Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase participation in sport by school children.

Through the primary PE and sport premium, the government has invested over £600m of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport since 2013. The government has doubled the premium from September 2017 using revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

£100m from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will be used for the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund. The funding is for one year only (2018-19). It is intended to facilitate an improvement in children’s physical and mental health by increasing and improving access to and use of relevant facilities, such as kitchens, dining facilities, changing rooms and sports facilities.

The new PE curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, are physically active for sustained periods of time and lead healthy and active lives.

The department also funds targeted grants to support the delivery of the School Games and helps schools to ensure PE and sport is inclusive.