Sporting and Performing Arts Opportunities for Pupils in State Schools

Baroness Sater Excerpts

Monday 2nd November 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Garden of Frognal (LD)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Sater (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the Lib Dem Benches next, and then the Conservative Benches.

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

As we have discussed on several occasions in this House, the impact of VAT on schools has not led to a higher number of schools closing than the trajectory over recent years. I agree with the noble Baroness that, where strong partnerships are built between private and state schools, they open up opportunities. While there are some good examples of that, I am still not sure—given that I worked on this the first time I was in the Department for Education—that this is on the scale we would want to see.

[Baroness Sater (Con)]

My Lords, if we want more children to have access to sport and physical activity, we need to make better use of existing facilities. The Opening School Facilities programme helped open nearly 1,900 schools to their local communities but ended in March 2025. Given the demand from organisations which are keen to deliver activities, I ask the Minister to reconsider renewing the highly successful programme.

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

I will come back to the noble Baroness about the specifics of that programme. It is a key part of the Government’s new PE partnership network that we will be able to create those links between local clubs, sporting organisations and schools. I am sure that the partnership will want to look carefully at whatever the most effective way of doing that is.