Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, has congratulated The Radcliffe School in Wolverton on achieving Platinum Status in the School Games Mark.
The Government's new sport strategy Get Active, introduced an ambition that all children should meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines for children to do 60 minutes of physical activity per day (or 20 minutes for children with a disability), with a target of getting 1 million more active children by 2030.
Schools play a key role in allowing all children to have high quality opportunities to take part in PE and sport, setting them up for a lifetime of physical activity. For that reason, last International Women’s Day (IWD), the Government announced a significant package of over £600 million to boost school sport, including confirmation of funding for the PE and School Sport Premium and the School Games Organisers network until the end of the summer term 2025.
This announcement also included a commitment to refresh the Schools Games Mark and introduce new equality criteria, where primary and secondary schools will be rewarded for successfully delivering equal opportunities for girls and boys. We now want to celebrate the achievement of schools in your constituency that have excelled in delivering PE and school sport to their pupils.
The School Games Mark recognises a school’s commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community. Last academic year (2022/23), 8,000 schools achieved a School Games Mark award, with 507 schools achieving Platinum Status, the highest award that can be achieved through the scheme.
And one of those 507 schools is in Ben's Milton Keynes North constituency with The Radcliffe School currently achieving Platinum Status in the School Games Mark.
By achieving Platinum Status, schools demonstrate that they offer:
● a breadth of provision across PE and school sport shaped by its pupils;
● equality of opportunities to engage in PE and extracurricular activities, regardless of gender;
● regional engagement to expand their links with local schools and the community;
● and upskilling opportunities for staff to confidently deliver school sport
Ben Everitt MP said: "Getting children more active is absolutely vital and one of the Government's top priorities so I'm absolutely delighted that the Radcliffe School is currently achieving Platinum Status in the School Games Mark.
"I recently met with the headteacher at Radcliffe and it was clear how important the wellbeing of students is and I hope we see even more schools across Milton Keynes and our rural areas getting that School Games Mark soon!"
