'Troubling decline' in secondary school PE lessons

A "troubling decline" in the number of hours England's secondary school pupils spend doing physical education (PE) "should be a wake-up call to society", according to children's exercise charity the Youth Sport Trust (YST).

The organisation says figures show "nearly 4,000 PE hours lost in the last year alone" in state-funded schools, and calls for "urgent action to protect and prioritise" the subject.

The YST also claims that since the London 2012 Olympics "almost 45,000 PE hours have disappeared from secondary school timetables", and that the number of PE teachers in England has also dropped by 7%.

In response, the government said it is "determined to break down barriers to accessing PE and school sports for young people".

In its annual report, the YST says that 2.2 million children in England are now doing less than 30 minutes of activity a day, and less than half (48%) are meeting the UK's Chief Medical Officers' recommendation of at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

It says the steepest decline has hit 11-14-year-olds, with more than 2,800 hours cut and 347 teachers lost for this age group in the past year, at a time of rising childhood obesity rates.

YST also adds that girls, children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and those from disadvantaged backgrounds "continue to face the greatest barriers to being active".

However, the study also found that 93% of young people believe PE is important, 71% want to be more active at school, and 96% of teachers agree that sport and play benefit mental wellbeing.

While PE is a mandatory subject in schools, the recommended amount of two hours a week is not enforced.

YST chief executive Ali Oliver said: "Our children are moving less, feeling unhappier, and losing access to the transformative power of PE, contributing to stagnant physical activity levels.

"The fall in PE hours is sadly an exacerbation of a longer-term trend and should be a wake-up call to society, from policymakers to schools and parents.

"Unless we take action to reverse these damaging trends and increase activity levels to improve wellbeing, we risk failing a generation."

In a statement, the government said: "These figures highlight the government's dire inheritance, but we're determined to break down barriers to accessing PE and school sports for young people through our Plan for Change, helping to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.

"We are working across the government and with our partners including Youth Sport Trust and Sport England to boost participation and have already invested £100m to upgrade sports facilities and launched a programme to improve access to sports for pupils with special education needs and disabilities.

"Our ongoing curriculum and assessment review seeks to deliver a broader curriculum, so that children do not miss out on subjects including PE and sport."