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PESSCL and PESSYP

PE, School Sport and Young People (PESSYP) was the previous governments national strategy which had the aim to increase pupils’ participation in high quality PE and School Sport (PESS). The strategy saw a transition from the national PESSCL strategy with new work strands but similar objectives. Under the PESSCL strategy the target for the partnership was to ensure every child was taking part in a minimum of 2 hours PE & School Sport per week by 2010, with shorter targets of 75% initially by 2006 and 85% by 2008. PESSCL survey results from 2007-2008 showed the Partnership had reached 93% of its pupils taking part in 2 hours of PE and school sport and competition figures ever increasing.

With the ongoing success of School Sport Partnerships nationally, during July 2007, Gordon Brown announced further funding for the development of school sport with an additional £100million being pumped into the development and sustainability of participation in PE and Sport. PESSYP aimed to build on the work undertaken through the previous PESSCL strategy which had been in place since 2003. PESSYP was launched in January 2008 and expressed the Government's commitment to improve the quantity and quality of PE undetaken by young people aged 5-19 in England.

However, with further funding came a new ambition;

“All children and young people aged between 5–16 years should have the opportunity to participate in five hours of sport per week by 2011 (including two hours of high quality PE and sport at school)”

The network would also play a key role in delivering the recently announced target of 3 hours of sport for young people aged 16-19, as part of the “5 hour offer”.

But why would schools want to meet or exceed this target? How would it benefit their pupils?

In order for schools and sports clubs to recognise what high quality looks like, 10 pupil outcomes describe what you should see if you were watching a high quality lesson/session. Young people would;