asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans they have to promote cross-country running as part of the sports syllabus in schools.[HL7358]

The Government are committed to increasing the amount of physical education (PE) and sport in schools and are investing over £1.5 billion in the five years to 2008 to deliver the National School Sport Strategy. Cross-country is offered in schools as part of athletic activities within national curriculum for PE. The programme of study for PE does not prescribe which specific sports must be offered. This is a matter for schools to determine. The 2004-05 school sport survey found that 91 per cent of the 11,400 schools taking part in the survey offered pupils athletics (which can and often does include cross-country). A copy of the survey report has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.