Weightlifting in Schools? What the New PE Curriculum Means

Interest in weightlifting, school sport, and GCSE PE has grown recently among our members, and for good reason.

British Weight Lifting (BWL) announced that from 4 November 2025, weightlifting will be included in the School Games. This means participating schools will be able to select weightlifting from a choice of around 45 sports.

Read more about the weightlifting School Games here.

Following this announcement, many members have been asking what this might mean for PE and school sport more broadly.

This month, the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report and the Government’s response were published. The Department for Education has outlined how the Review’s recommendations will be incorporated into a revised PE curriculum.

According to the Government’s response, the new national curriculum will be implemented in full from September 2028, with the final revised curriculum published by spring 2027.

For a summary of all key measures, please see: New curriculum can start new chapter for PE, school sport and play, say sector leaders – Youth Sport Trust