A row between government departments has broken out after the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) proposed cutting all its funding for physical education in schools.
The DHSC is now intending to restore the funding despite insisting privately for weeks that it would end its contribution. Ministers are understood to have overruled the cuts, it emerged after the Guardian contacted the department.
The Department for Education (DfE) is also planning cuts to PE from its own budget before changes in the next curriculum review. It is hoped that the changes – which will guarantee at least two hours of PE – will involve partnerships with sports bodies that will deliver some efficiencies.
But Whitehall sources had said the proposed cuts from DHSC and DfE combined had threatened the plans and would undermine Keir Starmer’s public commitments to more access to sports for schoolchildren.
A proposal seen by the Guardian said the DHSC, run by the health secretary, Wes Streeting, would end its entire contribution of about £60m from 2026/27. The DfE is understood to be proposing cutting its own budget by a further £60m. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, is expected to mediate in the row over the coming days.
The DHSC contributes about a fifth of the funding for PE, with the rest from the DfE, apart from a small contribution from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The proposed cuts came despite growing concerns about inactivity among children contributing to obesity and lasting health inequalities. Sporting bodies including Sport England have been highlighting a growing problem with inactivity among children, with fewer than half of children meeting the chief medical officer’s guidelines.
Government figures published last year confirm a significant decline in the number of hours allocated to PE in secondary schools, down nearly 4,000. The most significant drop in hours has affected 11-14-year-olds – the group that is also experiencing the fastest growth in obesity.
The Youth Sport Trust warned last year that nearly one in five students have had PE lessons cancelled this academic year and 71% of young people surveyed said they wanted to be more active at school.
In the days before the Lionesses went to the Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 tournament, Starmer stressed how important access to sport was for schools and young people. He said the government would ensure there was “equal access to high quality PE and sport” and said schools should publish their PE and sports offerings.
“I’m delighted we are delivering on your call to ensure they have the opportunity to go on and play – maybe even for England one day,” Starmer said.
The changes to PE from next year proposed by the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, will replace the sports premium with a PE and school sports partnership network from the next academic year, mandating two hours a week of physical activity and building partnerships with schools and local sports clubs.
It will also require schools to advertise their sports offering publicly to parents and is intended to address regional disparities in sports offerings.
In November last year, Streeting said his department was committed to helping schools tackle childhood obesity. “This government will not look away as kids get unhealthier and critics urge us to leave them behind. Obesity robs children of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, and costs the NHS billions,” he said, reacting to new childhood obesity figures.
“Today’s figures show the extent of the problem and the need to act now, which is exactly what we’re doing – in schools, on sports pitches and online – to make healthy choices the easy choices.”
A government spokesperson said: “This government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity ensuring every child benefits from high-quality PE and sports education.
“Too many young people remain inactive and the quality of school sport and physical activity on offer is not consistent across the country.
“Our new partnerships programme will put an end to this, bringing together schools, local clubs and national governing bodies to target funding and support where it is needed most – including supporting more disadvantaged pupils and those with Send.”
