PM announces school sport funding
The Prime Minister cheered on a school football match today after announcing more money for sports in primary schools.
David Cameron visited St Brigid's Catholic Primary School in Birmingham accompanied by broadcaster and former footballer Gary Lineker.
The visit came as he announced that primary schools will receive an additional £750 million for sports between now and the 2020 Olympics to help secure the legacy from the London Games.
Mr Cameron said the £150 million-a-year primary PE and sport premium launched last September and due to run until 2015/16 will be extended for a further five years to 2020.
The premium goes direct to head teachers, who decide how best to use it to provide sporting activities for pupils. A typical primary school with 250 pupils received £9,250 this year - the equivalent of around two days a week of a primary teacher or coach's time and enough to ensure every pupil in the school can do sport with a specialist.
The Prime Minister and Lineker were met with cheers and chants as they arrived at the school in the pouring rain this afternoon.
The pair ignored the weather to cheer on a PE lesson - a football match in the playground - before presenting a trophy to the winning side.
Speaking at St Brigid's today, Mr Cameron said: "I'm very pleased we've found the money to make sure we have good school sport in our primary schools and every school in the country.
"This means for a typical primary school £9,000 a year guaranteed all the way out to 2020 so that they can plan for good sport provision for our children. I'm passionate about this not just as a politician but as a dad. Good school sport, competitive sport, it's good for you, helps you get fit but it's also fun and it should be available in every school."
"The money is going direct to the primary schools. It has to be spent on sport and it will be inspected on by Ofsted but we're putting the money in the hands of the school rather than anybody else so it's their decisions but it has to be spent on sport. That's the right way to do it."
Following the visit, Lineker tweeted: "Whatever your politics, investment in sport in primary schools is worth supporting. Vital for our youngsters future in all sorts of ways."
