Dear Parents and Carers,
I am writing to share some important information regarding our after-school sports provision.
As many of you are aware, school budgets across the country are becoming increasingly squeezed. At Ashgate, we have always taken great pride in being able to offer our after-school sports clubs run by RS Coaching free of charge.
We firmly believe in the benefits of physical activity and the positive impact these clubs have on our pupils and this is why we offer free sports clubs, competitions, transport, additional swimming sessions and a multitude of other activities across all year groups and academic years. We are one of only a shrinking minority of schools that have maintained free provision in recent years.
Due to these ongoing financial pressures, the school will no longer be able to provide free after-school sports clubs starting from January 2026. This means that there will be no RS Coaching sessions during the Spring term.
We are working hard to ensure these popular clubs return. Our current plan is as follows:
Recommencement: We aim to restart the clubs after the Spring term (following the Easter break).
Funding: This return is subject to the reallocation of the DFE (Department for Education) School Sports Grant.
Sustainability: To ensure we can maintain high-quality coaching in the long term, we will need to consider introducing a nominal charge for these clubs starting in the Summer term.
We understand that this may be disappointing news. Our goal is to find a sustainable way to keep our children active and engaged with professional coaching while managing the school's budget responsibly.
We will provide further updates regarding the new schedule and any associated costs later in the Spring term. Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we navigate these financial challenges.
Warm regards,
Mr Seargent