ParalympicsGB calls for no child to be left on the sidelines with launch of Equal Play campaign

As the nation enjoys the sporting spectacle taking place at Paris 2024 and celebrates the success of Paralympic athletes, ParalympicsGB is today launching a campaign calling for equal access to PE and school sport for disabled children, with just one in four saying they currently take part in sport at school.

The Equal Play campaign comes off the back of a powerful documentary of the same name that was broadcast on Channel 4 on Monday 26 August. The film was produced by the Emmy award winning Harder Than You Think, creators of Rising Phoenix, the story of the Paralympic Games, and focuses on two children, Marley, a teenager from London whose life has been profoundly changed by sport; and Tammy, who struggles from barriers to physical activity at her school and experiences daily exclusion.

Watch Equal Play on Channel 4

The film follows both children as they are sidelined in school and demand their right to be treated equally in access to sports and PE. Marley discovers his confidence and social skills through boxing, while Tammy is inspired by ParalympicsGB star, Hannah Cockroft, to take up wheelchair racing and explore her competitive side on the racetrack.

ParalympicsGB is now calling on the UK Government to commit to ensuring every child has the same access to PE at school, rather than leaving them sidelined, with teachers explaining they struggle to deliver inclusive PE without the training, funding and the confidence to do so. With 1.5 million disabled children comprising 15% of the school population, the scale of the problem is huge.

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