At St Marie’s, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to enjoy PE, sport and physical activity and to develop healthy habits that will stay with them throughout their lives.

Being physically active supports children’s physical health and mental wellbeing, but it also develops important qualities such as confidence, teamwork, resilience, determination and a sense of belonging.

We are committed to providing high-quality PE alongside a wide range of opportunities for children to be active, participate in sport, represent their school and experience competition.

PE & Sport Premium 2025–26

During the 2025–26 academic year, St Marie’s received £17,910 through the Primary PE and Sport Premium.

The funding is provided to help primary schools make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of the PE, sport and physical activity they provide. Government guidance requires schools to use the funding to build capacity and capability within school and to develop or add to their existing provision.

At St Marie’s, all £17,910 of our allocation was used during 2025–26, supporting areas including:

• staff training and professional development;
• swimming training for staff;
• extra-curricular sporting opportunities;
• PE and sport equipment and resources;
• memberships and subscriptions;
• School Games and other organised sporting activities;
• external school sports competitions; and
• specialist external coaching.

Importantly, our funding was also targeted to improve opportunities for pupils with SEND, children with long-term medical conditions, girls and disadvantaged pupils.

Swimming and Water Safety

We are pleased that, by the end of Year 6 in 2025–26:

88% of pupils could swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres.

88% could use a range of strokes effectively.

88% could perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

Our school reported that our provision had a positive impact on swimming and water-safety attainment.

Read our full report

Our full statutory PE and Sport Premium expenditure report provides further information about how our 2025–26 funding was used:

St Marie’s PE and Sport Premium Grant Expenditure Report 2025–26

GOLD SCHOOL GAMES MARK 2025–26

We are delighted to announce that St Marie’s has once again achieved the Gold School Games Mark for 2025–26.

The School Games Mark recognises schools for their commitment and engagement in PE, school sport and physical activity.

We are particularly proud that our application was initially graded Silver but, following review, was regraded to Gold because of the breadth of activities and competitions in which our children had engaged and participated.

The feedback recognised St Marie’s commitment to high-quality PE, school sport and physical activity and our work to provide inclusive and inspiring opportunities for children to be active.

This award belongs to our whole school community – especially our pupils, who represent St Marie’s with such enthusiasm, determination and excellent sportsmanship.

We would also like to thank Mrs Scott, our PE Subject Leader, our staff, coaches, volunteers, families and the many local organisations and schools that help us provide such a rich range of sporting opportunities.

St Marie’s School Games Mark Gold Certificate 2025–26

Looking Ahead – Changes from 2026–27

There are significant national changes to the way PE and school sport will be funded and supported.

The government has announced that the existing Primary PE and Sport Premium model is being replaced by a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. The new national approach is intended to strengthen links between schools, local sports organisations and National Governing Bodies and provide additional support where children face the greatest barriers to participation.

To support schools during this period, the government has announced £150 million of PE and sport premium transition funding for 2026–27. Eligible schools will receive a one-off payment during the autumn term, with individual school allocations to be confirmed. The new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will develop during the year, with delivery of support due to begin from April 2027.

The new network is expected to provide schools with a mixture of universal and targeted support, including professional development for staff, resources, specialist expertise, extra-curricular opportunities, links with community sports organisations and support for swimming and water safety.

At St Marie’s, we will continue to make PE, sport and physical activity an important part of school life and will work with our local partners as the new arrangements develop.

Our aim remains unchanged: to give every child opportunities to be active, develop confidence, experience different sports and enjoy being part of an active school community.

Previous Years

You can read our full 2024–25 PE and Sport Premium report here: Evidencing the Impact of Primary PE at St Marie’s 2025

We are very proud to announce that St Marie’s has been awarded the Gold School Games Mark for the academic year 2024/25!