PE and School Sport Premium Update
Interim funding allocations for PE and School Sport Premium have now been published for this Academic Year.
Establishments will receive their allocation in one payment in the Autumn term rather than spread across 2 payments (Autumn and Spring terms) as happened previously. The allocations are listed below (with 2025/26 figures for comparison).
2026/2027 PE and School Sport Premiums
schools with 17 or more pupils receive £6,240 plus £10 per pupil ( £16,000 plus £10 pp in 2025/26)
schools with 16 or fewer pupils receive £390 per pupil (£1,000 pp in 2025/26)
PE and School Sport Premium - what’s changing?
In July 2026, the Government announced its intention to introduce a new national network of PE and School Sport Partnerships for primary, secondary and special schools from early 2027. As a result, the Primary PE and Sport Premium model will be phased out during the 2026/27 Academic Year. To cover the transition period, additional funding was allocated to provide a one-off payment in the Autumn.
How can PE and School Sport Premium be used?
The Government has clear rules about how PE and School Sport Premium can and can’t be spent. For example, it cannot be used for capital expenditure or to fund activities within the normal curriculum (naming outdoor adventure in this list of exclusions). It can be used to support staff CPD, extra curricular activities and transport costs for those activities.
In its guidance online, the DfE gives specific examples of how PE & SS Premium should be used along with further explanations of how it is distributed and when.
What will the PE and School Sport Partnerships national network look like?
The new Partnerships Network aims to boost collaboration between schools, local providers and national governing bodies, and ensure support is targeted towards those children facing the greatest barriers to participation.
According to the Department for Education, the new Partnerships Network will continue to support key areas such as extra-curricular sport and physical activity; sport competitions; access to coaches and specialist practitioners; and high-quality PE and physical activity opportunities. It will reduce duplication in reporting and provision, provide clearer support, and strengthen accountability for public funding.
The Partnerships Network will include three school support pathways:
Universal Offer – support available to all eligible schools, including staff training (CPD), guidance, resources and sector signposting.
Targeted Intervention – additional support directed by the National Delivery Partner to schools or pupil groups identified as having the greatest need.
School-Requested Intervention – support requested by schools on the basis of identified local need, to be considered by the National Delivery Partner in accordance with eligibility criteria, available capacity and the overall objectives of the Partnerships Network.
More detail is expected in November.