PRIMARY pupils will get more chances to play sport and stay active after almost 200 schools were handed £1.6 million to fund additional PE initiatives.

The extra money has been praised by former Arsenal and England footballer Martin Keown, who said his route to stardom began with a love of school sport when he was at primary school in Cowley.

The money comes from the Department for Education’s PE and sport premium pot and is given to schools to help them offer more sports, train teachers better, buy equipment and bring in coaches.

Mr Keown said: “I was very lucky I had two great PE teachers at school – Nick Brown and Eric Metcalfe – who had such an enthusiasm for sport.

“It is such an important part of people’s lives and quite often the PE teacher is the first time they come into contact with sport.

“It’s really important that money is spent in this area and I’m pleased that it will be in Oxfordshire.”

County schools received between £3,000 and £10,000 each depending on their size.

Rose Hill Primary School principal Sue Vermes said the money would make a big difference to PE at the Oxford school.

It received £9,500 worth of funding on October 29.

Ms Vermes said: “One of the things we do is make sure there are after-school sports clubs for the children.

“The funding is paying the extra salaries to in-school staff to do clubs after class.

“There is quite a lot of football and we have got one member of staff who is into lacrosse and has done that.

“The money also allows us to go to dance festivals and football tournaments.

“We also buy into a sports package which trains our teachers to do more with the kids.”

The funding was announced at the same time proposals were being put forward to extend a physical exercise scheme in Scotland south of the border.

The Walking Mile scheme, which started in a school in Stirling, gets children to spend 15 minutes outside every day walking or running one mile.

Politicians and athletes have said it should be introduced in England.

Ms Vermes said the sports premium funding allows schools to realise some of the benefits of that scheme.

She said: “Exercise very much benefits the kids.

“It really improves their fitness and I have heard about the programme in Scotland.

“We are very keen on the kids getting outside to do sports.

“Being outside in the fresh air is great for them.

“You get them out and they are freed up to communicate better just through being outside.

“There is stress relief from any pent up tension they might have and there is fresh air, exercise and blood flow.”