26th May 2026
The Government has confirmed it will invest more than £1 billion over the next three years in PE and school sport, in a move welcomed by Sport England and the Active Partnerships National Organisation.
Announced on May 21 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education, the funding package includes £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnership Network, which will bring national sporting expertise into every primary and secondary school to tackle inactivity. The network is set to be fully operational from Spring 2027 and will eventually replace the existing PE and Sport Premium, with a one-off £100 million PE Premium payment supporting primary schools during the transition. The package also includes £200 million to improve school sporting facilities.
Sport England chief executive Simon Hayes said: “We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to school sport and PE, and this investment will help more children and young people experience the many benefits that sport and physical activity can bring.
“This funding, which includes significant investment in facilities, has the potential to create lasting benefits for schools and communities by improving the places where children and young people can get active and enjoy sport, while helping tackle inequalities in access to physical activity.
“Creating positive experiences for children and young people is key to helping them build lifelong habits, while supporting their physical health, mental wellbeing and social development.
“Sport England is looking forward to working closely with schools and partners to help ensure this funding creates more opportunities for children and young people to get active, enjoy sport and build confidence through being active.”
Andy Taylor, CEO of the Active Partnerships National Organisation, said: “We welcome this announcement from the government as not only does it bring greater clarity, but it also illustrates a commitment to providing access to high quality PE and sport in every primary and secondary school through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network.
“This new network will have a vital role to play in tackling inactivity and in increasing the physical activity levels of children and young people, an ambition which is at the heart of our work, and which is crucial if the government’s mission of raising the healthiest generation of children is to be achieved.
“Our network, with its 42 local Active Partnerships covering the whole of England, looks forward to working with the government and local and national partners to ensure that this future investment has the strongest possible impact locally, reaching the children and young people that would benefit the most from greater access to sport and physical activity.
“The significant investment in facilities highlighted in today’s announcement also has the potential to bring important benefits to communities across the country, as we know that school sport facilities are valuable assets for local people of all ages, not just for pupils.
“We know that these changes for PE and school sport will take time to embed and there will no doubt be a period of transition, however we look forward to hearing more details about the government’s plans so that schools and their local partners can have complete clarity on the future of PE and sport in schools, and so that all funding can be coordinated to maximise impact locally and reduce inequalities.”