How To: Make the Most of The School Sports Premium

This week, the Government announced over £600 million in funding to support primary schools in providing physical activity and sport to their pupils. A further £22 million for the nationwide network of Schools Games Organisers has additionally been announced, all with the aim to combat the worrying levels of childhood obesity we're currently facing.

The funding will provide support over the next two academic years, and comes with a huge sigh of relief following the uncertainty of the future of funding for sports and other physical activities over the past year.

The Youth Sport Trust reported, "Recent research conducted by the Youth Sport Trust highlighted the potential impact should the funding not have been confirmed. This included an increase in children leaving school unable to swim, and three in four schools (73%) unable to maintain their current physical activity and after-school sport offer, at a time when fewer than half of all young people in England meet the minimum recommended activity level of 60 minutes a day."

Like schools, we at The Outdoor Classroom have experienced first hand just how vital a part of physical education is in a young person's life. It's not merely about keeping fit and healthy, it's about learning life skills; problem solving, map reading and lifesaving skills like swimming.

The Outdoor Classroom app was built with pupils' physical fitness and education at the forefront, trying to find ways to provide inclusive, engaging and fun opportunities for young people to participate in outdoor activities. Inspired by an orienteering electric timing kit, the app records activity in real time making it easy to assess progress and evidence physical activity.

Squeezing in that 60 minutes of physical activity a day is still really tough, but the app is a valuable tool that enables schools to achieve this goal without compromising their normal lessons. Any lesson can be taught using The Outdoor Classroom, from PE to Maths! The variety of features developed alongside teachers are built to provide the most versatile platform on the market.

As a company, our passion is providing our young people with ample opportunities to engage in outdoor learning and to enjoy the freedom of the great outdoors. Which is why we've worked hard alongside British Orienteering and The British Schools Orienteering Association to present The Big League to UK schools this Summer. This national competition aims to engage and challenge our young people with exciting activities, and make physical education even more rewarding. Our supporting organisations have generously donated a whole host of incredible awards and prizes to be awarded to participating schools for achieving both personal milestones and national targets.

With the announcement of the new budget, it's our hope that we can use these next two years to help truly improve the wellbeing of UK pupils! If you'd like to hear more about The Outdoor Classroom or The Big League, please contact Ferne, our Outdoor Learning Expert at [email protected] for more information.