PM's boost for school sports

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/education/7222880.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Another initiative to encourage pupils in England to do more sport in school has been launched by Gordon Brown.

A national school sports week and plans to have all pupils doing up to five hours of sport a week by 2012 are included in the scheme.

Mr Brown said sport should be used as a way of improving not only a child's fitness but their academic success.

The package builds on recent government plans to spend £30m on better facilities for sports colleges.

The prime minister called for a national team effort by parents, teachers, sporting talents and volunteers to help make sport a central part in every child's life and unlock their talent.

To give today's children the chance to be tomorrow's sports champions and engage in sport they all need better facilities Prime minister Gordon Brown

Speaking at the Youth Sport Trust's sports colleges conference in Telford, he said: "I believe the next 10 years holds the possibility of a golden decade for sport in our country.

"To give today's children the chance to be tomorrow's sports champions and engage in sport they all need better facilities, first class facilities and better sports coaching, first class sports coaching."

The prime minister, who played rugby for his school team at the age of 15, said 85% of young people now did two hours of sport a week, but he hoped pupils would be doing five hours a week by 2012.

He also announced a schools sports week starting on 30 June, co-ordinated by Dame Kelly Holmes, who has been working with schools to help improve sport in her role as National School Sport Champion.

Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport Andy Burnham told the conference that children needed to be given the chance to excel at sport while at school.

He said: "I think the challenge is to build on where we are today and create a really vibrant school sports culture."

He said he hoped to introduce a national school league website where children could post match reports, podcasts and updates on their sporting achievements.