CAMPAIGNERS fighting to stop £47,000 being slashed from school sports funding in the borough have been thrown a potential lifeline after the Prime Minister ordered a rethink.
The cut is part of education secretary Michael Gove's plan to scrap School Sports Partnerships (SSP) across the country, saving £162million.
Ealing has two of England's 450 SSPs, based in Featherstone High School, Southall, and West London Academy, Northolt.
Both are run by a manager and five sports co-ordinators, who are likely to lose their jobs.
Although PE lessons would continue, supporters of SSPs say they help improve them as well as run a range of extra-curricular activities, such as inter-school tournaments and projects helping disabled children into sport, which would be lost.
But last week Prime Minister David Cameron asked ministers to look again at how the money should be spent. It comes after educators and top athletes, including Olympic heptathlon champion Denise Lewis and diving world champion Tom Daley, criticised the move.
They say it will lead to a decline in children taking up sport, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, depriving them of all the benefits it brings, such as improved health, self-esteem and confidence.
SSP manager, Mark Needham, based at the West London Academy, has responded to comments made by Ealing and Acton MP Angie Bray when the SSP cuts were reported in the Gazette at the end of last month.
He said he was 'intrigued' by Ms Bray's comments that SSPs had not been delivering results, adding about 22,000 children benefit from sports competitions between schools which would be 'severely curtailed' without them.
He pointed out 65 per cent of the borough's pupils took part in inter-school competitions and the SSP had been recognised nationally for its success in improving PE lessons.
He added: "School sports co-ordinators are not bureaucrats sitting around in town halls telling headteachers what to do as suggested by Ms Bray. They are based in our schools and teach in them."
In response, Ms Bray said a lot of money is being wasted on bureaucracy which would be better placed in the hands of teachers who the government plan to give more control over their finances.
She said the aim was not to reduce sport in schools but to empower head-teachers to encourage sport in their schools.
She added: "I'm sure sure Mr Needham and his team are very good at what they do but if you look at the national figures they are not encouraging, with only two in five children playing sport in schools [outside lessons] and only one in five between schools."
Referring to Mr Needham's comments about 'bureaucrats' she said: "They are not teachers, so what would you call them?"
Mr Cameron and his ministers are expected to announce the outcome of the rethink later this month.
