Press Release

The Sports and Physical Education Association (SPE) has engaged with the Sports and Recreation Alliance (SRA) and The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC) to promote funding for PE in secondary schools.

A General Election Sport & Physical Activity Hustings, organised by the SRA and UK active, was held on the 3rd December 2019 with representatives from each of the three main parties attending. The SPE who also attended, shared their manifesto to restore PE in secondary schools with those at the event. The manifesto calls upon the government to extend the ‘sugar tax’ to include secondary schools, empower secondary school staff to be able to prioritise PE in their time tables and that a renewed emphasis on secondary PE is created and maintained. The full Manifesto can be viewed here.

All three speakers outlined the elements of their parties’ manifestos which related to sport and activity – it was highlighted that all were rather light on this issue. The speakers were questioned about the importance of school sports and PE as well as the lack of funding. Tom Watson, Labour, was in favour of a gambling levy and mentioned an investment into school training, ensuring schools have trained PE teachers / coaches to tackle inactivity issues. Lord Addington, Lib Dems, reiterated the urgent need for investment and that they want to relook at initiatives like schools’ sports partnerships, to encourage and train teachers and children for long term engagement. And Nick King, Conservatives, highlighted that the school sports premium has delivered results, that they must continue to develop and that they will continue to push for the target of one hour a day.

When questioned if their party would commit to the School Sports Premium after 2020, none were able to provide a figure or dates, but all committed to supporting the plan fully or partially.

Alongside attending the event, The SPE launched their manifesto to coincide with a highly successful social media campaign led by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) and CYPMHC. The campaign, #ChildrenAtTheHeart, called on election candidates to put children at the front of their investment queue and was supported by large organisations such as Young Minds UK and Action for Children. The launch of the Manifesto was seen by over 500 people across Twitter and LinkedIn.

The partnerships with the SRA and CYPMHC have been very successful for the SPE and helps ensure PE is pushed up the political agenda going forward.

The Sports and Physical Education Association (SPE) is launching its new election manifesto calling on the next government to make good the inequality in primary and secondary PE funding and provision.

SPE Chair Beth Tarry, says: “The general election on 12 December represents a chance to demand that the next government elevates the status of PE in secondary schools so that every young person in the UK has access to excellent sport and physical activity provision.”

The SPE are asking the next government to:

1. Extend the ringfenced ‘sugar tax’ funding for sport in schools to include secondary schools as well as primary to ensure that all children aged 11-18 have access to the appropriate level of quality physical education
2. Raise the profile of PE in secondary schools such that it is as valued a discipline as any other school subject and ensuring adequate resources are in place to do so
3. Implement the necessary processes to empower and enable secondary school staff to once again prioritise physical education in their timetables
4. Ensure that this renewed emphasis on secondary PE is sustained by implementing regular audits on the national state of physical education in secondary schools

“Childhood inactivity is one of the chief causes of spiralling childhood obesity and poor mental health among teenagers,” says Beth. “We are witnessing a national crisis; the time teenagers spend playing sport and exercising at school is shrinking. The result is an entire generation of young people who are being denied the essential benefits to their wellbeing of sport, physical activity and exercise.”

Read the full manifesto here.

Please share this manifesto on your social media channels using #Election2019 and #ChildrenAtTheHeart. You can also download and print a copy to give to election candidates in your area.

We recently had the pleasure of talking to Tom Bunner, Managing Director of Eveque, the educational sports equipment manufacturer and program developer. They’ve been a bright light in educational sports equipment and services since 1980. Synonymous with high-quality mat manufacture, school sports development and, more recently, climbing wall matting. Tom was kind enough to answer some questions and give us a small insight into the world of Eveque.

Read the full interview here: Tom Bunner Interview