Speeches by McKinnell.

“Clearly, that is part of the focus that we have generally in our approach that we need to take. We are very conscious of the gendered challenge when it comes to participation in sport and the socioeconomic challenge of communities that have less resource and therefore fewer facilities. We know that schools on a much wi…”

“Is that based on a report on the opening schools facilities programme?”

“I appreciate that you have directed this specifically at me, but could Matthew just finish what he was saying?”

“It was a scheme of the previous Government, so I think that Matthew will be well placed to answer your question.”

“Clearly, I agree that school sports facilities are vital assets for pupils and local communities, not only because they offer those great facilities, but they are also quite a familiar environment for a lot of people, and there is real value in that. We have taken lessons from the three years that the scheme was in pla…”

“I am not going to pre-empt the outcome of the curriculum and assessment review.”

“I am not sure that is a question for the Department for Education. I do appreciate the challenge you raise to school playing fields, for example. I think it is important that very clear criteria are followed in the case of a change of use of any sports playing facilities. We know that where they are on designated educa…”

“It is all in discussion. We do appreciate that each school has particular circumstances that they need to meet and address as part of their PE and sport offer but I also know schools would welcome a more co-ordinated approach and support and bolstering of capacity within the school to be able to provide in-school as we…”

“It is ringfenced for the 2025-26 academic year. As you will know, but I will say it for the purpose of the Committee hearing it, it is a combination of funding from the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care, and that is in recognition of the value not just of the quality of education in…”

“We are working on the details of that. To come to your earlier point, we are not actually waiting either. We are getting on already. We have met with the governing bodies. We have also launched Inclusion 2028. In answer to your earlier question about how we support teachers to provide high-quality teaching, physical ac…”

“We have not announced the details of the new framework. As you rightly identify, these aims and aspirations and recognition of how we fall short of them as a system and as a country have been in place for some time, which is why we want to take a different approach to tackling the stubbornly low levels of children’s ac…”

“We made it clear in our manifesto that we want to protect PE time. We have always been very clear about that. There is obviously a range of means by which we can support schools and ensure they do that. One way is through the curriculum and assessment review, making sure that we have a holistic school approach that giv…”

“We are working on the details of how it will look, but the principles behind it are fundamentally about working in partnership, harnessing all the added value of building on existing capacity and making sure that we maximise opportunities to contribute.”

“I can be more specific. About what?”

“We are looking at harnessing the partnership. There are currently pockets of very good partnership activity going on around the country. We want to make sure that is much more universal, accessible and transparent, and that every part of the country can benefit from the power that comes from working together collaborat…”

“Forgone?”

“What we want to do is to wrap it into the partnership approach. Schools will be partners in that approach, and national governing associations, local authorities and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, making sure that we have a genuine partnership, all focused on improving access to quality sport, PE and phys…”

“I will answer that because my heart is with all the parents looking ahead at the six-week break and wanting to make sure that the children have a fulfilling time during the holidays. I share the challenge. I think that schools do provide lots of opportunities for children and young people to be physically active beyond…”

“That is a fair challenge. The principle of the three-year limited timeframe fund and what it was intended to achieve was to tackle some of that challenge. Although I cannot speak for the previous Government, my understanding is that the intention of the programme was to understand why these facilities are not being mad…”

“We are being quite clear in the legislation on the number of branded items that a school can require children to wear, but in terms of uniform policy, they are decisions that schools need to make in terms of what is appropriate within their school, for their school community. We encourage schools to do what they feel i…”