Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to ensure that every child between the ages of five and fourteen years has access (a) in school and (b) close to home to play equipment to improve the mental wellbeing and emotional development of children.

In 2018-19, £100 million was made available for schools through the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund for improving access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing – including playgrounds and sports facilities.

The Department allocates approximately £200 million in capital funding each year directly to schools in England to invest in small capital projects to meet the needs of their pupils and school. This could, for example, include investing in improving the provision of playgrounds and equipment to support health and well-being. On top of this, at Budget 2018, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer allocated an additional £400 million in capital funding for schools to spend on their own priorities.

Local authorities continue to be the biggest investors in community sport and leisure infrastructure in England, which is important for delivering wider community and health benefits. In addition, Sport England is investing over £194 million (between 2016-21) into projects focusing on improving children’s capability and enjoyment of physical activity as well as providing opportunities for talented athletes to develop their potential. It is important that all children have access to high-quality facilities and spaces in their local areas, so that they can be active in safe and well-designed places. In order to support this, Sport England are investing £40 million through their strategic facilities and £15 million per year on improving Community Sport facilities for the benefit of local communities.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is working with the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care on a new cross-government action plan, to get children active both in and out of school.