In 2013, the UK government declared they were going to provide additional funding to improve provision of physical education in primary schools. This funding is known as School Sports Premium.
School Sports Premium is generally used to make improvements to PE and sports in schools, whether that is to employ a team of sports coaches, purchase new equipment or extend the range of extra curricular sporting activities offered to children. Recent studies from OFSTED show that the additional funding has really helped improve the quality of PE and sports in UK schools.
How Should You Use your School Sports Premium?
Schools should use their additional funding to:
- Enforce new plans to reach set targets.
- Monitor the performance and impact your expenditure has on school sports.
- Plan professional development for staff and sports coaches.
- Introduce new activities to inspire children to get involved in sports.
- Form relationships with external sports clubs to achieve sustainable ways of engaging all pupils in physical activity and sport.
Identifying Improvement
When using the funding to enhance the quality of sports, schools should see an improvement in the following areas:
- A higher rate of engagement in sports with pupils taking on frequent activity and beginning a healthy, active lifestyle.
- Higher levels of confidence amongst children - they should feel more confident participating in competitive sport.
- Improved knowledge of sport and skills learnt.
- Teaching staff should also feel more confident and less daunted by carrying out new sporting activities.
Evidence the Impact
When evidencing the impact your School Sports Premium has had on your school, it is important that you state the total amount of funding you received for the academic year, giving a full breakdown on all the funds you have spent and the impact each purchase has had. When identifying the impact it is important you focus on the increased (or decreased) levels of pupil participation and attainment in sports.
When evidencing your school sports premium, it is important you also include your evidence on your website so governers, staff and parents are all able to see the improvements your funding has had on your school sports.
If you’ve had a high success rate from one purchase, such as hiring sports coaches, it is very important you state how are you going to maintain this. Will you plan professional development sessions or come up with some new, fun physical activities? Whatever you decide, make sure you go through your ideas thoroughly and state them in your evidence.
A Guide to Evidencing School Sports Premium
So, what is it you should include when evidencing your School Sports Premium? We’ve come up with a guide to help ensure you don’t miss out any important details.
Step 1
Step one is probably the most simple; make sure you record the total fund you received from the government. This will help you keep track of how much you can spend on each activity you’d like to implement - you’ll be able to gain ideas, weigh up your options and set priorities to get the most out of your school sports premium funding.
Step 2
Review the impact so far and activities you’ve implemented, clearly stating where your priorities lie. This is beneficial as it will give you the chance to really push those successful activities and will allow you to come up with similar ways to improve the quality of physical education in your school.
Step 3
Identify the actions you’ve chosen to achieve these goals and again state your priorities. From this, you will be able to identify any success and improve further in the future.
Step 4
Give a complete breakdown on how much you’ve spent on each priority (e.g £250 on new equipment). Be sure to do this for every action you’ve implemented, giving evidence of the impact such as higher fitness levels, more participation in sports and eagerness to take on physical activity amongst children.
Step 5
Set a date for when you will come back to your evidence to update the amount of actual funds spent, the impact it’s had and if it's been sustainable.
Step 6
Towards the end of the year, this is where you need to review progress so far, update total funds spent, state the impact your School Sports Premium has had and state future plans and sustainability.
To find out how Active Superstars can help you make the most of your Sports Premium Funding get in touch on 0121 222 5464 or email info@activesuperstars.co.uk.
