1. The Prime Minister announced the Government will introduce a new approach to PE and school sport, including new School Sports Partnerships and a new Enrichment Framework. The new approach, launched at an event with the Lionesses ahead of the start of Euro 2025, will prioritise strong partnerships between schools, local clubs and National Governing Bodies, and focus on identifying and breaking down barriers to sport for children who are less active, including girls and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The Department for Education (and Departments for Culture, Media and Sport, and Health and Social Care) is now working with voices across the sector to shape the new approach. 

2. Shortly after the Chancellor’s Spending Review, the Government confirmed the funding of the Primary PE & Sport Premium for the 2025/26 Academic Year. This funding, alongside earlier confirmation of funding for the School Games Organisers network covering the 2025/26 Financial Year, will enable children to continue to access important opportunities to be active whilst the Government’s new approach to PE and school sport, currently planned to be introduced from the start of the 2026/27 Academic Year, is developed. 

3. Ahead of National School Sports Week 2025, we held a Parliamentary event where we were delighted to be joined by attendees including Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock, Stuart Andrew (Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport), and Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education), as well as representatives from the Education and Culture, Media and Sport select committees. Activity during the week itself included a video supporting the campaign from School Standards Minister Catherine McKinnell, and our attendance at a Parliamentary roundtable on access to PE and school sport hosted by Leigh Ingham MP. 

4. National School Sports Week included a focus on Always Active Uniform, with research carried out for the campaign showing two-thirds of teachers, and three-quarters of parents, would support their school adopting an Always Active Uniform for primary school aged children. We also became founding members of the Active Uniform Alliance, and later this year will be launching a pilot to test the effectiveness of Always Active Uniforms in increasing physical activity levels, alongside the impact on other school outcomes, in a primary school setting. 

5. The Play Commission released its final report following a consultation, to which we contributed oral and written evidence. Recommendations included the introduction of a Play Sufficiency Duty, protected playtimes within the school day, and a new approach to school uniforms which encourages activity to support children to be happier and healthier. We were pleased to see a focus on the importance of schools in providing opportunities for play and will continue to advocate for this through our work. 

6. Analysis showed almost 4,000 of PE hours were lost in the last year, contributing to a reduction of almost 45,000 PE hours since London hosted the Olympics in 2012 and alongside a 7% drop in the number of PE teachers in England. Commenting on the data, and as we launched our annual PE and School Sport report, we called for immediate and urgent action to unlock the power of sport and play to change lives, which we hope can be delivered through the Government’s proposed new approach to PE and school sport. 

7. The ongoing ‘Game On’ inquiry into school and community sport, heard evidence from School Standards Minister Catherine McKinnell, and Sport Minister Stephanie Peacock. Topics for discussion included the Government’s new approach to PE and school sport, the importance of inclusive opportunities ( highlighted through the Inclusion 2028 programme, delivered by the Youth Sport Trust), and how to learn from previous programmes such as Opening School Facilities. The session also explored working across government, and came shortly after the new 10-Year Health Plan for England, which included measures to improve children’s health and wellbeing. 

8. We joined other representatives from the physical activity and sport sector in attending the launch of Conservatives in Sport, a group designed to facilitate discussion around the future of sport policy and echoing our involvement in the Labour Society for Sport in recent years. These forums provide opportunities to secure support for policies harnessing the power of physical activity so the sector is well-placed regardless of how future political developments unfold. 

9. We attended a roundtable hosted by Rachel Taylor MP (who Chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sport and Physical Activity), which explored the barriers teenage girls in particular face to physical activity. We were able to share insights from both our Girls Active programme and Girls Active research, with the hope these learnings can help shape the future of policy and practice so all girls are encouraged and empowered to be physically active at every stage in childhood, and throughout later life. Following the session, Young Leader Inaayah wrote about her experience participating and the importance of youth voice in informing these discussions.