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EFDS welcomes DfE's £150 million to improve primary school sport

This week the Department for Education announced that £150 million will be allocated to primary schools as part of the PE and sport premium. The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) welcomes the funding, which could ensure more young disabled people will enjoy the benefits of lifelong activity.

The PE and sport premium, which was set up by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2013 to support children to develop “a sporting habit for life”, will see the average primary school of 250 pupils receive £9,000 following yesterday’s announcement. The funding goes directly to primary school headteachers so they can decide how best to use it to provide PE and sporting activities for pupils.

Research has shown that 9 out of 10 schools have already improved the quality of their PE lessons as a result of the funding, with 86% of schools reporting using the premium to up skill and train existing staff.

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 the other Home Country Disability Sport Organisations and Sainsbury’s, with support of Paralympics GB and the Youth Sport Trust, have come together to develop Active Kids for All Inclusive PE Training.

This 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. Through the training, teachers will be supported to ensure all pupils are engaged and make good progress within PE, both of which are essential in outstanding teaching.

Barry Horne, Chief Executive of EFDS, said of the training:

“A young person’s experiences at school has a significant impact on how active they are in adult life. As a result, high quality, inclusive PE is essential to inspire and encourage young disabled people to lead a full and active lifestyle through sport. The Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE programme is an invaluable and freely available training initiative, designed to improve teachers competence in providing fully inclusive and positive PE experiences to all young people.”

The training is available for 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, to book a place on a course or to host a free workshop at your school, contact the Active Kids for All team through email AK4A@efds.co.uk or by telephone 01509 227751.