Understanding Sports Premium!

If you, like countless others, aren’t sure where you can spend your PE and sport premium or what qualifies, then you have come to the right place.

This article will break down for you all your most asked PE and sport premium questions, so you know the best ways to use your budget!

This has been designed to promote healthy and active lifestyles in pupils from an early age.

What is Sport Premium Funding?

Sport premium (aka PE and Sport Premium or PSG) is a funding scheme created by the government to help schools across the UK provide improvements to the quality of their physical education, physical activity and sports they provide.

The PE and sport premium was introduced in 2013 as part of the British government’s School Sport and Activity Action Plan, designed to improve the quality of P.E, activity, and sports in Primary Schools across Britain.

This budget is flexible for every school, so you can choose how best to use this money to suit the specific needs of your pupils.

How Much Sports Premium Will My School Get?

As it stands for 2024/25, schools with:

• 16 or fewer pupils will receive £1,000 per pupil
• 17 or more pupils will receive £16,000 plus an additional £10 per pupil

Please note, although funding is typically given to pupils in Years 1 through 6 (or between ages 5 to 10 if your school doesn't have set year groups), full eligibility can be found on the government website. You should always check if you’re eligible before allocating the money.

The Sports Premium Deadline

All Sports Premium funding must be spent in full by the end of the summer term. Currently, it is speculated that the deadline date is the 31st of July 2025.

It's important that not only do schools spend their entire sport premium by this date, but the school must also publish how they have spent the PE and sport premium on their website by the 31st July 2025.

Is Sports Premium Funding Continuing?

On the 8th March 2023, the Government stated that the PE and sport premium would be extended a further 2 years, meaning funding would cease in the Summer term of 2025.

This means your school only has 2 more chances to spend the sports premium funding before it is stopped, which means you should be wanting to spend the PE and sport premium fully.

Can You Carry Over Sports Premium Funding?

Schools are not allowed to carry over any funding into the next year. The Government requires that all funding acquired by the school must be spent by the deadline and the school must publish details every academic year about how your school has spent the funding.

We recommend that all schools who receive the PE and sport premium funding try to spend all of it before the deadline to avoid any potential trouble in the future.

The Main Goals of Sports Premium Funding

The main goals of the Sports Premium funding are to:

• Improve the level of Physical Education, Activity and Sports that your school offers
• Create a sustainable and long-lasting sports environment for pupils in future years

You are expected to use your funding to meet these goals. There are no set requirements of how you must achieve these goals, however, there are certain guidelines that you must adhere to. You can find these below. 

What Can I Spend The Sports Premium On?

Schools are responsible for what they select to spend their PE and sport premium on, but it must be used to:

1. Build capacity and capability in the school and make sure that improvements to the quality of PE, sports and Physical Activity provision are sustainable to benefit students who join the school in the future.
2. Develop or add to the PE, sport and physical activity that the school provides it's students.

Sports Premium can be used on items/products that meet the following targets:

• Increases engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity- this can be done through targeting activities to involve the whole class, creating a space for active play during pupils’ break time or expanding the variety of sports opportunities available.
• Contributes to the improvement of the school as a whole by raising the profile of sports and PE- this can be done by encouraging cycle/walks/runs to school and supporting pupils in encouraging their peers to be more physically active.
• Builds knowledge of P.E and sport in staff so they confidently teach and share their understanding- this can include professional development and the hiring of Sports Specialists to work alongside your staff.
• Offers a variety of sports/ physical activity opportunities for all pupils- this may involve after-school sports clubs, joining sports/activity opportunities in the wider community or introducing new sports.
• Encourages participation in competitive sport- this can include inter-school competitions or tournaments as part of the wider community.

What Can't I Spend The Sports Premium On?

It's important that your school does not use the PE and sport premium funding for:

• Capital Expenditure (except for any goods/products that are below your school's de minimis value).
• Employing coaches to take over or plan PE lessons (something like this should be covered by the school's core budget).
• Paying for subscriptions or invoices in advance for services in the future years.
• Teaching the minimum requirements of the national curriculum - like core swimming lessons.
• Buying staff PE kits.

What is Capital Expenditure For Schools?

Capital expenditure is when schools spend money on significant fixed assets including buildings, equipment, land, computers, furniture and software which will have a lasting nature.

Make sure that your school avoids using your PE and sport premium on anything that could be classified as capital expenditure.

The Digital Reporting Tool For Sports Premium

Introduced as mandatory for 2024/25 academic year, the Government has created a new digital PE and sport premium reporting tool for schools to use across the UK.

This new digital tool will capture details on how your school has used its PE and sport premium and how much of an impact it has had on achieving the aims and objectives of the funding.

Information that the digital reporting tool will collect includes:

• Figures on the overall spend of a school
• What the funding has been spent on
• Whether there is any unspent funding
• Swimming and water safety attainment

Not only will this tool provide a further measure of accountability for schools, but it will also help identify any non-compliant spending of the PE and sport premium. Make sure you familiarise yourself with what you can and can't spend your premium on.

What Could You Get From Pentagon With The Sports Premium This Year? 

Many schools are currently considering how to spend their PE and sport premium most efficiently to provide the maximum benefit to their pupils. Pentagon Play is happy to help you with this.

Our range of freestanding products are below the capital expenditure threshold, making them the perfect sport premium investment. These durable, active play items are suited to developing a multitude of skills and will benefit your pupils and enhance your provisions for years to come.

Our Get Set, Go! Blocks are ideal for improving the physical activity profile of your Early Years area by providing a safe area for EYFS children to develop their gross motor skills! 

Designed to support pupils as they improve their co-ordination, spatial awareness and physical strength development, these Get Set, Go! Blocks are the ideal solution if you're looking to spend the rest of your funding.

These blocks can be built and delivered to you in just 2-4 weeks and you will be invoiced within that time. In addition, our Get Set, Go! Blocks match the criteria of the PE and sport premium perfectly.

Or, you could spend your PE and sport premium on one of our newest products, the Play Builder sets! The Play Builder sets are fantastic for engaging children through construction play, whilst keeping kids active and moving around.

Our fantastic team of designers wanted to make an accessible product which would improve children's creativity, problem solving, muscle development and co-ordination all at once. The Play Builder sets are the perfect solution and help with teaching PE and keeping children active.

Or, if you're looking for an absolute bargain, then make sure you check out our Sports Premium Packages! Each package contains a set of our Get Set, Go! Blocks and a Play Builder set, for a great price. 

Make sure you get the most of your funding today and check out these sets on our Online Shop now!

Is there anyone you can talk to about how to spend your Sports Premium?

Yes! Our team of Internal Learning Advisors will be happy to support you and advise you on your Sports Premium budget. Their knowledge and expertise will help you to make the best decision for your pupils and future generations.

Our team have spoken with thousands of primary school headteachers and their concerns regarding the PE and sport premium. Our goal is to support schools as best we can by providing high quality products that you can spend your sport premium on, knowing that it will benefit your students.

All of our products have been designed to promote regular physical activity. Contact Us today for some advice and guidance - we’ll be happy to help!