Victorian schools receive grants to help children stay healthy and active

The Victorian Government is helping more children stay healthy and active with an additional 100 schools to receive a $30,000 Active Schools Grant as part of the Active Schools initiative. The initiative aims to ensure all Victorian students have the skills, confidence and motivation to be active for life.

The 100 successful schools receiving an Active Schools Grant include primary, P-12, secondary and specialist schools across the state.

Up to 500 schools in disadvantaged communities have shared in over $20 million in Active Schools Grants and funding boosts since the initiative was launched in 2020.

In previous years, schools have used their Active Schools Grants to upskill PE teachers, purchase sports equipment, build outdoor learning spaces, make upgrades to playgrounds, install sensory play areas and implement programs such as bicycle education or dance.

The State Government has invested $87.8 million since 2020 to provide schools with much needed support and resources to enable students to be more physically active, including a toolkit for school leaders and teachers, expert Physical Activity Advisors as part of the Active Schools Expert Support Service and funding for schools.

In addition to Active Schools Grants recipients, a further 300 Victorian government schools will receive a $3,000 Active Schools PE and Sport Funding Boost in 2025.

This will support them with the costs of physical education, sport and outdoor education. Also, 200 government secondary schools will receive a $14,000 Extracurricular Boost to support them with the costs of providing extracurricular physical activity opportunities.

The Active Schools initiative focuses on finding opportunities to be active throughout the school day, whether in the classroom, at recess or lunch and getting to and from school.

Victorian Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll advised “we want kids to learn healthy habits at school – even 15 minutes of physical activity can be all it takes to boost the overall wellbeing of our children.

“The Active Schools Program is a great program to help young people find an activity they love that helps them maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.”