Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the Government's rationale for policies and funding decisions that have resulted in reduced capacity for schools to deliver extra-curricular sport.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 21 May 2026, the government announced a new approach to PE and school sport funding, backed by over £1 billion across the next three years. The new model combines a universal offer for all primary and secondary schools with targeted support for schools and pupils who need it most.
A new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will strengthen links between schools and local sports clubs, support high-quality PE, and help remove barriers to participation. Delivery will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a National Delivery Partner. Funding for the School Games Organiser network has also been confirmed for 2026/27 to support transition to the new system and maintain continuity of expertise.
Despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day. Inequalities persist, particularly for girls and pupils from disadvantaged and black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of reductions in School Sport Partnership and School Games Organiser funding on the organisation and delivery of competitive school sport.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 21 May 2026, the government announced a new approach to PE and school sport funding, backed by over £1 billion across the next three years. The new model combines a universal offer for all primary and secondary schools with targeted support for schools and pupils who need it most.
A new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will strengthen links between schools and local sports clubs, support high-quality PE, and help remove barriers to participation. Delivery will be informed by baseline and ongoing needs assessments led by a National Delivery Partner. Funding for the School Games Organiser network has also been confirmed for 2026/27 to support transition to the new system and maintain continuity of expertise.
Despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day. Inequalities persist, particularly for girls and pupils from disadvantaged and black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration has been given to providing schools with additional funding or staffing flexibility to protect extra-curricular sport, including allowing PE departments dedicated timetable capacity to organise and deliver sporting activities beyond the curriculum.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
PE and School Sport are a key priority for this government. However, despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day.
The new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation and offer stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. It will provide training to build staff confidence in delivering PE and set out clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
We have and continue to work closely with the teaching sector and sporting national bodies in the development and delivery of the new Network.
A core objective of the new Network is reducing the administrative burden on schools, introducing greater streamlined and standardised processes to provide PE and school sport.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions has the Department had with school leaders, PE teachers and representative bodies regarding the sustainability of current extra-curricular sports provision in state secondary schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
PE and School Sport are a key priority for this government. However, despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day.
The new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation and offer stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. It will provide training to build staff confidence in delivering PE and set out clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
We have and continue to work closely with the teaching sector and sporting national bodies in the development and delivery of the new Network.
A core objective of the new Network is reducing the administrative burden on schools, introducing greater streamlined and standardised processes to provide PE and school sport.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the extent to which workload pressures on PE teachers have contributed to reductions in after-school sports clubs, training sessions and fixtures.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
PE and School Sport are a key priority for this government. However, despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day.
The new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation and offer stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. It will provide training to build staff confidence in delivering PE and set out clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
We have and continue to work closely with the teaching sector and sporting national bodies in the development and delivery of the new Network.
A core objective of the new Network is reducing the administrative burden on schools, introducing greater streamlined and standardised processes to provide PE and school sport.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has the Department made of the potential impact of increasing teaching allocations and wider workload demands on the ability of physical education teachers to deliver extra-curricular sport, training sessions and competitive fixtures outside normal school hours.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
PE and School Sport are a key priority for this government. However, despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day.
The new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation and offer stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. It will provide training to build staff confidence in delivering PE and set out clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
We have and continue to work closely with the teaching sector and sporting national bodies in the development and delivery of the new Network.
A core objective of the new Network is reducing the administrative burden on schools, introducing greater streamlined and standardised processes to provide PE and school sport.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of trends in participation in extra-curricular sport and inter-school competitions in secondary schools over the last ten years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
PE and School Sport are a key priority for this government. However, despite over a decade of investment via the PE and sport premium, less than half of all children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 active minutes a day.
The new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will provide practical, targeted support to help schools increase participation and offer stronger links to extra‑curricular sport and local clubs. It will provide training to build staff confidence in delivering PE and set out clearer pathways into community sport. Support will align more closely with wider programmes and include competitive sport opportunities and inclusive events for less‑active pupils.
We have and continue to work closely with the teaching sector and sporting national bodies in the development and delivery of the new Network.
A core objective of the new Network is reducing the administrative burden on schools, introducing greater streamlined and standardised processes to provide PE and school sport.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether disabled young carers in families affected by sodium valproate-related harm are being (a) identified and (b) supported within the education system.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We know that families with children with disabilities, including those affected by sodium valproate harm and where the children may be caring for other family members, are crying out for change.
The department’s upcoming full Schools White Paper will build on the work we have already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion, where children receive high-quality support early on and can thrive at their local school. This work includes the new standards on inclusion introduced by Ofsted in their new education inspection framework last November, and we are pleased to note that the needs of pupils with disabilities and those who are young carers are fully recognised in the inspection toolkit for the new framework.
Schools are also required to identify and record all pupils who are young carers on the school census regardless of the reason they may be providing care for family members.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to help improve the quality of local authority children's social care services.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has announced the biggest overhaul to children’s social care (CSC) in a generation, including increased investment and landmark legislation through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. From April 2025, we are making £500 million available to local authorities to roll out Family Help and Child Protection nationally to transform services and transition towards earlier intervention. This is a landmark moment and will nearly double direct investment in preventative services to over half a billion pounds in 2025/26.
The department’s CSC Improvement and Intervention Programme aims to improve services for children and families by offering support to areas with early signs of decline and intervening decisively when the required level of service is not being provided, for example for councils judged inadequate by Ofsted. This approach tackles the real issues, with a focus on sustainable and cost-effective improvement. Local authorities are supported and challenged through expert improvement advisors, leadership work from the Local Government Association, building regional networks, and our ‘Sector Led Improvement Partner’ programme.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with StandWithUs UK on its report entitled Voice of Students 2024-25, published on 7 May 2025.
Answered by Janet Daby
The antisemitic incidents detailed in StandWithUs UK’s Voice of Students report are wholly unacceptable and the wellbeing and safety of our Jewish students remains a priority. That is why last month, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, brought together Vice Chancellors and community leaders to hear testimonials from Jewish students and to discuss next steps to ensure safer, more inclusive campuses for all.
The department remains committed to working with universities, sector partners and stakeholder groups to continue our efforts to tackle antisemitism on our campuses.