GOVERNMENT cuts spell a “bleak future” for school sports and will have “serious impacts” on children's health, a councillor has told the Government.

The Government last month announced what was treated as a “U-turn” on the decision to axe school sports partnerships, aimed at creating a wider range of meaningful activities for PE.

The new offer will see £47 million to keep the system running until the summer, followed by £65m to allow one PE teacher at every secondary school to spend one day a week promoting pupils' participation in a range of sports.

But Harrow Council says this still amounts to an 80 per cent cut that will affect children of all backgrounds, including those at risk of exclusion and with physical disabilities.

Councillor Brian Gate, responsible for schools, has written a damning letter to education secretary Michael Gove, stating every headteacher in the borough has seen the benefit of the partnership system.

He said: “This joined-up approach has allowed schools in Harrow to offer sporting opportunities to thousands of young people who might not ordinarily make the ‘First XI’, autistic children who don’t like playing in teams can be coached in archery, children with physical disabilities can play boccia and wheelchair badminton teams while boxing clubs have proved a successful tool in keeping children at risk of exclusion in school by teaching them a sense of discipline.

“It’s not just a case of sending children outside to play football – this initiative will have serious impacts on the health and wellbeing of children of all backgrounds.”

He accused the Government of disproportionately hitting young people with “savage cuts”, citing cuts to university funding, school rebuild work and free swimming.

Dan Wilson, Harrow’s schools sports partnership manager, said: “I fail to see how one PE teacher, who will still have the demands of teaching, marking, assessing, planning and coaching in their own school will have enough time to do this while working to the Government's new strategy of creating and delivering more competitions.

“Our schools, especially the primaries, are already at competition overload.”

He added: “The new direction will lead to an increase in quantity and a decrease in quality and, ultimately participation.”

Mr Gove announced the change in policy in December, stating: “I want competitive sport to be at the centre of a truly rounded education that all schools offer. But this must be led by schools and parents, not by top-down policies from Whitehall.

“It’s time to ensure what was best in school sport partnerships around the country is fully embedded and moved forward to a system where schools and parents are delivering on sports with competition at the heart.

“This will take some time and I’m pleased to be able to confirm some funding for school sports partnerships during this transition.”