Primary PE and Sport Premium: What Can You Still Buy?

With the PE and Sport Premium funding coming to an end (with the 31st July 2026 at 5pm deadline fast approaching), it's more important than ever for schools to find quick and effective ways to purchase equipment that their pupils need.

As we know time is of the essence, Pentagon Play wanted to put together a quick guide to help you find the perfect sport and physical activity equipment without any fluff or hassle.

We'll be walking you through a range of different budgets and what type of set ups you could create within the limited time frame.

How Much Sports Premium Funding Do You Have Left to Spend?

If you're reading this article, then it's safe to assume that you already have a rough idea of how much of the funding pot you have left, but you're looking into what that specific amount can be used to acquire.

There's good news and some bad news:

• Bad news: the majority of playground equipment suppliers will have a 4-6 week lead time, meaning that you'll miss out on utilising your funding to it's maximum potential.
• Good news: Pentagon Play have a wide range of Sports Premium equipment available to purchase right now, with lead times as short as 2 weeks!

With the Department for Education expecting schools who use the fund to showcase their new equipment before the end of the academic year, using suppliers like Pentagon Play is more important than ever!

To help schools further, we've also decided to slash prices on our incredible range of sports premium play equipment up to a whopping 20%, meaning you can get even more incredible physical education equipment for a fantastic price.

Why Sport Premium Funding Must Be Used Before the 2025 to 2026 Deadline

Found within the official "PE and Sport Premium for Primary Schools" document, the Government have stated:

You cannot roll over any unused funding into the following academic year. You must spend the funding before 31 July 2026, so you can account for it in the PE and sport premium digital expenditure reporting return.

Not only does this mean that any funding you have acquired will be lost by the deadline, but this year marks the last time the Sports Premium funding scheme will be used, meaning that schools won't be getting another chance to acquire play equipment like this!

A Quick Reminder: The Conditions of Grant for PE and Sport Premium

The Sports Premium guidance does a great job of making the process sound incredibly complicated and confusing, but once it's understood, it's really simple.

The main conditions of the grant is that any high-quality PE and school sports equipment must:

1. Fall below your school's de minimis threshold
2. Cannot be classified as capital expenditure
3. Does not require significant ground works

If your selected piece of play equipment meets these three criteria, then the DfE are much more likely to approve of your spending.

Keep in mind that this is a very basic breakdown of the conditions, and we would recommend reading our guide on understanding sports premium for a more in-depth look. You should also keep in mind that proposals will have to be justified to your school's governing body (which you can learn more about by reading our justifying sports premium spend guide).

What the Conditions of Grant Say About Eligible Equipment

The conditions of the grant make it clear that any sport provision acquired through the PE and Sport Premium grant must offer additional activities (compared to the current offerings of a school) and remains sustainable (will last for multiple years of pupils).

However, through our 25 years of experience working with schools, we've found that when it comes to Sports Premium, the most common concern schools have is if the equipment falls below their de minimis threshold.

Lets have a look at an example!

Let's say School A has a de minimis threshold of £5000, as set out in their school's financial regulations. The school are interested in acquiring the Sports Premium Fundamental Balance and Coordination Package for their pupils, which costs £4416.

As £4416 sits below the £5000 de minimis threshold, this means the purchase would be treated as revenue expenditure, and is therefore eligible for Sports Premium funding without needing separate capital budget approval.

School B have heard about School A's brand new equipment and have heard it came from the Sports Premium funding. School B have a de minimis threshold of £5000 and they're interested in acquiring the Sport Premium Epic Explorer set (which cost £7196) to promote new activities amongst their older students.

Even though the equipment is freestanding and addresses a key indicator laid out by the DfE, the cost of the equipment sits above the school's de minimis threshold, meaning it would be classified as capital expenditure (which can't be funded through the grant).

Just like the examples, it's important to note that every school's threshold is different. There isn't a national standard which every school has to follow, as it's up to each school to set up their own financial regulations with local authority guidance.

Before you make any purchase, we would strongly recommend that you confirm your own school's exact de minimis threshold with your school business manager or finance lead. This one simple conversation can be the difference between a purchase sailing through governors and one that gets stuck in a capital expenditure query (which is as fun as it sounds)!

What Can You Actually Buy With Your Remaining Budget?

Your sports premium spending is going to look different depending on how much you have left. A school with less than £1000 remaining is working with a very different set of options compared to one with more than £5000 available.

Below we've broken down the realistic options by budget band, so you can jump straight to the section that matches your situation!

Under £1000: Small Sport Premium Spending Ideas

If you find yourself on the smaller end of the range, there's no need to threat, as Pentagon Play have some fantastic options that can completely transform your school's PE and Sports provision!

At this level, individual items work well with your budget compared to full packages. For EYFS children, the Early Years Climb & Slide A-Frame is a fantastic addition, coming in at a fantastic price of £580! Providing children with the opportunity to develop spatial awareness, balance and controlled movements (all vital elements of the EYFS physical development curriculum), this A-frame is built to provide new additional movement types and activities!

Looking to offer a challenge for older children? Then our Rockies Balance Blocks and Play Builder Apprentice Set make the perfect additions to your play space. With a price tag of £986, the Rockies has been designed to encourage rocking movements, improving gross motor functions and physical development. With it's modular features, children can move parts around and create their own small activity trail too!

If you're looking to improve fine motor skills and cognitive thinking, the Play Builder Apprentice offers a range of activities for a price of £626, allowing children to create their own obstacle courses.

Just like all of our play equipment, these three pieces of play equipment come with fantastic warranties, ensuring schools will get at least 10-15 years worth of use from the product. Alongside this incredible guarantees, Pentagon Play make use of some of the most durable materials in the market, meaning the life span of the equipment can last for future generations to come!

£1000–£5,000: The Sweet Spot for Primary School PE Provision

Moving to the middle of the ranges, this is where most schools will find themselves. Due to having more funding available, we would recommend acquiring packages to ensure that you're getting the most value out of your money. Lucky for you, Pentagon Play have some incredible packages that are sure to be a hit with your children (and your governing board)!

Wanting to make an instant impact that is sure to be a hit with children of all abilities? Then why not look at getting one of our most popular packages, the Pennine Get Set, Go! Blocks set.

With an incredible price of £1,436, this set of freestanding activity blocks allows teachers with little to no experience in delivering PE lessons to deliver high-quality PE lessons by creating engaging and beneficial obstacle courses, with their imagination being the only limit. Each block is crafted to target specific areas of physical development, ensuring children of all abilities are able to gain something from it.

Maybe you're looking to further expand your schools offerings and make a huge impact with the funding? If so, then the Sports Premium Explorer Package is for you!

Featuring over 58 pieces for a fantastic price of £3,596, this package has been designed to promote development of balance, coordination and climbing confidence by creating a simple (yet effective) obstacle course. Whether it's special schools, or mainstream schools, this set is sure to be a hit!

For schools who are looking to incorporate more unique play equipment into their lessons and playtime, the Up and Under Ramp and Stair Blocks are the perfect solution. Featuring a 3-in-1 modular design, this set combines a tunnel, ramp and stair block that can be used to encourage physical development in a variety of areas, all for the low price of £1,076!

Just like before, all of our sports premium equipment is designed to be sustainable! Ranging from utilising Accoya wood to play grade timber, these pieces of play equipment are built to withstand heavy use, unpredictable weather conditions and time itself!

£5,000+: Bigger Investments in Physical Activities and PE Lessons

Now we reach the end of the range. If you fit in this category, then it's VITAL that you spend your Sports Premium as fast as possible, due to bigger budgets being more likely to encounter issues with capital expenditure. The good news is that at Pentagon Play, we've carefully curated the perfect packages that will stay below your de minimis threshold, whilst abiding by every condition laid out by the DfE for the grant!

Starting with our Sports Premium Discoverer Package, which includes a whopping 90 pieces. This £5,316 package contains everything a PE teacher needs to create the most engaging lessons possible. From climbing and balancing, to gross and fine motor skill development, this package is designed to encourage a wide variety of different movements, hugely improving the quality of PE lessons that can be delivered.

Wanting something even bigger? Why not look at our Sports Premium Dynamic Discovery Package, which features some of our best selling packages! With a price tag of £8,876, this Sports Premium package 2 sets of our biggest Get Set Go blocks sets, our best selling play builder package, the Rockies balance blocks and the easily accessible Play Bridge with Handrails. With all of these elements, the possibilities are truly endless, allowing your school to provide pupils with access to high-quality PE and sport lessons.

All of these packages are also designed to add sustainable improvements to PE, meaning that the equipment included within these sets are sure to last for years to come!

Not Sure How Much Primary PE and Sport Premium You Have Left?

We know that some of you reading this article won't know what your exact remaining balance is, and that's fine! At this point, a lot of PE leads and staff are in the same boat and won't hold the figure during day-to-day operations, as their focus is placed more in delivering great lessons. However, we would recommend that rather than guessing your exact number, it's better to get the figure confirmed before deciding what to spend it on.

The quickest and most effective way of doing this is speaking to your school business manager or finance lead, who will have the figure from the school's budget records. It's also worth checking your previous year's Sports Premium statement, since your remaining balance should be reflected there alongside what's already been spent.

By having a quick and simple conversation, you'll be saving yourself a lot of stress and makes this guide a lot easier to follow. You'll know exactly which budget band applies to you, and you won't risk under/overspending against what's actually available.

Final Tip: Order Early to Use Your Premium Before the Academic Year Ends

Whatever budget band you're working with, the single biggest risk to spending your remaining PE and Sport Premium isn't picking the wrong equipment. It's running out of time to get it delivered!

Freestanding equipment typically has a lead time of a few weeks from order to delivery, and larger packages or installations can take longer still. With the 31st July 2026 deadline approaching, ordering as soon as you've made a decision gives you the best chance of getting everything delivered, installed, and usable before the funding window closes; rather than leaving it until the last few weeks, when demand (and lead times) tend to stretch further.

If you've identified what you want to spend your remaining Sports Premium on, don't wait for a "better" moment to place the order. The equipment can't benefit your pupils sitting in a shopping basket!

Ready to see what's available? Browse Pentagon Play's full range of Sports Premium eligible equipment, freestanding and ready to order today.