The Government are investing over £1.5 billion (including lottery funding) in the five years to 2008 to implement the national school sport strategy. The Departments for Education and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport share a public service agreement target to increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality physical education and school sport to 75 per cent. by 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008. The long-term ambition—by 2010—is to offer all children four hours of sport. Spearheading action is the creation of a national network of sports colleges and school sport partnerships.
Good progress is being made. Currently 80 per cent. of schools in England are within a school sport partnership and all schools will be by September 2006. The 2004/05 school sport survey found that 69 per cent. of pupils in schools within a partnership were spending at least two hours in a typical week on high quality physical education and sport, an 11 per cent. increase on 2003/04. The survey also found that partnership schools offer on average almost 15 different sports. Copies of the 2003/04 and 2004/05 survey reports have been placed in the House Library.