Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of schools in Merseyside and Lancashire have a curriculum which includes physical education.

We want all pupils to be healthy and active, which is why Physical Education remains a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum. The curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop the competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, engage in competitive sports and are physically active for sustained periods of time.

Academies and free schools are not required to follow the national curriculum but must provide a broad and balanced curriculum. The Government has made it clear that the national curriculum should be a benchmark which academies can use and improve upon.