A GOVERNMENT promise that schoolchildren get at least two hours of PE a week is to be scrapped, despite growing concern about the health of Scotland's youngsters.
Figures obtained by Scotland on Sunday show some schoolchildren currently receive as little as 45 minutes of organised sport each week and most schools are falling short of the two-hour target.
The Scottish Government will announce next month that
it is ditching the target – a key election pledge – and concentrating on "outcome-based" policies that will make children fitter.
But opposition politicians and health campaigners accused the SNP-led Government of letting Scotland's children down and abandoning the battle against obesity.
One in five Scots 12-year-olds were obese in the 2004-05 school year, posing huge health implications for later life.
The two-hour PE recommendation was originally made by a Scottish Government review group in 2004 endorsed by the then Labour education minister Peter Peacock. At the time it was seen as a vital tool to help fight Scotland's weight crisis.
The SNP's 2007 election manifesto also pledged to give "every pupil two hours of quality PE each week delivered by specialist PE teachers".
But the Scottish Government last night admitted it is set for talks with council chiefs about abandoning targets with immediate effect.
A spokesman added: "It is indeed still a major priority to help create healthy, fit and active children in Scotland. But it has now been agreed that the new curriculum framework should be outcome-based with no input requirements in terms of subject or time allocations.
"Many authorities felt the target was a blunt instrument and was not always helpful in trying to achieve the outcomes sought. Some local authority areas are delivering two hours of PE a week, but this approach does not suit all authorities."
Dr Colin Waine, of the National Obesity Forum, said: "It's funny how targets are deemed unhelpful when it becomes clear that they're not being met.
"If councils can't make the grade because they're under-resourced then they should tell us instead of hiding behind this cop-out language."
He added: "Physically, Scotland is in critical condition. Childhood obesity means there is an enormous number of youngsters whose health will be severely compromised in the future.
"Government has a responsibility to emphasise physical exercise in the curriculum because PE lessons have a positive effect, not just on pupils' weight but on their general fitness levels too."
Labour's education spokeswoman Rhona Brankin said: "Just like their broken promises on school buildings and class sizes, the SNP are letting children down. This decision will do nothing to encourage a love of sport in our young people."
Tory education spokesman Murdo Fraser said schools had a responsibility to encourage fitness in children.
He said: "Schools have to take the lead because unfortunately we all know that there are parents who simply won't. So it's a sad day when they can't even meet the most basic requirements of this strategy and leave Scotland with no hope of tackling this epidemic."
Matthew Elliott, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, claimed school funding was being "wasted" on bureaucrats. He said: "There is plenty of money in the schools system to provide two hours of PE a week, but at the moment much of it is wasted."
All children should receive two hours of PE by June this year. But information released under Freedom of Information laws shows that, on average, primary pupils get around 94 minutes of PE per week while, in secondary schools, the average allocation drops to 91 minutes.
Poorly performing schools included Gylemuir Primary, Edinburgh, with just 45 minutes a week, according to the FOI documents. But other schools exceeded the target, including Lady Alice Primary in Inverclyde, at 155 minutes a week for some pupils.
The average in Fife primaries was 85 minutes a week and in Highland primaries 78 minutes a week. In Edinburgh secondaries the figure was 69 minutes and in Orkney 60 minutes.
Yesterday, councils said they were trying to improve their PE provision. Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, education convener for Edinburgh City Council, said: "We are aware that our target for two hours per week of physical education in schools is still not being met, but we are actively addressing it."
Councillor Isabel Hutton, education spokeswoman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, said: "We are moving away from narrow targets and input measures – such as the two hours of PE per week – to focus on what is important: improving the health outcomes for children and tackling inequality."
