Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Active Movement programme implemented by Public Health Berkshire; and if she will roll that programme out to other parts of the country.

Edward Timpson

We want all pupils to be healthy and active and we welcome schemes such as Active Movement, which encourage pupils to participate more in physical activity. However, there are currently no plans to assess or roll out the Active Movement programme to all schools. This Government gives schools the freedom to choose how to use the primary PE and sport premium to improve their PE and sport provision. PE remains a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum. The national curriculum sets out the expectation that pupils should be physically active for sustained periods of time.

Through the primary PE and sport premium, the Government has provided over £450 million of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport[1]. As announced in the 2016 Budget, revenue from the soft drinks industry levy will be used to double the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million a year from September 2017, enabling them to further improve the quality and breadth of PE and sport they offer.

This is part of a wider government commitment to cut obesity rates; linking in to work across Whitehall, including DCMS’ recent Sports Strategy and DH’s forthcoming Childhood Obesity Strategy (expected to be launched in summer 2016).

[1] Across the academic years 2013/14 to 2015/16.