VOTE: Sport schemes axed for thousands of Bognor Regis pupils

The decision to end the West Sussex School Sport Partnership has prompted outrage from teachers, parents and students.

The partnership’s work is so widespread it involved 15,000 young people in the Bognor and Chichester areas last year.

Pete Hopkins, a pupil at Bishop Luffa CofE School, is one of the scheme’s young ambassadors. He said: “It would be tragic for others not to have the same opportunities I have had.

“I also think all the work the partnership does is fundamental to making school sport what it is. Without them, I’m sure children would not enjoy PE as much or be as actively involved, which would be a great shame.”

Partnership development manager Kate Smith, based at The Regis School, said: “The work of the partnership affects the lives of all children.

“Our team has been working hard for seven years to ensure all young people can access two hours of physical education a week and take part in dozens of competitions and sports clubs.

“Without the funding, all this could be lost.

“Some small primary schools have a handful of staff and a nominal PE budget, and unless they are able to access the wider partnership network of resources, school sport will certainly take a huge step backwards.

“We cannot let the opportunities for nearly 20,000 young people in Bognor and Chichester to be lost without a fight.”

Efforts to save the partnership have already begun – a Facebook page, ‘save school sports partnerships’, has attracted more than 14,000 followers.

Petitions which will be delivered as part of a national march, in London on December 7 have been prepared, and a website www.westsussexwestssp.co.uk set up.

Government education secretary Michael Gove has spelt the partnership’s end by removing the need for £162m of school funding to be spent on sports.

His decision will see the money previously spent on the partnership, and others around the country, placed in the general schools’ budget. The West Sussex scheme has ten members of staff based at The Regis School on Westloats Lane who look after 53 primary and ten secondary schools and one college.

Emma Wiggs, a teacher at the school, said: “As Great Britain sitting volleyball captain, and a PE teacher, I cannot stress enough the importance of the partnership structure.”

Last year saw more than 100 school sports organised by the partnership, but its loss of funding will put several planned programmes in jeopardy.

There will no longer be the network to provide sports leaders, deploy coaches, develop club links and help talented youngsters.