Budget 2017: New sugar tax should benefit all children in school sport
Yesterday, Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, announced two separate levies of 18p and 24p per litre for sugary drinks. This is expected to raise an extra £1bn for investment in ‘school sport’ and the Government have now agreed to underwrite that amount even if less is raised though the tax.
The Chancellor has said that the money raised from the ‘sugar tax’ would go to the Department for Education (DfE) for school sports. Whilst the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) warmly welcomes this investment we believe there is a need for clear guidelines to ensure that schools use the extra funding to benefit all children. Our national charity is concerned that disabled children and young people will miss out if inclusion is not top of the agenda.
EFDS knows well the very real health benefits which come from increased physical activity - including lowering rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, it is crucial that we ensure that the extra funding for sports and healthy living programmes benefits every child in the school. EFDS wants to see head teachers required to show how the money is spent and how inclusive their increased provision really is.
EFDS understands the impact that positive PE experiences have on young people’s lives and the charity’s vision is that disabled people are active for life. As a result, EFDS and Youth Sport Trust together with fellow Home Country Disability Sport Organisations are being supported by Sainsbury’s to deliver Active Kids for All Inclusive PE Training. It is a free training initiative, which is specifically designed to improve the quality of PE provision for young disabled people in mainstream schools across the UK.
This training has been fundamental in building confidence and changing mindsets in PE teaching. Since 2013, the initiative has provided free training to over 9,500 teachers.
Barry Horne, Chief Executive for EFDS, said:
“A young person’s experiences at school has a significant impact on how active they are in adult life. High quality, inclusive PE is essential to inspire and encourage young disabled people to lead a full and active lifestyle through sport. Successful schools have built on the Sainsbury’s training and ensured all their staff are committed to inclusive PE.
“Whilst this new sugar tax has the power to increase and improve opportunities to be active, it is important that all children can benefit from it. We hope with the funding comes the responsibility for schools to think more inclusively about their sport offer to all their students.”
The Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE Training is free to all teachers, trainee teachers, classroom assistants, learning support assistants and special educational needs co-ordinators working in mainstream schools across the UK.
For further information about the Inclusive PE Training Programme, contact the Active Kids for All team or telephone 01509 227750.
