Recent figures have shown that more than a third of teachers have reported that there has been a reduction in the amount of time in school for both PE and extra-curricular activities over the last two years.

The Smith Institute - an independent think-tank that holds close ties with the Labour Party - carried out the study, surveying more than 1,000 teachers and school sports officials as part of the report.

A third (33.7 per cent) of primary school teachers said there had been a decrease in sporting participation over the past two years, while 11.6 per cent said there had been an increase with the remaining 54.7 per cent reporting no change.

In secondary schools, 34.6 per cent reported a drop in activity while 57.1 per cent said participation was unchanged - with only 8.2 per cent saying there had been an increase.

The reported drops have been measured since 2010, when the government cut the £162m a year "school sports partnerships" scheme, designed to support joint initiatives between primary, secondary and specialist state schools with the aim of increase sporting opportunities for children.

For the full Smith Institute report click here