Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 9
4th Report - Game On: Community and school sport
Published 20 Apr 2026
Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Game On: Community and school sport All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We were concerned about reports that the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) had sought to renege on commitments to provide funding for physical education. Given the importance of PE and sport to improving health outcomes, and the potential in the longer‑term for consequential savings to the NHS, we expect DHSC to put its share of funding into the school sport system, along with funding from the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (Recommendation, Paragraph 30) 52 Healthy Spaces
From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, 4th Report - Game On: Community and school sport (HC 593), 20 April 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 26 June 2026 (deadline 23 June 2026).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report and sets out funding and policy measures on school and community sport, while declining a statutory duty on local authorities and not making PE a core subject.
- On school sport, the government says it is investing over £1 billion over three years, including £580 million for a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, which it says will be "fully up and running from Spring 2027".
- On a statutory duty for local authorities to provide sport and leisure facilities, it "does not believe a statutory duty is necessary", citing its aim to reduce burdens on local government.
- On making PE a core national curriculum subject, it prefers curriculum reform and targeted support, an approach it says is "expected to deliver more meaningful impact without the complexity of legislative change".
- On a cross-government strategy, it points to its National Plan for Physical Activity, "due to be published later this year", and says it will set "clear, measurable objectives".