One Dance UK, Greenwich Dance and Trinity Laban have showed support for a recent announcement for an increase of funding for sport in schools, seeing it as an ideal opportunity to encourage more primary schools to use this for dance. The Government announced it is doubling the primary school PE and sport premium, meaning more school children could be learning to dance as a result.
The increase in funding will come into play from September 2017 when the Government will give further support for the scheme, from £160m to £320m per year. It has been noted that many schools are already using the premium in order to enhance the dance offerings, by investing in teacher training, bringing in dance specialists and building partnerships with external dance organisations.
Since its launch in 2013, the scheme has prompted 23% of schools to introduce dance to PE lessons, according to research by the Department for Education. Dance has also been the most popular activity for schools to introduce in extra-curricular time, with 29% doing so. Eligible primary schools currently receive £8,000 plus £5 per pupil per year to spend on improving the quality of their PE and sports activities, and in turn dance. The increase is expected to boost the number of schools offering dance, both in school and as an extra-curricular activity.
Schools will consequently be encouraged to teach dance as part of the PE National Curriculum. It is anticipated that the increased investment from the Department for Education will encourage schools to develop their dance curriculum and the dance skills of their teachers, in order to inspire students. As a result, and parallel with the news, new schemes and projects are being devised in order to bring more dance into schools, and inspire young people to engage further with the art form.