£22.5 million for clubs, sport and trips in 400 secondary schools
What happened
The government has announced £22.5 million to pay for clubs, sport, arts and outdoor activities in more than 400 secondary schools in England. The announcement was made on 18 September 2026. The money comes from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Department for Education is delivering it. The programme is called the Enrichment Expansion programme. It is aimed at schools in disadvantaged communities. The government says hundreds of thousands of young people should benefit. The programme will be run by the Youth Sport Trust, a charity that works on physical activity and wellbeing in schools. Alongside the funding, schools will get tailored support, which means help with planning and running activities rather than simply a cheque. Five Enrichment Ambassadors have been appointed to represent different areas: arts and culture, sport, nature and the outdoors, civic engagement, and life skills. The Schools Minister, Georgia Gould OBE MP, said: "A great education is about more than what happens in the classroom", describing the aim as helping "more children stay on track in education and fulfil their potential". The Minister for Young People, Vicky Foxcroft MP, said: "Every young person should have somewhere to go, something to do and someone they can trust." Ali Oliver MBE, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said the charity was "honoured and incredibly excited to have been selected to deliver the new Enrichment Expansion Programme". The government has set a longer-term goal alongside the funding: to halve the gap in participation in enrichment activities by 2035.
Why this matters
Enrichment is the word used for everything a school offers beyond lessons. Sports teams, drama, music, debating, chess, Duke of Edinburgh, trips, volunteering. These things have quietly become one of the clearer dividing lines in English education. In some schools they are abundant. In others they have been cut back steadily, because when budgets tighten, the activities that are not statutory tend to go first. That creates an uneven picture. Two children can receive the same lessons and the same qualifications, and still leave school with very different experiences of what they have tried and what they believe they are capable of. Jan Shadick, chief executive of Haberdashers' Academies Trust South, put the case directly: "We believe these opportunities should be an entitlement for all young people, not a privilege for a few." There is a practical argument too, which is why the Schools Minister mentioned staying on track. Attendance has been a persistent worry since the pandemic. One of the arguments for enrichment is that it gives pupils a reason to be in school that is theirs rather than imposed, and something to look forward to on a Tuesday. Marcus Davey CBE, the arts and culture ambassador, described schools as "a vital gateway to the creative and enriching experiences that help young people discover their interests". For many children, school is the only place these things are on offer at all.
What the evidence actually says
The case for enrichment is reasonable, and the funding is real. It is still worth being clear about the size and the limits of what has been announced. Start with the arithmetic. £22.5 million spread across more than 400 schools comes to somewhere around £55,000 per school, if divided evenly. That is a meaningful sum for a secondary school. It is not transformative, and it will not on its own rebuild provision that has been reduced over many years. The figure that gives the programme its evidence base is the State of the Nation report, which surveyed more than 14,000 young people. That is a substantial sample and gives a reasonable picture of participation and the gaps in it. The 2035 target, to halve the participation gap, is a sensible way to state an ambition. It also sits nine years away, across more than one parliament, which means it is not a commitment that can be held to account in the short term. Targets of this kind are easier to announce than to deliver. On the evidence that enrichment improves outcomes, the picture is genuinely positive but more mixed than announcements imply. There is good evidence that participation is associated with better attendance, engagement and wellbeing. Establishing that activities cause improvements in attainment is harder, because the pupils who take part often differ from those who do not in ways that are difficult to separate out. That is not an argument against the programme. Children being able to try things is worth something in itself, whether or not it moves exam results. It is an argument for measuring what this money actually achieves. One more practical point. The barrier to enrichment is often not only money. Staff time is the other constraint, since clubs require teachers willing to run them, usually outside teaching hours. Funding helps with materials, transport and coaching, but a school short of staff may still struggle. The tailored support attached to this programme suggests the government recognises this.
Practical advice
If you are a parent or carer, there are some straightforward things worth doing. Ask the school what is on offer. Many schools run more than families realise, and information often goes out once in September and is not repeated. A quick email to a form tutor asking for a current list of clubs is entirely reasonable at any point in the year. If cost is a barrier, say so. Schools frequently have funds to cover trips, kit or instrument hire for families who need help, including through pupil premium funding. This support is usually available but rarely advertised, and it is generally handled discreetly. Schools cannot offer help they do not know is needed. If your child's school is one of the 400 receiving this funding, it is fair to ask over the coming year what it has been spent on. If your child is reluctant, the useful thing is often to lower the stakes rather than push. Trying something for a few weeks with no expectation of continuing is easier to agree to than joining a club. Beyond school, libraries, local sports clubs, scouting and guiding groups, and cadet units all run low-cost activities, and many have bursaries. Your local council's website usually lists youth provision in the area. And if your child already has an interest, saying so to the school sometimes helps. Clubs occasionally start because a few pupils asked.
What to know
The government announced £22.5 million on 18 September 2026 for the Enrichment Expansion programme, funding clubs, sport, arts, outdoor and civic activities in more than 400 secondary schools in disadvantaged areas of England. The money comes from DCMS, is delivered with the Department for Education, and the programme will be run by the Youth Sport Trust, which will also provide tailored support to schools. Five Enrichment Ambassadors have been appointed across arts and culture, sport, nature and the outdoors, civic engagement and life skills. The government aims to halve the gap in enrichment participation by 2035. The programme's evidence base includes a survey of more than 14,000 young people. Spread across the schools involved, the funding works out at roughly £55,000 each. It is useful rather than transformative, and staff time remains a constraint alongside money. Parents can ask their school what is available and should say if cost is a barrier, as help with trips and kit is often available but seldom advertised. Sources: Department for Education and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, "More enriching activities for hundreds of thousands of children", GOV.UK, 18 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-enriching-activities-for-hundreds-of-thousands-of-children ; Youth Sport Trust, https://www.youthsporttrust.org ; Department for Education, GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education This article is for general information and does not replace advice from your child's school, a qualified teacher or another relevant professional.
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