Education Secretary Michael Gove sparked outrage last October when he said he was cutting funding for 450 School Sports Partnerships (SSP), which organise PE, sports clubs and competitions at schools where there are no specialist sports staff.

Gove believed the £2.4 billion ($3.7 billion) spent on the scheme over the past seven years had brought some benefits but said it was overly bureaucratic and that too few children were taking part in competitive sport.

However, a huge wave of protests from teachers, pupils and Olympic athletes like diver Tom Daley forced the Government to backtrack on their original decision and announce last month that Department for Education (DfE) will pay the school sports partnerships to the end of the current academic year at a cost of £47 million ($73 million).



In addition, £65 million ($101 million) from the DfE's spending review settlement will be allocated to allow every school in England to release a PE teacher for one day a week for the following two academic years and Grainger praised all groups who passionately protested against the Government's original decision.

"October saw the Youth Sport Trust and PE and school sport as a whole facing its most challenging period yet following the Comprehensive Spending Review," wrote Grainger in an exclusive blog for insidethegames.

"I don't think any of us working in this industry expected school sport not to take a hit given the unprecedented turmoil surrounding the country's economy.

"However, the announcement to totally cut Government investment into school sport threatened to destroy the phenomenal achievements made by school sport partnerships, clubs and national governing bodies in the last decade.

"What followed was an unbelievable show of support from young people, parents, teachers, elite athletes, politicians and the media for those people who work tirelessly to transform the lives of young people through sport across the country.

"This overwhelming wave of positivity from all sides led to the Government making an announcement in December that it would be reinvesting monies into school sport – less than was there before, however, a welcome confirmation that school sport really does matter."

Grainger added that he is delighted that the Youth Sport Trust will be primarily responsible for running the new-style school sports competition - the School Games - following their success in running the current UK School Games, which were launched in 2006 by then Sports Minister Richard Caborn.

The first finals of the School Games, an expansion of their predecessor the UK School Games, will be held in the Olympic Park in the year of the Games and despite widespread suggestions that the British Olympic Association (BOA) would run the new event, Grainger praised the Government's decision to put the Youth Sport Trust in charge of the competition.

"We were also delighted to be asked by the Government to lead the development of the nationwide School Games – further evidence of how the Government is committed to ensuring more young people, particularly at a primary school level, have access to competitive sport," wrote Grainger.

To read the full blog click here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
January 2011: Exclusive - BOA may launch own School Olympics
December 2010: Jim Cowan - School sports U-turn further evidence of lack of Government strategy
December 2010: Exclusive - New school Games will not include word Olympic
December 2010: Government U-turn saves school sports for now
December 2010: Exclusive - Prime Minister set to announce U-turn on school sports funding