SPORTS COLLEGE PROGRAMME

Sports Colleges are part of the Government's specialist schools programme run by the Department of Education and Skills (DfES). As of 1 July 2004, there are 291 designated Sports Colleges, including four Academies with a sport specialism, with a Government target of at least 400 by January 2006.

As well as improving PE and sport for all their pupils, Sports Colleges will raise standards of achievement in PE and sport for all their students across the ability range. They will be regional focal points for excellence in PE and community sport, extending links between families of schools, sports bodies and communities, sharing resources and developing and spreading good practice, helping to provide a structure through which young people can progress to careers in sport and PE.

Sports Colleges will increase participation in PE and sport for pre- and post- 16 year olds and develop the potential of talented performers. Sports Colleges are playing a major role in developing sporting opportunities within their local communities.

Sports Colleges are integral to the School Sport Co-ordinator (SSCo) programme, another Government initiative that focuses on improving the quality and quantity of after-school sport and inter-school competition.
External Link: Youth Sport Trust