Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of qualified teachers in physical education, especially in infant and primary schools.

In March 2013, the Government announced a new pilot programme to train a cadre of 120 primary teachers with a specialism in PE. These specialists will aim to support other teachers to develop their skills and drive up the quality of PE teaching as they take up their first posts from September 2014.

This pilot, which was developed by teaching schools with sport national governing bodies and partner universities, has now been extended for a second year. A further 120 specialists will be in post by September 2015 following successful completion of their initial teacher training (ITT) and gaining QTS (qualified teacher status).

The Secretary of State for Education’s ITT requirements call upon accredited training providers to develop courses to enable trainees to meet the Teachers’ Standards; this includes the need to have a secure knowledge of relevant subjects and curriculum areas.

Schools can also use the primary PE and sport premium to up-skill teachers by investing in continuing professional development and hiring qualified sports coaches to work with teachers during PE lessons.