Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to include Reception and early years' physical activity for spend within Primary Physical Education and Sport Premium funding with specific mention of play.

It is important that all children have the opportunity to engage in physical activity and sport in a way that interests them. We want all schools to understand the importance of being physically active in keeping children healthy and the positive impact it can have on a child’s health and wellbeing. The government has doubled the PE and sport premium from September 2017 using revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

Use of the primary PE and sport premium is already considered as part of school inspections. The inspection framework is the specific responsibility of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector at Ofsted. Ofsted expect all schools to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, which includes sporting opportunities for pupils.

The premium is intended to support schools to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and sport they offer. Play and activity is essential for children’s development in the early years and is a therefore an integral part of all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The EYFS Statutory Framework sets out a requirement that educational programmes must provide opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement to aid their physical development. In addition, the programmes set out each area of learning and development and must be implemented through planned, purposeful play through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.

Schools were required to publish information on use of the PE and sport premium on their websites by 4 April 2018. The department has committed to sample a number of schools in each local authority, with the schools chosen based on a mix of random selection and prior non-compliance with the online reporting requirements. We are considering what further use we might make of that, and other sources of information, in making an assessment of the use and impact of the premium and reviewing our future approach.