§ Angela EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to ensure that girls are receiving the minimum two hours physical education in school a week. [139566]
§ Mr. Stephen Twigg[holding answer 19 November 2003]: The Government are investing more than £1 billion to transform Physical Education (PE), school sport and club links in England. This funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared by DCMS and DfES, to increase the percentage of school children, including girls, who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006.
Spearheading action is the creation of a network of 400 Specialist Sports Colleges and School Sport Partnerships (families of schools that come together to provide additional sports opportunities for all children). A third of schools in England are already benefiting from being within a school sport partnership. All partnerships set specific targets to increase participation of groups (including girls) that traditionally can be marginalised by PE and sport. Additionally there are five girls' only sports colleges.