School Sport (Hansard, 20 November 2002)

§ Mr. Ivan Lewis

Physical Education (PE) is compulsory within the National Curriculum in England at all Key Stages for all pupils. Schools must provide physical education (PE) in accordance with the subject's programme of study. Guidance on curriculum planning, including for PE, published by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and the Department for Education and Skills, recommends that the programmes of study require a minimum of 75 minutes per week at Key Stages 1 and 2, and 90 minutes per week at Key Stage 3.

The Government are committed to all children in England having at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport a week, within and outside of the curriculum. A joint Department for Education and Skills and Department for Culture, Media and Sport Public Service Agreement target—published 15 July—seeks to enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by 5 to 16-year-olds by increasing the percentage of schoolchildren who spend a minimum of two hours each week on PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum from 25 per cent. in 2002 to 75 per cent. by 2006. £459 million will be invested over the next three years to deliver this target. Spearheading action will be a significant expansion of the specialist sports college and school sport co-ordinator programmes.

Evidence from the Youth Sport Trust, Sport England and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority indicates that a quarter of schools in England-those within school sport co-ordinator partnerships-are offering children aged 5 to 16 access to at least two hours' PE and school sport. All these partnerships will complete an annual data collection exercise this month. This will provide robust, comprehensive and in-depth information on the number of pupils with access to two hours' PE and school sport. Early messages from this will be available before the end of the year. The House will be informed of the results.