Sports colleges facing funding axe

Specialist funding for sports schools and colleges across the Black Country and Staffordshire is to be axed under the coalition's spending cuts, it was revealed today.

Ring-fenced funding of around £129 per pupil per year - worth almost £130,000 for each school - will be lost and reverted to the central schools budget and redistributed amongst all secondary schools.

Department for Education documents leaked to Labour reveal some 400 schools will be affected across the country.

They will stay open, but will lose their specialist sports status and cash as part of a bid to save money.

It is not clear if they will be required to change their name, by dropping reference to being a sports college, as part of the plans.

The Government also intends to cut £125 million of funding for sport in schools, tearing up Labour's Sports Strategy for young people, and reducing the previous government's commitment to give a guaranteed five hours per week of PE and sport to young people back to a basic two hours per week.

Government funding for charity Youth Sport Trust, which aims to engage youngsters in sport, will also be withdrawn, it has been revealed.

Shadow sports minister and Dudley North MP Ian Austin said: "Whilst British athletes were in Delhi last week winning medals for Britain and inspiring youngsters to take part in sport, David Cameron's coalition was drawing up plans to slash the support for the next generation of sporting stars.

"Parents and coaches across the country will be appalled to see the damage David Cameron is about to do to youth sport.

"The programmes they are about to destroy aren't just about success on the pitch, in the pool or the gym or on the track, because youth sport is also the best way of keeping youngsters fit and healthy."

The schools and colleges affected

The Coseley School; Ellowes Hall Sports College in Lower Gornal; Windsor High School in Halesowen; Oldbury College of Sport; The Meadows Sports College in Oldbury; Wood Green High School College of Sport, Maths and Computing in Wednesbury; The Streetly School; Willenhall School Sports College; Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Sports College in Fallings Park, Wolverhampton; Smestow School in Castlecroft, Wolverhampton; Westcroft School and Sports College in Bushbury, Wolverhampton; Chasetown Specialist Sports College; Cheslyn Hay Sport and Community High School; Hagley Park Sports College in Rugeley; Stafford Sports College; Idsall School in Shifnal; The Lacon Childe School in Cleobury Mortimer, Kidderminster.