The proposed transition from the PE and Sport Premium to a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network represents one of the biggest changes to school physical activity in recent years.
Handled well, the new Network could raise standards, improve consistency and strengthen support for schools. However, if the transition is not carefully managed, there is a risk that workforce capacity, apprenticeship opportunities and trusted school relationships could be lost before the new system is fully operational.
That is why Aspire Active Partnerships (AAP) has produced the Children’s Activity Provider Workforce Report, bringing evidence into an important national conversation.
Based on responses from 40 organisations, representing 85.1% of AAP membership, the report provides a detailed picture of the workforce, delivery infrastructure and local expertise already supporting thousands of schools across England.
What is changing in PE and school sport?
The Government has announced plans for a proposed PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, aiming to create a stronger, more consistent system for PE and school sport.
Aspire Active Partnerships supports that ambition. A clearer framework for school support, quality assurance, local delivery and accountability has the potential to improve outcomes for children and help schools make informed decisions. That is why the transition must be managed carefully.
The question is not whether standards should improve – they should.
The challenge is ensuring the sector can move from the current funding arrangements to the new Network without losing the people, skills, and local capacity that schools already rely on.
Why has Aspire Active Partnerships produced this report?
Aspire Active Partnerships represents 47 children’s activity providers working with schools across England.
Collectively, our members deliver far more than PE lessons. They support schools through curriculum PE, extracurricular sport, swimming and water safety, wraparound childcare, holiday programmes, teacher development, inclusion initiatives and community activity.
They also provide employment, apprenticeships and career pathways for hundreds of young people entering education, sport, leisure and youth work.
This report does not claim to represent the entire sector. Instead, it provides a robust picture of the AAP network and highlights the broader role children’s activity providers play in education and local communities.
What does the report tell us?
The findings demonstrate the scale of the existing delivery infrastructure across the AAP network.
Headline findings include:
- 40 organisations participated in the research (85.1% of the AAP members).
- 2,358 people are represented in the workforce.
- More than half (50.7%) of the workforce are aged 16–24.
- Providers support 2,658 schools.
- More than 614,000 children and young people are engaged annually.
- 154 apprentices are currently reported.
- An estimated 836 people have progressed into education, sport, leisure, youth work or related sectors during the past five years.
The figures show that children’s activity providers are an established workforce supporting schools well beyond PE delivery. Their contribution spans childcare, inclusion, swimming, teacher development, enrichment and wider physical activity.
This means the transition is not simply a funding issue. It is also about protecting the workforce capacity, skills and infrastructure schools depend upon.
Why does the children’s activity provider workforce matter?
Children’s activity providers help schools extend the opportunities they can offer young people.
Depending on local need, that support may include curriculum PE, PPA cover, extracurricular clubs, swimming and water safety, SEND provision, holiday programmes, wraparound childcare or teacher training.
Just as importantly, providers develop long-term relationships with schools, understand local communities and employ people who want to build careers working with children.
If that capacity reduces during the transition, the impact could extend well beyond PE lessons. Schools may find it harder to access trusted partners, children may have fewer opportunities to be active, and apprenticeship and employment opportunities for young people could decline. This makes the workforce question central to the transition.
Supporting the next generation of professionals
One of the report’s most significant findings is the workforce’s age profile.
Across participating organisations, over half (50.7%) of employees are aged between 16 and 24. Providers also reported employing 154 apprentices and estimated that 836 individuals had progressed into careers across education, sport, leisure, and youth work over the previous five years.
For many young people, children’s activity providers offer a first meaningful step into employment. Alongside practical experience, they gain confidence, mentoring, safeguarding knowledge and the skills needed to work successfully with children and schools.
A well-managed transition should therefore consider workforce development and apprenticeship opportunities as an important part of the sector’s long-term sustainability. This is not a separate issue, but part of the same transition challenge.
What are the risks if the transition is not managed carefully?
The report asked organisations to consider what could happen if there is a significant gap between the end of current funding arrangements and the new Network becoming fully operational, because such a gap could create real pressure on schools and providers.
These are scenario-based estimates rather than predictions, but they highlight genuine concerns across the sector.
Findings include:
- 90% of organisations identify jobs at risk if there is a gap between the end of the premium and the start of the Network.
- 5% anticipate reduced staff hours.
- 5% expect reduced recruitment.
- 5% foresee reduced capacity to support schools.
- 50% identify business viability as a potential concern.
- An estimated 577 roles could be affected if there is a prolonged reduction in school-funded work.
These figures should be viewed as evidence of transition risk rather than forecasts, because they show the scale of disruption that could affect schools, providers and young people if continuity is not maintained. They underline why planning and continuity matter before the new Network is fully operational.
Building experienced teams, developing apprentices, maintaining safeguarding systems and earning schools’ trust all take time. If that capacity is lost before the new Network is ready, it will be difficult to rebuild.
Does Aspire Active Partnerships oppose the proposed Network?
No.
Aspire Active Partnerships supports the ambition to improve standards, strengthen quality and deliver better outcomes for children.
The report is not an argument for preserving the current system unchanged.
Instead, it highlights the importance of protecting existing expertise while the new arrangements are introduced. High-quality providers have practical experience that can help shape commissioning, workforce planning, local implementation and quality assurance, reducing the risk of disruption during transition. That expertise should inform the transition.
A successful transition should build on existing strengths rather than risk losing them.
What should happen next?
The report identifies seven practical actions that could help minimise disruption while supporting the Government’s ambitions and protecting the interests of schools, providers and young people.
- Maintain sufficient continuity until the new arrangements are fully operational.
- Publish a clear and realistic implementation timetable so schools, providers, and the workforce can plan effectively.
- Assess workforce impacts before transition decisions are made.
- Protect apprenticeships and early career pathways.
- Involve established, quality-assured providers in the design and local implementation.
- Link future commissioning to quality, safeguarding, workforce development, inclusion and accountability.
- Monitor the impact of the transition in real time, including workforce changes, apprenticeship disruption and school provision.
Together, these actions would help protect valuable capacity, support long-term improvements across the sector, and reduce the risk of avoidable disruption during transition. They also provide a clearer path from the current arrangements to the new Network.
Looking ahead
The proposed PE and School Sport Partnerships Network presents an opportunity to strengthen physical activity provision for children and young people.
Realising that opportunity will require careful planning that recognises both the ambitions for the future and the value of the workforce already supporting schools today, so the transition strengthens rather than disrupts provision. The transition must carry both forward.
Children’s activity providers currently work with thousands of schools, engage hundreds of thousands of children and create employment and apprenticeship opportunities for young people across England.
A carefully managed, quality-led transition can protect that capacity while creating a stronger system for schools, providers and, most importantly, children.