MPs will this afternoon get the chance to debate education secretary Michael Gove’s decision to end the ring fencing of the schools sports budget. Today, the House of Commons will debate a motion tabled by the Opposition critical of a decision which could see drastic cuts to funding for school sport in the in the run up to the Olympics.
A petition has been launched, that will result in 2,012 children taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Westminster against the savage cuts to school sport.
The debate over school sport reached Prime Minister’s Questions today, with Ed Miliband putting David Cameron on the spot over cuts to the school sport budget. The Leader of the Opposition urged Mr Cameron to “overrule” Michael Gove, warning him he “will live to regret” the £162 million abolition of School Sport Partnerships, which have a proven track record of success.
Of the many billions of pounds that the government have cut in their ideological zeal to shrink the state, few have met with the passion and unified outrage that have greeted the £162 million abolition of the School Sport Partnership grant.
Fully one month after the scale of the government’s cuts to school sport were unveiled, politicians, journalists and sports stars have at long last been stirred into fighting back, the realisation of the horror about to be unleashed finally dawning. As Left Foot Forward reported in October, the Department for Education is scrapping the £162 million PE and Sports Strategy – a strategy which has been proven to work, significantly raising participation in competitive sport.
The government’s aim to “spark a competitive school sport revolution”, outlined only a month ago, looks set to become yet another broken coalition promise, following the cuts to school sport outlined in the Comprehensive Spending Review this week and the subsequent axing of targets and strategies which have resulted in increases in participation in school sport and rises in the number of pupils playing competitive sport.
Children’s minister Tim Loughton has called for a “school sports revolution” – yet the coalition is planning to cut £670 million from the schools budget.
The SNP Government has been accused of giving up on its manifesto pledge to provide at least two hours of physical education to children in school each week.
As calls grow for the government to implement the policy nationwide to help lift children out of poverty, Labour continues to face criticism for its controversial decision to maintain the two-child benefit cap.
Social innovation is possible. It is happening in a fast-changing, multi-challenge world of environmental and social crisis. Just not in the UK.
