Tory school cuts deprive kids of sport

Generation ‘let down’ as obesity grows

A GENERATION of secondary school kids is losing out on school sport because of Tory cuts.

Figures show cash-strapped state schools have been forced to axe the number of PE lessons – despite the growing obesity crisis.

The number of hours of PE in England’s secondaries has fallen by 35,000 in five years, a parliamentary answer reveals.

In 2012, pupils did 317,100 hours of PE. This fell to 282,200 hours in 2017.

Labour accused the Tories of “letting down a generation” of children and warned school sport was increasingly becoming a luxury for a privileged few.

Shadow Sports Minister Rosena Allin- Khan, told the Mirror: “It is clear from these statistics that the Government aren’t putting children’s health at the top of their priority list.

“Obesity has doubled in the past 20 years, costing the NHS £10billion a year. “To cut the number of taught hours by 35,000, the Government are letting down a generation who need to be taught the benefits of good physical and mental health.” She added: “This must be urgently reversed.”

The Government said it was spending an extra £320million as part of its Primary PE and Sport Premium, and they had made health education compulsory for all ages for the first time.

But teachers say the money, which is supposed to be ring-fenced, is being used to plug gaps elsewhere in schools.

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