Opening School Facilities

This fund, provided by the Department for Education, is designed to help schools deliver extra-curricular activities and open their facilities outside of the school day during evenings, weekends and school holidays.

Opening school facilities to school and community users aims to create sustainable change in physical activity levels.

 

 

Aim of programme

Opening Schools Facilities (OSF) is a funding programme to meet the goals of the Government’s School Sport and Activity Action Plan (SSAAP). The aim is to help schools to open their existing sport facilities, including school swimming pools, to a broader range of young people and to support the wider community by partnering with sporting organisations, who can help deliver activities in these settings.

Programme objectives

  • To support schools to open their facilities outside of the normal school day (evenings, weekends, and holidays) to allow children & young people and the wider community to access more opportunities to be physically active.
  • To open school swimming pools focusing on swimming and water safety lessons both during and outside the school day for pupils at their school and for pupils at other local schools.
  • Participants are provided with a range of stimulating and enjoyable opportunities to take part in physical activity and sport, in addition to that experienced within PE lessons and extra-curricular activities. This means NEW and additional extra-curricular activities are eligible.
  • Participants are signposted to take part in the same or similar activities in their local community, following the end of their participation in the programme.

Contact rhsmith@leapwithus.org.uk  if you wish to link with the schools involved with Opening Schools Facilities or would like to know more about best practice when opening your school facilities.