Children and young people are the future of sport and play a key part in what Sport England does. We play an important role in delivering the Government's PE and Sport Strategy for Young People.

Sport England's role is to increase the quality and quantity of sports provision for children and young people within their communities and sports clubs. Sport England works in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust whose work is focussed on schools.

Sport England leads four of the Strategy's workstrands:

• Leadership and Volunteering (in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust)
• School Club Links and Club Development
• Sport Unlimited
• Recruit into Coaching (in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust)

Over the three years 2008-2011 we are investing over £69 million into this area of our work. The overall ambition of the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People is to ensure that:

• All 5-16 year olds participate in two hours of high quality physical education each week at school; and
• All 5-19 year olds participate in three hours of high quality sport each week delivered through a range of school, community and club providers
  

The Strategy is designed to benefit all children and young people in England however to ensure that it reaches those most in need specific actions reach out to a number of priority goups.

• The 20% of 5-16 year olds who currently participate the least in PE and sport
• Children and young people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds
• Children and young people with disabilities or special educational needs
• Girls
• Children and young people at risk of being overweight and obese
• Children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds
  

In addition to our work with the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People we also lead on safeguarding children within sport and run the Sporting Champions, Respect Athlete Mentoring Programme, and Clubmark schemes which help enable children and young people to participate in sport.