Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme

Specialist school

The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE

Physical education

Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....

, sports and dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports Colleges will receive extra funding from this joint private sector and government scheme. Sports Colleges also act as a local point of reference for other schools and businesses in the area, with an emphasis on promoting sports within the community.