Burnham: ‘U-turn’ about saving face, not school sports
Andy Burnham MP, the shadow education secretary, comments in response to news that the government may announce revised plans for school sports funding:
“Not for the first time, Michael Gove’s botched decision-making has landed the government in a real mess.
“The prime minister is poised to overrule Michael Gove but I am worried that this ‘U-turn’ is all about saving face and will not go far enough.
“I believe it is possible for the government to make savings whilst keeping the basic SSP infrastructure in place. Children need a combination of competitive sport, alongside coaching and opportunities for all.
“Young people, athletes and teachers have been campaigning for the retention of our world-leading School Sports Partnerships. By only promising to keep ‘key elements’ of them, the government may yet again have missed the point.
“The decision to dismantle a world-leading school sport system on the eve of our home Olympics amounts to selling out our children and our Olympic legacy.”
