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PE and Sport Premium

Ring-fenced funding to achieve self-sustaining improvement in the quality of PE, sport and physical activity schools deliver. Coming to an end in 2026/27.

What is the Primary PE and Sport Premium?

Since 2013, the Government has invested ring-fenced funding directly into primary schools. The objective of this funding is to achieve self-sustaining improvement in the quality of PE, sport and physical activity schools deliver.

2026/27 will be the last year schools receive this funding known as the PE and Sport Premium.

View the full DfE PE and Sport Premium guidance.

In this transitional year, schools with 17 or more eligible pupils will receive £6240 and an additional payment of £10 per pupil. Schools with 16 or fewer eligible pupils will receive £390 per pupil.

View the conditions of the grant for 2026/27.

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Using the Premium

Schools must use the funding to:

  • Build capacity and capability in the school, ensuring improvements to the quality of PE, sport and physical activity provision are sustainable and will benefit pupils joining the school in future.
  • Develop or add to the PE, sport and physical activity that the school provides.

If a MAT pools the funding between schools, they must use it to benefit the children in every qualifying school in the MAT.

Schools should focus on making improvements in 5 key areas: 

  1. increase all staff’s confidence, knowledge and skills in teaching PE and sporting activities
  2. increase all pupils’ engagement in regular physical activity and sporting activities
  3. raise the profile of PE and sport across the school, to support whole school improvement
  4. offer a broader and more equal experience of a range of sports and physical activities to all pupils, and ensure equal access to sport for boys and girls
  5. increase participation in competitive sport

Schools must not use their funding for:

  • capital expenditure
  • core staff costs e.g. covering PPA arrangements and staff salaries
  • meeting minimum curriculum requirements and transport for it
  • spending outside the academic year and funding future services
  • staff PE kit
  • swimming and water safety lessons in the curriculum

Planning and reporting on the Premium

“The premium must be spent in full by the 31 July.”

The digital expenditure reporting return

All schools must complete the digital expenditure reporting return at the end of the academic year. Each qualifying school in a MAT must complete the return.

The return includes a set of questions asking how the PE and sport premium funding has been used to make improvements in the 5 key areas mentioned above. It will also ask for data on the percentage of pupils in your year 6 cohort who met the national curriculum swimming and water safety requirements. It can be used to generate the necessary school website report (see below).

Schools can complete the return from June 2027. It must be completed by 5pm on 31 July 2027.

School website report

Every individual school, in receipt of the grant, must also publish a report on their website. This report must be published by the end of the summer term or by 31 July at the latest.

You can download a copy of your digital expenditure reporting return and use this as your published report. You should also keep the previous year’s report on your website for comparison.

Monitoring and tracking your spending through the transition

You may find the PE and sport premium transition toolkit helpful, to plan, break down and record how you use the PE and sport premium funding throughout the year. This toolkit aims to identify support in place and help prioritise spending, to ensure a smooth transition to the PE and School Sport Partnerships Network.

You can then use this to complete the digital expenditure reporting return at the end of the academic year.

The toolkit is on the Association for PE  and Youth Sport Trust  websites.

View the National Governance Association’s guidance for School Governors.

I’m a PE Subject Leader, what should I do now?

  • Step 1 Audit: consider your current provision. You could use the Primary PE Scorecard. Evaluate last year’s spend using the transition toolkit’s monitoring form (download). Use the toolkit’s strategic guidance document to support in-depth reflection.
  • Step 2 Action Plan: use the transition toolkit’s monitoring form (download) to set out how you plan to use the premium to develop your provision further. Consider how it can be used to achieve whole school outcomes such as improving behaviour and attendance. Can you align your spending with your school improvement plan? Use the toolkit’s strategic guidance document to gain some practical ideas.
  • Step 3 Implement: check the Active Sussex CPD page for staff training opportunities or use the Active Sussex school providers directory to find a suitable organisation to help support your action plan.
  • Step 4 Monitor: make regular checks with students and staff to see whether the actions are having their intended impact. Track your spending using the transition toolkit’s spend tracker.
  • Step 5 Evaluate and Evidence: evaluate the impact the funding has had on pupils at your school and shout about it to your school staff and wider community. The Active Sussex PPSP Impact Poster can be used to highlight this impact further and can be easily displayed and shared. 

Find out more about PE subject leadership

Want to know more about PE subject leadership? Take a look at the Active Sussex dedicated webpage.

PE Subject Leadership

Resources

Active Sussex Premium Impact Poster School Swimming FAQs YST Self Review Tool Effective Use of Coaches Primary School Providers Directory NGB School Sport Support Youth Sport Trust - webpage Association for Physical Education - webpage

David Taylor

Active Schools Officer

David works with Sussex schools to put PE, sport and physical activity at the heart of school life. He supports and promotes initiatives, programmes and local offers that develop PE, sport and physical activity provision within education. David also leads on Active Sussex's environmental sustainability work.

Email: dtaylor@activesussex.org

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