{"id":637631,"date":"2026-06-14T03:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T03:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/637631\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T03:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T03:07:10","slug":"uk-government-announces-132-5m-after-school-clubs-package-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/637631\/","title":{"rendered":"UK government announces \u00a3132.5m after-school clubs package | Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

The government has announced a \u00a3132.5m funding package for after-school clubs as ministers prepare to introduce expected restrictions on social media use for under-16s.<\/p>\n

The programme is designed to expand access to enrichment activities in schools, with funding for clubs ranging from music groups and debating societies to engineering and sports, in what ministers describe as an effort to give children alternatives to time spent online.<\/p>\n

It comes before an expected announcement by Keir Starmer<\/a> on measures to limit children\u2019s access to social media, with the restrictions expected to be introduced in the coming days.<\/p>\n

The prime minister is understood to be considering an Australian-style ban<\/a>, alongside options such as curfews and limits on addictive design features. Technology secretary Liz Kendall previously said a ban is \u201con the table\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ministers say the funding will help schools provide structured after-school activities at a time when they are seeking to reduce pressure on young people\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n

The Department for Education pointed to a survey of more than 14,000 young people, which found that despite being the most digitally connected generation, many report high levels of loneliness.<\/p>\n

Ofsted will also take a school\u2019s enrichment offer into account when assessing personal development, the department said, in a move intended to place a greater weight on extracurricular provision.<\/p>\n

Starmer is expected to bring forward online safety measures that would restrict under-16s from accessing \u201chigh-risk\u201d social media<\/a> platforms, with additional limits on features such as disappearing messages, live streaming and contact from adult strangers. A ban on romantic or sexual AI chatbots for under-18s is also expected.<\/p>\n

A government consultation on children\u2019s online safety, which closed in early June and received more than 116,000 responses, found that nine in 10 parents<\/a> backed an under-16 social media ban. Officials said it was the second-largest consultation response in recent years.<\/p>\n

But the pace of reform has raised questions about implementation, including potential legal challenges. Sources have suggested the government could face judicial review over how it distinguishes between platforms subject to tighter restrictions and those deemed lower risk.<\/p>\n

The Conservatives have also called for stronger action, with leader Kemi Badenoch saying earlier this week: \u201cSocial media is for adults, it\u2019s not for children.\u201d<\/p>\n

The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said the funding was aimed at ensuring that access to activities was not limited by background or income.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery child should be able to enjoy sport and the creative arts, not just the lucky few,\u201d she said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said the programme would help address inequalities in access to enrichment opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cA child who loves the arts shouldn\u2019t have to be born into the right postcode to pursue it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

However, school leaders warned that while the government\u2019s ambitions were welcome, delivery could be challenging. Pepe Di\u2019Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said schools were already under financial and staffing pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose pressures will not disappear simply because the government announces new policies,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has to focus more on how to turn aspirations into realities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government said it expects the programme to roll out alongside broader online safety measures, as ministers prepare to set out which platforms will be subject to restrictions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The government has announced a \u00a3132.5m funding package for after-school clubs as ministers prepare to introduce expected restrictions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":637632,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-637631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=637631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/637632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=637631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=637631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=637631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}