'Troubling decline' in secondary school PE lessons

A "troubling decline" successful nan number of hours England's secondary schoolhouse pupils walk doing beingness acquisition (PE) "should beryllium a wake-up telephone to society", according to children's workout kindness nan Youth Sport Trust (YST).

The organisation says figures show "nearly 4,000 PE hours mislaid successful nan past twelvemonth alone" successful state-funded schools, and calls for "urgent action to protect and prioritise" nan subject.

The YST besides claims that since nan London 2012 Olympics "almost 45,000 PE hours person vanished from secondary schoolhouse timetables", and that nan number of PE teachers successful England has besides dropped by 7%.

In response, nan authorities said it is "determined to break down barriers to accessing PE and schoolhouse sports for young people".

In its yearly report, nan YST says that 2.2 cardinal children successful England are now doing little than 30 minutes of activity a day, and little than half (48%) are gathering nan UK's Chief Medical Officers' proposal of astatine slightest 60 minutes of beingness activity a day.

It says nan steepest diminution has deed 11-14-year-olds, pinch much than 2,800 hours trim and 347 teachers mislaid for this property group successful nan past year, astatine a clip of rising puerility obesity rates.

YST besides adds that girls, children pinch typical acquisition needs and disabilities (SEND), and those from disadvantaged backgrounds "continue to look nan top barriers to being active".

However, nan study besides recovered that 93% of young group judge PE is important, 71% want to beryllium much progressive astatine school, and 96% of teachers work together that athletics and play use intelligence wellbeing.

While PE is simply a mandatory taxable successful schools, nan recommended magnitude of 2 hours a week is not enforced.

YST main executive Ali Oliver said: "Our children are moving less, emotion unhappier, and losing entree to nan transformative powerfulness of PE, contributing to stagnant beingness activity levels.

"The autumn successful PE hours is sadly an exacerbation of a longer-term inclination and should beryllium a wake-up telephone to society, from policymakers to schools and parents.

"Unless we return action to reverse these damaging trends and summation activity levels to amended wellbeing, we consequence failing a generation."

In a statement, nan authorities said: "These figures item nan government's dire inheritance, but we're wished to break down barriers to accessing PE and schoolhouse sports for young group done our Plan for Change, helping to amended their intelligence and beingness wellbeing.

"We are moving crossed nan authorities and pinch our partners including Youth Sport Trust and Sport England to boost information and person already invested £100m to upgrade sports accommodation and launched a programme to amended entree to sports for pupils pinch typical acquisition needs and disabilities.

"Our ongoing program and appraisal reappraisal seeks to present a broader curriculum, truthful that children do not miss retired connected subjects including PE and sport."