School playing fields used as political battleground

The Government has come under fire for dropping the requirement, which said that English secondary schools must offer pitches of a certain size, depending on their pupil numbers.

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said he was calling for a parliamentary vote to demand that this minimum space requirement is restored.

Labour will table a motion when Parliament returns in September to allow MPs to debate the changes, he said.

Mr Twigg accused Education Secretary Michael Gove of trying to “sneak out these changes while Parliament is in recess, so MPs do not have a chance to debate them”.

He said: “Labour will bring forward a motion when Parliament does return so that these changes can be scrutinised by elected representatives.

“It’s not too late for the Government to change its mind and restore the minimum space requirement for outdoor space and school playing fields. “We need to ensure there is no salami slicing of school playing fields.”

The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that the requirement for English secondary schools to provide pitches ranging from 5,000 sq metres to 54,000 sq metres, depending on the number of pupils, has been dropped.

Instead, under new regulations laid in Parliament last month, schools will now simply have to provide “suitable outdoor space” for PE and for pupils to play outside.

The DfE said that removing “pages and pages” of bureaucratic regulations would make it easier and cheaper to provide the extra places for pupils the country needs.

Campaigners warned that the move could undermine the future provision of schools sports at a time when the country is looking to build on the success of Team GB in the London Olympics.

The Government has already faced criticism for allowing more than 20 school playing fields to be sold off - despite a pledge in the coalition agreement - and for dropping a target for state schools to offer at least two hours of PE a week.

The DfE said that at some point over the next 12 months it would be publishing guidance with a formula setting out the minimum outside space schools would have to provide - although it had yet to consult on it.

A spokesman said: “By removing pages and pages of bureaucratic restrictions we will make it easier and cheaper to provide the extra school places that this country needs so urgently.”

It is understood that the previous Labour government approved the sell off of more than 200 playing fields over 13 years.

And an estimated 10,000 were disposed of between 1979 and 1997 during the previous Tory Governments.