The government is set to publish enrichment benchmarks for schools this week, alongside announcing a £132.5 million scheme to fund activities in schools. As previously announced, the Department for Education will set five benchmarks for schools across arts, sport, nature, civic life and life skills. These will be published on Monday and will ensure schools “have the practical tools and guidance to offer a wide range of opportunities”. Activities could include music groups, engineering clubs, debating societies, football clubs and much more, DfE said. Ofsted will consider a school’s enrichment as part of how it assesses personal development. The schools white paper, published in February, said this would be from September. But meeting the framework is not a standard schools must meet to achieve an “expected” or above in grading. It’s something inspectors will look at to evaluate the steps the school is taking to support pupils, recognising the framework is new, DfE said. Information will also be made available to parents through new “school profiles”. Questions on school capacity Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of ASCL school leaders’ union, said they welcome the intent but “as with many other government announcements, there are several question marks over the capacity of schools” to deliver these aspirations. “Schools and colleges already strive to provide excellent enrichment opportunities to their students, but they have to operate within extremely challenging financial and staffing constraints. “Those pressures will not disappear simply because the government announces new policies. It has to focus more on how to turn aspirations into realities, particularly in areas of high disadvantage where these opportunities are most needed. “We’ll now work with our members to fully understand the implications of the new framework and the resources that will be required to deliver these expectations.” Paul Whiteman, NAHT school leaders’ union general secretary, also stressed necessary resources and funding were needed and added: “A non-statutory framework has the potential to be helpful to schools as long as it doesn’t become another accountability tool and we are pleased that Ofsted will not be expected to inspect against the benchmarks.” A report by Sutton trust last year found the highest ever rates of school leaders reporting cutting spending on trips, sports and extracurricular activities due to funding constraints. £132.5m enrichment scheme DfE will soon announce “leading figures” within each category as ambassadors “using their influence and expertise to inspire participation, raise awareness and help drive support for enriching opportunities for young people”. The department also announced a £132.5 million “Every Child Can” scheme for new activity programmes delivered “through” schools, community programmes, weekend activities and holiday provision. It will be structured around the same five framework categories, “ensuring a consistent approach to building skills and confidence wherever young people engage and removing the postcode lottery that has held children in underserved parts of the country back”. It will be funded through the dormant assets scheme, a government-backed initiative that unlocks money from financial products like bank accounts and pensions left untouched for years. Funds are distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, which is working with government on the enrichment scheme. Further details on the remaining funding, how each programme will work and how to apply to take part will be published in due course, DfE said. It’s not clear if any money will go directly to schools. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Whether it’s performing on stage, playing sport, exploring nature or getting involved in their community, these experiences build confidence, spark ambition and help young people discover what they are capable of. “As the world around our children continues to move fast, investment is about making sure the childhood experiences we truly value can once again be for every young person, wherever they live.”