Commenting as the government announces new access to 'enriching activities' for children and young people to build skills and confidence for life, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said:

"Schools already do a huge amount to enrich their curricula. Whether that be day trips, visitors or music and sports opportunities – schools work incredibly hard to ensure children get a rounded set of experiences. We must not lose sight of the fact that the majority of that happens within the school day to ensure all pupils get to be involved. We must also remember that when it comes to extra-curricular activities, a lot of that relies on the goodwill of school staff – whether that be taking pupils to sporting fixtures or running clubs after school.

"Such opportunities can have a hugely positive effect on children and young people. If the government wants to build on that offer, it must ensure schools have the necessary resources and funding to do so. Crucially, that cannot rely on an already stretched school workforce. Local partnerships and access to external providers will be key.

"A non-statutory framework has the potential to be helpful to schools as long as it doesn’t become another accountability tool and we are pleased that Ofsted will not be expected to inspect against the benchmarks."