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On Monday 4th October, during a debate in the House of Commons, Barry Sheerman asked the Secretary of State for Education, Nick Gibb, whether his Department plans to continue to fund Playing for Success education programmes. Playing for Success is an innovative partnership between the Department for Education (DfE), local authorities and a broad range of sports. Partners include clubs and the Premier League and Football Leagues, Rugby League and Union, cricket, basketball, hockey, ice hockey, gymnastics and tennis. In all, 19 different sports are represented in Playing for Success. Through this program, the Department of Education and partners have created study support centres within sports clubs’ grounds and sporting venues. Centres are vibrant, exciting and stimulating places for young people to learn. Students at the centres get up to speed in the key skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT – the foundation stones of their education. Tens of thousands of children have come out of the centres’ doors with improved skills, motivation and self-esteem, giving them a real boost and, in many cases, a new start on which they can build on back at school. Nick Gibb (Minister of State (Schools), Education) responded: “Funding to support Playing for Success (PfS) will only be made available until the end of the current financial year. To achieve reductions in the Department's expenditure and contribute to the deficit reduction we have had to make some difficult choices on centrally funded programmes. The Department will work closely with partners to help ensure that the programme, in its final year, supports the creation of networks of self-sustaining PfS centres.” Mr. Sheerman is very disappointed with this announcement and firmly believes in the success of this program.