London Sport response to government report on covid-19 impact on schools

A new government-commissioned research report, published earlier this week, has outlined how schools across the country have responded to the impact of Covid-19 in the last academic year.

London Sport has responded to the report which shows a mixed picture for the state of PE in primary and secondary schools after 18 months of disruption to the education sector.

The report found that “some schools also reported increasing hours per week for PSHE and Physical Education (PE) or outdoor activities.”

However, many schools “reduced the hours taught for other subjects, particularly those requiring equipment” with half of primary schools (56%) and more than a third of secondary schools (37%) mentioned reducing hours for other subjects, particularly music and PE.

London Sport’s Specialist Advisor for Children and Young People, Gary Palmer, said:

“It is extremely concerning that many schools have reduced the time allocated for PE which, as a subject, is incredibly important for children’s physical and mental health as well as their attainment.

“However, we also should praise schools who have been innovative in ensuring that physical activity remains a vital component of the school day during significant disruption to timetables.

“PE is key to ensuring young people can form a physical activity habit for life but it must be part of a wider approach which ensures children also have every opportunity to be active outside of school hours.

“We have already seen some fantastic examples of schools using funding distributed by London Sport to provide such opportunities and tackle covid-19 related issues like isolation and inactivity.

“We will continue to support schools to provide safe spaces for young Londoners, to become community hubs, and ensure external groups and clubs can use their facilities to benefit society.

“Fun and enjoyable opportunities for young people outside of curriculum time, in addition to high-quality PE, are vital if we’re to ensure young people adopt a physical activity habit for life.”

To learn how your school can open up their facilities to benefit groups in your local communities, check out the case studies from our Opening School Facilities project here.