Primary PE and Sport Premium

The PE and sport premium defines the £320 million of government funding provided to primary schools to support them with making sustainable improvements to the quality of the PE, physical activity and sport offered through their core budgets.

About the PE and sport premium

Into its eleventh year, the Primary PE and Sport Premium supports schools to ensure equal access, support all pupils to be active for 60 minutes a day and ensure the delivery of two hours of quality PE for all pupils.

Premium funding should be used to achieve at least one of the following:

  • Making additional and sustainable improvements to the PE, sport and physical activity they provide
  • Providing or improving equal access to sport for boys and girls
  • Ensuring teachers have relevant skills and knowledge to confidently teach PE in a structured way, prioritising continued professional development and training where needed.

You can read the full guidance, including examples of how to and how not to spend your premium, on the DfE website.

School governor’s play a crucial role in ensuring accountability and effective use of the funding specific to the context of their school. The Department for Education (DfE) and the Local Government Association (LGA), have created a monitoring tool which sets out areas of focus for governing boards evaluating PE and sport premium spending decisions. You can find it here.

Additionally, the Youth Sport Trust has a range of practical tools to help you navigate the funding including our Primary Membership offer which, this year, has many elements specifically aimed at the application and reporting requirements of the premium.

Looking for more support?

The Association for PE (afPE) hosted a free webinar answering your questions on the premium. The webinar took place in November 2024. You can watch the recording here and see the questions and responses here.

The PE and sport premium digital reporting tool

From July 2025, all schools must complete the digital reporting form. The digital form outlines how the school has used its PE and sport premium and the impact it has had on achieving the aims and objectives of the funding. The DfE will provide separate guidance to support schools with the completion of the digital form.

The link to the form and supporting guidance will be shared with schools by late June 2025. Schools will still be expected to upload a report detailing how they have spent the PE and sport premium funding allocation, and this can be downloaded as part of the digital reporting process.

The digital reporting form replaces the old reporting template, but to help schools plan and monitor the impact of the PE and sport premium spending we, in partnership with the Association for PE (AfPE), have developed a PE Funding Evaluation Form. Schools may find it helpful to use this to plan and record how they use the PE and sport premium throughout the year in readiness of completing the digital reporting tool at the end of the school year.  This is available to download from the link above.

This sample digital reporting submission is based on the 2023/24 digital reporting form. Please note that changes are expected for the 2024/25 submission. Any updates will aim improve the process, such as the inclusion of pre-populated fields and more drop-down options to reduce free text entries. The DfE analysts are already reviewing feedback for the next iteration, and the Data Science team will begin building the 2024/25 version in the new year. This sample is for demonstration purposes only, and the responses provided are not exemplar answers. The included questions were part of the pilot phase and will be adjusted for 2024/25 based on feedback received. The DfE is comfortable releasing this sample as a PDF to assist with preparation and provide an example of the types of questions to expect.

Planning your PE and sport premium spend

Improvements and clear objectives should align with the five key indicators which are listed below. Here you can also download our toolkits for each key indicator, which contain guidance and review tools for sustaining the impact of the funding.

  1. Increased confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport
  2. Engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity
  3. The profile of PE and sport is raised across the school as a tool for whole-school improvement
  4. Broader experience of a range of sports and physical activities offered to all pupils
  5. Increased participation in competitive sport

Please log in or register for a free Youth Sport Trust account to download the toolkits.

Helpful resources from YST

Membership

Our membership offer is designed to provide experienced PE teachers and new practitioners with structured support and professional development to ensure that your PE, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA) offer is focussed and effective.

Find out more

Key indicator top tips

Brought to us by our friends at Complete PE, these posters give some quick and effective ideas per Key Indicator, for achieving your Primary PE & Sport Premium targets.

Download

The PE Life Skills Award

The PE Life Skills Award allows teachers to formally recognise pupils’ learning through evidence-based assessment in the PE curriculum. This includes their progress in the physical aspects of PE and their social, cognitive and emotional development too. For pupils, it gives purpose to their learning and helps them to value PE and develop a positive relationship with physical activity that will stay with them long into the future.

Find out more

My Personal Best

Based on the multi-ability model that identifies five types of ability (or learning domains), My Personal Best focuses on 24 specific, non-physical life skills. These skills are developed through physical activities and contribute to each of the five abilities. This supports the personal development and physical literacy journey of all pupils.

Find out more