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What is a School Sports Partnership?

In 2003 the Department for Education and Skill (Dfes) and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) published ‘Learning through PE and Sport’ setting out a national strategy for PE and School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) in England. The aim of the strategy is to meet the Governments Public Service Agreement to:

“Enhance the take up of sporting opportunities by 5-16 year olds by increasing the percentage of school children who spend a minimum of 2 hours on high quality PE and School Sport within and beyond the national curriculum from 25% in 2002 to 75% by 2006, and 85% by 2008”

This target has been extended so that “By 2010 all children will be offered at least 4 hours of sport every week, which will comprise at least 2 hours high quality PE and school sport at school and in addition, the opportunity for at least 2-3 hours beyond the school day.”

School Sports Partnerships are one of the ways of meeting these targets and consist of a cluster of schools, centered around a hub site, in this case Sudbury Upper School to share PE Expertise, facilities, coaching and professional development.

As of September 2006, there are 3200 School Sport Coordinators and 18000 Primary or Specialist Link Teachers in 440 partnerships nationwide. In Suffolk, 8 partnerships cover all schools in the county.

Each partnership receives a ring-fenced grant each year. This pays for the staff posts and teacher release from partnership schools. The South West Suffolk Partnership is made up of schools in the Sudbury and Great Cornard pyramids as well as Samuel Ward and Castle Manor.