Obtain funding
In 2016 the government announced the doubling of the PE and sport premium for primary schools until 2020 to help improve the health of future generations. The premium is intended to be used by schools to boost their PE and sports provision for all children, giving schools the perfect opportunity to establish sustainable strategies for physical wellbeing while securing a legacy of improved sport provision.
The premium is ring-fenced and must only be spent on physical education. Identify priority areas and set some clear objectives that will help you make long-lasting changes and improvements. For example, you might have already become aware of gaps in your existing provision and recognised the need to introduce new sports to your school, which can be achieved by investing in new sports equipment. This could lead to the formation of new school teams, which may in turn pave the way for running sports activities in partnership with other schools.
Prioritise
Carry out a thorough audit of your PE storage facilities, noting what items you have, what’s fit for purpose and what needs replacing. The Association for Physical Education (afpe.org.uk) can provide you with a series of recommendations and some handy checklists to help with this. Give your broken items an MOT and organise your store so that everything’s in order.
Good though it is to make sure your school has a fully-equipped PE cupboard, it’s also worth thinking about activities your school can organise that don’t require much in the way of PE equipment. There’s been a growing recognition in recent years of how important physical movement activity is for children’s development, as well as the emergence of initiatives such as The Daily Mile and Walk to School Week, which can be built into children’s daily school routines and supported all year round.
Seek value
When buying PE equipment, there are a few areas to consider in order to ensure you achieve the best value for money. Always base any comparisons not just price, but also quality by checking relevant reviews of the items in question. It’s also worth looking at own brand products that might be available at a more competitive price compared to branded items, but still offer good quality.
Buying products as part of a pack or kit can deliver great value, as doing so will sometimes work out cheaper than buying items individually. Kits can also take away the hard work of deciding what items you need to buy together. YPO offers specially designed kits for sports day and after school clubs that can be tailored for specific needs, which can be a great help for teachers and a real time saver for busy PE coordinators.
