School playing fields lost as Gove approves nearly all sell-offs

In total, 21 out of 22 requests have been given the go-ahead by the Department for Education in the last two years, with one more still under consideration.

The sell-off comes despite a pledge by the coalition to protect school playing fields.

The new figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, are likely to fuel concerns about school sport.

The revelation came the day after Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt admitted that school sports provision was still patchy.

Lord Moynihan, the head of the British Olympic Association (BOA), has called for a major increase in Government funding to build on the British success at the Olympic Games in London.

Among the pitches approved for disposal is a 1.6 acre playing field at the Winchcombe School, a state primary in Newbury, Berkshire, which has been put up for sale with outline planning permission for housing, the Guardian newspaper reported.

And a new school has been built on the site of playing fields at Woodhouse School in Staffordshire.

Some of the fields due to be sold will still be used for sporting purposes.

Others have been disposed of following school closures, the newspaper reported.

The move comes despite a promise by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in the coalition agreement which says they will “support the creation of an annual Olympic-style schools sport event to encourage competitive sport in schools, and we will seek to protect school playing fields.”

The DfE insisted that the sell-off of school playing fields would only be agreed if schools’ sports needs can continue to be met.

It is understood that the previous Labour government approved the sale of just over 200 playing fields over 13 years. And an estimated 10,000 were disposed of between 1979 and 1997.

BOA chairman Lord Moynihan has accused the current and previous governments of “treading water” in terms of increasing participation.

The peer, a former Sports Minister under Margaret Thatcher, claimed school sports policy is “bureaucratic” and needs more money to fund a major expansion.

Lord Moynihan said: “There is a need for radical reform and I am calling for more money. There needs to be a total commitment to ensuring a sports participation legacy that has to focus on schools and clubs. For seven years successive governments have been treading water.

“We have tens of thousands of kids watching great moments which will live with them for ever. The Government should step up to the mark.”