Eight Blackpool schools invited to be part of new £22.5m Government enrichment scheme

Eight Blackpool schools have been invited to be among the first to take part in the Government's new Enrichment Expansion Programme – a £22.5 million investment aimed at giving more children the chance to discover a passion outside the classroom.

The scheme, delivered by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport alongside the Department for Education, will roll out across 400 mainstream, special and alternative provision schools in England.

It is being led by the Youth Sport Trust and its partners, and is built around the simple idea that every young person deserves the chance to try something that lights them up, whether that's sport, music, volunteering or getting outdoors.

The schools which have been invited cannot be identified until the invitations have been accepted but Blackpool South MP Chis Webb has welcomed the boost their involvement in the scheme will bring.

Mr Webb said: “In Blackpool, too many young people miss out on these opportunities – particularly those facing disadvantage or with special educational needs.

“Having eight schools invited to take part is a welcome boost. Participating schools will get support to strengthen what they already offer, build it around what pupils actually want to do, and forge stronger links with local sports clubs, charities and community groups.”

Work under the scheme is set to begin with those schools involved in January 2027 and run through to March 2029

The wider goal is to halve the participation gap in enriching activities between disadvantaged young people and their peers by 2035, as part of the government's Youth Matters strategy.

Mr Webb added: “I’m looking forward to visiting the schools taking part once the programme is up and running, and finding out how pupils locally are benefitting from this investment in them.”