A report in Schools Week has today revealed that some new schools are opening without any access to PE or sports facilities.

Seventeen free schools that opened last year did not have any on-site sports facilities. Children's charity the Youth Sport Trust has responded to the report. 

Ali Oliver, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said:

PE and school sport are an essential part of a good education which every school should be able to provide. Reports that some new schools are being opened without any PE or sport facilities on-site are a real concern. While sometimes a necessity, the use of external facilities can never be a substitute for having them on site and making them an integral part of the school curriculum.

“There are some great examples of how free schools have placed PE and sport at the heart of their curriculum and established state-of-the-art sport facilities. At a time when young people’s wellbeing is in decline and only one in five are active for 60 minutes or more every day, the essential place of PE and sport in a broad and balanced curriculum could not be more vital.

“This is reflected in Ofsted’s new inspection framework which places a greater emphasis on schools’ responsibilities around personal development and quality of education.”