PE and Sport Premium

PE and sport premium for primary schools

The government believes that the PE and Sport Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to improve the provision of PE and sport for the benefit of pupils, giving them the opportunity to have access to a wide variety of physical opportunities and to develop a healthy lifestyle.

Each school is responsible for making their own decisions on what best suits the needs of the school and its pupils.

Our aim has been to ensure that the funding has been deployed to achieve long term, self sustaining improvement. To that end, we have invested in the professional development of staff as well as providing qualified specialist coaches to work alongside teachers and to offer additional extra-curricular opportunities. We have given more children more opportunities to take part in competitive events (in both intra- and inter-school competition).

High Coniscliffe CE Primary School has been awarded the School Games Mark Gold Award. This is the third consecutive year that we have achieved this prestigious national award, recognising our commitment to providing high-quality PE, school sport and physical activity opportunities for every child. We plan to continue to enhance the curriculum by providing many more exciting PE and Sport activities in the next academic year.

The award recognises schools’:

• Overall vision for PE, physical activity and school sport
• Quality of PE
• Quality of school sport
• Quality of physical activity
• Use of PE, physical activity and sport as a catalyst for wider learning.

Initiatives that school has undertaken

• School Sports Silver Package
• Partnership with Sedgefield Sports Partnership
• Level 3 PE course for a Teaching Assistant
• Resources for Young Sports Leaders
• Sporting Clubs
• Recognition of Sporting Behaviours

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PE and Sport Premium Report 2025–2026

Our Vision

At High Coniscliffe CE Primary School, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to experience the enjoyment, challenge and lifelong benefits of being physically active.

Guided by our vision, ‘I can do all things…’, we strive to provide an inclusive PE curriculum that develops confidence, resilience, teamwork and healthy lifestyles. We want every child to discover activities they enjoy, develop a lifelong love of being active and leave primary school with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead healthy, active lives.

The Primary PE and Sport Premium enables us to enhance the quality of physical education, widen participation, broaden sporting experiences and invest in sustainable improvements that continue to benefit pupils year after year.

Funding Allocation

Primary PE and Sport Premium allocation for 2025–2026: £16,840

The funding has been invested to improve the quality of PE teaching, increase opportunities for pupils to be physically active, broaden access to competitive sport and create sustainable improvements that will continue to benefit pupils in future years.

Summary of Spending

The Primary PE and Sport Premium has been invested strategically across a range of initiatives designed to improve the quality of physical education, increase participation in sport and physical activity, and provide lasting benefits for all pupils.

Area of Investment	Approximate Investment*
Additional Year 4 & Year 5 swimming programme	£1,817
Darlington School Sport Partnership SLA	£1,500
Transport to inter-school competitions and festivals	£1,920
Specialist coaching, lunchtime clubs and after-school clubs	£3,000+
Sporting enrichment (including yoga, golf, disability awareness and whole-school activity events)	£2,000+
PE equipment and resources (including gymnastics mats, table tennis equipment, speed stacking resources, replacement goal post nets and curriculum equipment)	£1,500+
PE leadership, curriculum development, professional development and planning resources	Additional investment through the overall PE & Sport Premium programme

*Figures are based on the school’s year-end financial information available at the time of publication. Final reconciled expenditure will be confirmed following completion of the Department for Education’s PE & Sport Premium digital return.

How We Used the Funding

Key Indicator 1: Increasing the confidence, knowledge and skills of staff in teaching PE and sport

This year we continued to invest in high-quality professional development for staff through specialist coaching, curriculum support and collaborative working.

Funding supported:

• specialist sports coaching working alongside teachers;
• the Get Set 4 Education PE planning subscription;
• strategic leadership release time for the PE Lead;
• collaboration with local secondary PE specialists;
• membership of the Darlington School Sport Partnership.

Rather than relying solely on external coaches to deliver PE, our approach has focused on developing staff confidence and expertise so that improvements remain embedded within everyday teaching.

Impact

Teachers have benefited from ongoing professional dialogue, coaching and curriculum support which has strengthened confidence and consistency across the school.

Leadership release time has enabled careful monitoring of provision, curriculum development and evaluation of participation, ensuring that PE continues to improve strategically as well as operationally.

Working collaboratively with secondary colleagues has strengthened curriculum progression and provided valuable opportunities for pupils to experience specialist facilities and expertise.

Sustainability

By investing in staff development and leadership capacity, improvements to teaching and curriculum quality will continue beyond the current funding period.

Key Indicator 2: Increasing engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity

Providing opportunities for pupils to be active throughout the school day remains a key priority.

Funding supported:

• lunchtime sports clubs;
• after-school sports clubs;
• yoga sessions;
• additional Year 4 and Year 5 swimming;
• whole-school physical activity events including the Colour Run.

These opportunities have encouraged pupils to develop positive attitudes towards physical activity while supporting both physical and emotional wellbeing.

Impact

Participation in extra-curricular activities remained strong throughout the year, with pupils enjoying an increasingly diverse range of opportunities beyond the PE curriculum.

Additional swimming provision for Years 4 and 5 enabled pupils to develop water confidence, refine technique and build stamina before reaching Year 6.

Yoga sessions supported flexibility, balance, concentration and emotional regulation, while Forest School activities developed physical confidence, resilience and teamwork through outdoor learning experiences.

Key Indicator 3: Raising the profile of PE and sport across the school

Sport continues to play an important role within the wider life of High Coniscliffe.

Funding supported:

• disability awareness workshops;
• whole-school sporting events;
• sporting enrichment opportunities;
• celebration of pupil achievement;
• inclusive participation opportunities for all pupils.

Impact

Pupils have developed a greater understanding of inclusion through disability awareness sessions, encouraging empathy, respect and equal participation.

Whole-school events have promoted healthy lifestyles while strengthening our sense of community and belonging.

Sporting success continues to be celebrated through assemblies, newsletters and school communications, helping to inspire participation across all year groups.

Key Indicator 4: Offering a broader experience of a range of sports and physical activities

One of our priorities is ensuring pupils experience sports they may not otherwise encounter.

Funding supported a wide variety of activities including:

• golf;
• yoga;
• speed stacking;
• table tennis;
• inclusive sporting activities.
  

Impact

Pupils experienced a wider variety of sports and physical activities than the statutory curriculum alone would provide.

This broader offer has enabled children with differing interests, strengths and abilities to experience success while encouraging more pupils to engage positively with physical activity.

Key Indicator 5: Increasing participation in competitive sport

As a small rural school, transport can often be a barrier to participation in sporting events.

Funding supported:

• membership of the Darlington School Sport Partnership;
• transport to sporting competitions and festivals;
• competition entry opportunities;
• sports equipment and team kit.
  

Impact

Pupils represented High Coniscliffe in a wide range of festivals, competitions and sporting events throughout the year.

Funding for transport ensured that pupils were able to access opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable due to our rural location.

Participation in competitive sport has developed confidence, resilience, teamwork, leadership and sportsmanship whilst creating memorable experiences for our pupils.

We were delighted to achieve the School Games Gold Award for the third consecutive year, recognising our continued commitment to providing high-quality physical education and sporting opportunities for all pupils.

Swimming and Water Safety

Year 6 Outcomes

Percentage of Year 6 pupils able to swim at least 25 metres	83%
Percentage of Year 6 pupils able to use a range of strokes effectively	83%
Percentage of Year 6 pupils able to perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations	83%
Additional Swimming Provision	The Primary PE and Sport Premium funded an additional programme of swimming for pupils in Years 4 and 5. This additional provision enabled pupils to develop water confidence, improve technique and build stamina before undertaking the statutory Year 6 swimming assessment.

Overall Impact

During 2025–2026, the Primary PE and Sport Premium has enabled High Coniscliffe CE Primary School to:

• improve the quality and consistency of PE teaching through staff development and professional collaboration;
• increase opportunities for pupils to be physically active throughout the school day;
• provide a wider range of sports and enrichment opportunities than would otherwise be possible;
• strengthen inclusion through disability awareness and accessible sporting experiences;
• increase participation in competitive sport through transport, partnership working and competition opportunities;
• provide additional swimming provision beyond statutory requirements;
• invest in sustainable improvements that will continue to benefit future cohorts of pupils.
  

Sustainability

Our investment has focused on creating lasting improvements rather than short-term initiatives.

By developing staff expertise, strengthening leadership, investing in high-quality resources and embedding enrichment opportunities within our curriculum, we have ensured that the benefits of the Primary PE and Sport Premium will continue well beyond this academic year.

Priorities for 2026–2027

During the coming academic year we will continue to:

• further increase participation in competitive sport and festivals;
• broaden opportunities for pupils to experience new sports and outdoor learning;
• continue to develop staff expertise through high-quality professional development;
• strengthen opportunities for pupil leadership within sport;
• ensure that all pupils, regardless of background or ability, are able to participate fully in high-quality physical education and
• school sport.
  

Publication Note

This report has been prepared using the school’s year-end financial information available at the time of publication. Financial information will be reviewed and updated, where necessary, following completion of the Department for Education’s Primary PE and Sport Premium digital return in September 2026.

Reporting PE and sport premium grant expenditure From 2025, schools are required to complete a digital expenditure reporting return which outlines how it has used the premium and the impact it has had on achieving the aims and objectives of the funding. The following information summarises this return.

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