Worcestershire primary schools to get boost to sports funding (From Malvern Gazette)

Worcestershire primary schools to get boost to sports funding

10:33am Saturday 16th March 2013 in News By Sarah Taylor

PRIMARY school sport in Worcestershire will be transformed with a £1,736,400 cash boost announced today.

The money is part of a £150million-a-year Government grant that will be dished out to primary schools across the country and hopes to inspire future sports stars.

The extra funding pledged by Prime Minister David Cameron is part of the London 2012 legacy and should provide more opportunity for young people in sport.

Schools in Worcestershire receiving the money say it will help them get specialist coaching and new equipment.

Heather Thomson, headteacher at Inkberrow First School, which is to receive £8,335, said: “It will be a great boost to our budget.

"It will allow us to perhaps buy in specialist coaching, be used for coaches or minibuses, as being a rural school we so often have to travel to sporting events, and towards PE equipment.”

The new funding, which can only be spent on sport, aims to improve the quality of provision in every state primary school in England.

There will also be a tougher assessment of sport provision via Ofsted to ensure the funding is bringing the maximum benefit for all pupils, with schools held to account for how they spend the money. Sport England will be investing £1.5 million a year of lottery funding through the County Sport partnerships to help Primary Schools link up with local sports coaches, clubs and sports governing bodies. And a new provision introduced as part of initial teacher training to produce a cadre of primary teachers with a particular specialism in PE.

The Prime Minister David Cameron said: “The Olympic and Paralympic Games marked an incredible year for this country and I will always be proud that we showed the world what Britain can do.

"I want to ensure the Games count for the future too and that means capitalising on the inspiration young people took from what they saw during those summer months."

There have been wide-spread calls for an investment to made into primary school sport and the announcement was welcomed by sports and education groups, and leading figures in the world of sport.

The Prime Minister’s Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Ambassador Lord Coe said: "When I stood up in Singapore in 2005 I spoke of London’s vision to connect young people with the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport.

“Today’s announcement does just that and by focussing on primary schools we have the opportunity to use sport and physical activity to shape the daily lives of young people.

"I am particularly pleased with the proposals around initial teacher training and continual professional development because I know from my own experience what an impact teachers and their engagement can have on the lives of young people."