Chancellor Gordon Brown, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Tessa Jowell and Children and Families Minister Maria Eagle joined Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson at All Hallows High School in Salford to find out how pupils at 29 schools in the area would benefit from the creation of a school sport partnership.
As the partnership's hub site, the school is bringing together a local network of primary, special and secondary schools that will benefit from extra staff and funding to increase sports opportunities for all children.
School sport partnerships are proving successful in promoting school sport and PE and are designed to provide a pathway of opportunity for children through school and beyond. They are increasing participation, demonstrated by survey results released last week showing that 69% of pupils in partnership schools do at least two hours of high quality PE and sport in and out of school, and on track to meet next year's Government targets.
To nurture children showing a flair for sport, the first 20 competition managers begin work this term in school sport partnerships to set up new competitions between schools and develop a co-ordinated fixtures programme across the country. Ninety managers will be in place by autumn 2007 and one in every school sport partnership by 2012.
In addition the Government announced that it intends to expand multi skill academies, which run outside school hours for talented 10-12-year-old athletes, to one in every school sport partnership.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown said:
"The students we have seen today are the top footballers, rugby players and athletes of tomorrow, and it is vital we create the conditions to turn this young British potential into world class British talent.
"With the right investment and support, these teenagers can be reaching their peak when the Olympics come to Britain in 2012, and we will do whatever it takes to ensure that - when we host the Olympics - we have not only the best facilities and the best infrastructure, but also the best prepared sportsmen and women ready to compete and win for Britain."
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell said:
"We have already reversed the decline in competitive sport in schools and last week's survey results show that competitive sports like football, athletics and cricket are still highly popular. We know that kids love to compete and compete to win. Competition managers in school are another key link to ensure that children have even more opportunity to unlock their talents and have a pathway to pursue a love of sport from primary school to a lifetime's involvement."
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families Maria Eagle added:
"There has been great demand from schools to join these sporting networks as they realise the potential of PE and sport in school life and we have responded to that demand. With every school belonging to a school sport partnership next year, linked into a co-ordinated competition programme, we will see more children enjoying sport, either as participants, volunteers or spectators, and improve the prospects for a healthy nation as well as success in the London Olympics."
Notes to Editors
1. Five secondary schools and 24 primary schools are initially in the All Hallows Schools Sport Partnership. In total there are eight school sport partnerships in the Greater Manchester area.
2. The first competition managers will be located in Cornwall, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Sussex and West Yorkshire. Initially they will focus on the following sports: rugby, netball, gymnastics, swimming, badminton, tennis and table tennis, working with the sports' local, regional and national governing bodies.
3. The Government has set targets, shared by the Departments for Education and Skills, and Culture, Media and Sport, to ensure that 75% of children do at least two hours high quality PE and school sport within and outside the curriculum each week by 2006, increasing to 85% by 2008. By 2012, it aims to offer two hours within the curriculum and at least two hours more outside the school day.
4. Multi skill academies are usually held during school holidays or after school hours and introduce young talented people to new sports, identify new skills and help schools and clubs to identify future potential. Delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, 200 will be in place by March 2006
