TO BE PUBLISHED June 2024
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will examine next steps for sport and PE provision in England, as well as key priorities for increasing engagement of young people in sport, both within and outside the school setting.
It will be a timely opportunity to assess implementation of the School Sport and Activity Action Plan, published by DfE in July 2023, looking at improving access to extra-curricular sport and the way forward for schools in tackling the challenges they face in providing high quality PE and sport. The conference also follows publication of the DfE’s new PE guidance Enhancing physical education provision and improving access to sport and physical activity in school, which includes examples of high quality provision, the ways in which schools can remove barriers to participation and build relationships with local and national sporting bodies.
Stakeholders and policymakers will discuss the action plan and what is needed to meet ambitions of the new guidance, and aligning with the Chief Medical Officers’ activity guidelines, including approaches to supporting primary and secondary schools to deliver at least two hours of sport and PE per week, and tackling barriers to participation.
Sessions in the agenda will consider strategies and best practice for growing the participation of pupils in sport and PE, including improving the experience of PE for girls through forming relationships with sporting bodies and training more female coaches, engagement with under-represented groups, and implementing appropriate adjustments for children with SEND and other needs, including how to improve co-ordination between departments within schools such as Inclusion and Learning Support Teams.
Further sessions will examine current funding levels through the PE and Sport Premium in primary schools, how schools are using Premium funding, and its effectiveness in supporting them to meet the Government’s aims for daily physical activity. Delegates will also discuss the long-term funding model for sport and PE in schools, with the Government currently committing funding through the Premium until the end of the 2024-25 academic year.
The agenda also looks at latest evidence on the impact of physical activity on improving children's physical and mental health, confidence and behaviour, as well as priorities for post-16 sports provision.
We are pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with: Kate Thornton-Bousfield, Head of PE and Achievement, Youth Sport Trust; and Charlie Crane, Children and Young People Senior Manager, Sport England.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- policy priorities: next steps for sport and PE provision in England’s schools - the way forward for boosting high-quality PE and sport - improving participation among young people
- delivery: curriculum design and standards - timetable scheduling for PE - appropriate assessment methods - funding of sporting facilities - implementation of recently published Government guidance and examples of best practice
- provision: effective curriculum design and assessment methods - opportunities and challenges for raising sport and PE standards in schools - improving extra-curricular activity offers outside school hours
- inclusion: appropriate adjustments for young people with SEND and co-ordination between school departments - engaging under-represented groups - improving learner confidence - specialist training for teachers
- collaboration: promoting multi-agency coordination and best practice across schools and the wider sports sector
- impact: latest thinking on how physical activity supports the health and mental wellbeing of children and young people
