To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to encourage the playing of cricket in schools by both boys and girls.
Answered on
27 September 2018
The government is clear that physical education and extra-curricular sport is important for all pupils. This government seeks to foster a lifelong love of physical activity and healthy habits in young people from an early age. Sport can help all pupils to develop skills such as confidence, team work and resilience that can be carried through to adulthood. It is up to schools to decide which sports to offer to pupils.
Through the primary PE and sport premium, the government has invested over £920 million of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport since 2013. The government has doubled the premium to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. Schools can use the premium to engage external coaches to best meet the needs of their pupils. We know that some schools engage external cricket coaches to provide specialist lessons for all pupils, which includes boys, girls and pupils with disabilities.
Through the Essential Life Skills fund, the department has recently funded the national cricket charity, Chance to Shine. The funds will be used to provide extra-curricular sport to young people in Stoke-on-Trent, one of the department’s twelve Opportunity Areas. In addition, Sport England supports children and young people in England by ensuring that there is a good sports and activity offer before and after the school day. This includes investing £28 million into Satellite Clubs between the period 2017 to 2021.