proposals geared to raising the profile of sport in schools and beyond in the light of Scotland's needs and circumstances. Copies of his document are being sent to all Scottish Members.

Schools

"Raising the Game" sets out a four-point plan, which starts in schools. It is in school that lessons can be learnt about sport's potential for enjoyment, health and the development of social skills.

The new national curriculum ensures that physical education continues to be one of only five subjects which pupils of all abilities must study throughout their school life. It also gives an enhanced position to competitive sport, including team games. However, the Government believe that school sport should go well beyond what is required by the national curriculum. The recent curriculum review has freed more time for schools to use at their discretion, and the Government now wish to see two hours of formal lesson time devoted to PE and sport in all schools.

Schools must also provide opportunities for sport outside formal curriculum time, be it in lunchtimes, in the afternoons and evenings or at weekends and in the holidays. It should form a continuum with the formal PE curriculum, and there should be a clear expectation that all pupils who want to are able to play games outside school hours.

The Government also believe it is important for parents to know what is available from individual schools and how they measure up to the best. We will require schools 801W to include details in their annual prospectuses of their sporting aims and provision for sport, and to record in their governors' annual report these aims and their sporting achievements during the year. Schools and others with an interest will be consulted on what information will be most useful to parents and the community.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked the Office for Standards in Education to carry out more detailed inspections of the quality and range of games both in and out of the curriculum. Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools has also been asked to report annually in future, specifically on the state of PE and sport in schools.

In order to recognise those schools which have good sporting provision, the Government will be establishing a sportsmark scheme for schools which have effective policies for promoting sport. For the most innovative schools, there will be an additional award, a gold star for outstanding achievement. A consultation paper on the criteria for sportsmark is being issued today to schools and sporting organisations.

In order for schools to improve their delivery of sport, it is vital that there are sufficient numbers of qualified and competent teachers. The recent overhaul of the teacher training system will ensure that new PE specialists have the skills to deliver the strengthened system set out in the policy statement. But the Government intend to go beyond this by introducing a comprehensive programme of action on coaching. Through this, all training and serving teachers, whatever their academic discipline, and competent volunteers, will have the opportunity to acquire coaching qualifications.

Clubs

Schools provide the basis for a lifetime of sporting enjoyment but they cannot operate alone. The Government wish to see schools and clubs forming links to share facilities and resources for their mutual benefit. In order to promote such links, the Sports Council will establish a challenge fund of £2 million. All schools and clubs will be able to apply to the fund which will be available for projects such as specialist coaching for pupils and coach training for teachers.

The council will also require governing bodies of sports played in schools to include provision for effective school-club links in their business plans. The Sports Council's regional offices will also have an important part to play by using their local knowledge to assist clubs and schools in establishing links.

The national lottery provides schools and clubs with an unprecedented opportunity to forge links by making funds available for improving existing facilities, building new facilities and purchasing equipment. The Government have set themselves the target that by the year 2000 all young people will have access to quality facilities, including playing fields. The national lottery provides a means of achieving that goal.

Action must also be taken to stop the loss of playing fields, which has occurred over many years. We will therefore shortly consult on a proposal that the Sports Council should be given the status of a statutory consultee on planning proposals affecting all playing fields.

The private sector also has an important part to play in the provision of sport in the clubs and schools. The 802W Government wish to encourage business sponsorship of sport in schools and have asked the Sports Council to make this a priority. The private sector can help sport in a number of ways such as sponsoring a school team, adopting a sporting facility or sponsoring coaches to work in the schools.

Further and higher education

Many colleges and universities already have good-quality sporting facilities and offer students the chance to take part in sport both within the institution and in inter-college or university competitions. However, a more detailed picture of provision for sport and sports facilities in further and higher education institutions is needed if we are to know what more might be done. The Further Education Funding Council has therefore agreed to draw up a comprehensive analysis of sporting provision and facilities in the further education sector and report to us with recommendations for action. The FEFC will update its information annually and will require institutions to publish details of their sporting provision.

The Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals and the Standing Conference of Principals have agreed to provide similar information for the higher education sector. They have also agreed to recommend to their members that potential students have available, through the prospectus or a similar document, information on the sports provision they offer.

To allow as many sportsmen and women to train and compete at the highest level while studying for higher education qualifications, a number of universities have established systems of sports scholarships. These universities provide a number of services to their sports scholars such as flexible study times and bursaries to provide for training and travel costs. To encourage the wider spread of best practice in university sports scholarships, and to encourage further private sector sponsorship, the Government are setting up a working group to look at the whole question of sport scholarships at university, and related matters of sport for students. I am pleased to announce that Sir Roger Bannister has agreed to serve as its chairman. The CVCP and SCOP have agreed to be represented on the working party. An announcement on membership will be made shortly.

Finally, the statement takes forward the process of building a real British commitment to the development of elite sport, and sets out proposals for a network of institutions to provide the facilities and services to enable those with talent to compete at national and international level.

The Government therefore want to see established a British academy of sport for top athletes. The Government envisage that a British academy of sport would offer residential accommodation, scholarships and bursaries, the highest level of training, coaching, sports facilities, sport science and sports medicine. To take this proposal forward, the Government have asked the Sports Council, and its successor bodies, to work up proposals for the academy and then, following consultation, to invite bids.

The sports councils across the UK will invite bids for national lottery funding including, if appropriate, for revenue or endowment funding.

The Government also envisage the setting up of regional centres of excellence. These would also be eligible for lottery funding.

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Academies of individual sports, to be set up and run by the governing bodies of those sports, would also be eligible for funding from the lottery.

Together, the Government's radical proposals for putting sport back at the heart of school life, for encouraging a far closer link between schools and sports clubs, for setting up a national academy of sport, with the highest possible standards, and for putting more money into sport than we have ever done before combine to make this the most important day for sport in a generation.