To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effects on schools of changes to the level of expenditure on school sports in Preston since 1997; and if he will make a statement. (311233)

In the eight years to 2011, the Government would have invested £2.4 billion in the national PE and sport strategy which aims to improve the quality and quantity of physical education (PE) and school sport up and down the country. At the heart of our strategy is the establishment of a national infrastructure of School Sport Partnerships, which now includes every maintained school in the country. However, the boundaries and membership of School Sport Partnerships in Preston has changed over time, as the network was rolled out across the country. This makes it difficult to show, accurately, the extent of the impact of that investment in Preston.

However, our annual PE and sport survey shows that, in Lancashire as a whole, the percentage of pupils doing at least two hours high quality PE and sport per week has increased over time, as follows:

In 2008/09, the survey changed to measure the percentage of pupils doing three hours high quality PE and sport each week. For Lancashire as a whole this figure was 52 per cent., against a national figure of 51 per cent.