Funding for Sports Activity on School Sites

Kent County Council has identified an allocation of £500,000 spread over three years to increase the use of school sites for sport, outside of school hours. The funding is to be allocated in a number of different areas, including investment in primary school facilities and support for School Sports Partnerships and the Kent Schools Sports Council.

A significant part of this funding has been identified to create a grants fund for sports activity on school sites. Open to a wide range of sporting organisations this will compliment the developments in school sport through the various elements of the national ‘PE, School Sport and Club Links Strategy’ (PESSCL), the ‘Big Lottery Fund’ investment in school sport facilities and Kent County Council’s continued support of sport and physical activity.

School Sport Grants

Applications are welcomed from sports clubs, youth groups, schools, local authorities and other organisations providing sporting activities outside of school hours (including weekends and school holidays), using KCC school sites.

Grants will be made 3 times per year, with closing dates of 1st March, 1st June and 1st November.

An application form can be completed on-line

An application form can be downloaded here

Details of the funding criteria can be downloaded here

Guidance for completing an application can be downloaded here

A monitoring form can be downloaded here

Impact so far...

To date, grants have been provided across 25 sports ranging from Archery to Indoor Rowing and to projects as far-reaching as supporting activities run as part of Sports Leadership training. Projects have been run by a wide variety of organisations, of differing extents and for different age groups. Examples so far include events such as a Tag Rugby Festival in Thanet for 320 children and Holiday multi-sport weeks run by Swale Borough Council (so far accommodating 696 children over three, one-week programmes). Some projects are ongoing. For example, the boys’ gymnastics project set-up by Pegasus Gymnastics Club in the Ashford and M20 corridor area.

Over the range of projects we have now been funding for 18 months, there are well in excess of 4,000 children participating. The impact of our work has been countywide ranging as far as Gravesend in the north to Shepway in the south. We have found that as a result of our wok there has been an increase in the quality and quantity of extra-curricular sport at all ages, particularly in Primary schools. Along with primary schools, female participation has also risen across schools with projects such as Swale Borough Council’s football coaching for girls’. Disability sport has also benefited form our funding. Pent Valley Leisure Centre is a good example, where the likes of sitting volleyball and ‘Friday Fun club’ have brought great fun to so many young children.

The Sports Development Unit is keen to continue to develop the range and diversity displayed by the projects so far and see this extend over the next year of funding.

For further information and guidance contact the Sports Development Unit on 01622 605054/55 or info@kentsport.org