THOUSANDS of children across Cherwell could see extra curricular sports activities dropped as a result of Government cuts.

In last week’s controversial spending review, George Osborne announced Department for Education funding for school sport partnerships would be dropped.

The move has left a question mark over the future of the North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership, which looks after 18,500 children, of all abilities, aged five to 19.

Up to 35 full and part-time staff, including sports co-ordinators and coaches who work across 57 schools in Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington, face the axe.

Carl Hamilton, development manager for North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership, said he was devastated by the news and was due to meet staff next week. He said: “The danger is if this funding goes, the profile will no longer be there and a lot of schools, particularly primary schools who don’t have specialist teachers, will put other things in place of sport.

“The reason the Government put funds in initially was not for the sake of sport, but there was so much evidence PE helped raise attendance, improve behaviour and self- esteem, developed leadership skills, tackled the obesity problem and got children off the streets giving them something worthwhile to do.”

When the partnership was set up about six years, only 25 per cent of North Oxfordshire school children took part in at least two hours of sport a week, now the figure is 90 per cent.

In that time it has set up lunch and after-school sports activities, inter-school competitions, teacher training, and created links to local sports clubs.

Mr Hamilton, who is based at Blessed George Napier Specialist Sports College, Banbury, has written to all school headteachers and governors in a bid to secure the service, and said its future could depend on support from private firms.

In a statement, Education Secretary Michael Gove said there had been a decline in the number of children taking up traditional competitive sport with co-ordinators too focussed on targets. He said: “After seven years and £2.4 bn investment from the Government and Lottery, the Department expects all schools to have embedded the good practice and collaboration developed over this time and to continue providing two hours a week of PE and sport.”

Meanwhile Cherwell District Council is looking at ways to cut its costs without hitting front-line services. It expects to lose about 26 per cent of its annual Government grant over four years, about £2.8m.

James Macnamara, Cherwell’s executive member for resources and communications, said: “If our negotiations for shared management with South Northamptonshire Council are successful, the move will go a long way towards making the necessary savings.”