Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman has championed the important role Physical Education and school sport have to play in helping young people to recover from the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking at the launch of Ofsted’s 19/20 annual report, the Chief Inspector of schools said:

Our reports show that children’s physical fitness has suffered from lockdown. School leaders told us that children came back less active and less fit. This highlights the importance of physical education and school sport.

Commenting on the wider value of school sport, she added:

If we look back, school sport was once about finding a new talent, developing teamwork and even building moral fibre, as much as about physical fitness. Now it’s also one of the ways schools contribute to countering childhood obesity – alongside the school canteen, which we expect to serve up healthy, nutritious and affordable meals.

The full speech can be read here and Ofsted’s 19/20 annual report can be found here.

The Chief Inspector’s comments follow research carried out by the Youth Sport Trust in September which found that young people returning to school with low levels of physical fitness was one of the biggest concerns raised by teachers. The research also found that some schools had reduced provision of PE and school sport this term.