The Youth Sport Trust has responded to the findings which reveals that growing numbers of British children are unhappy with their lives.

Chris Wright, Head of Health and Wellbeing at the Youth Sport Trust, said:

“There is a concerning pattern that has emerged from The Good Childhood Report today which shows a 10-year decline in children’s wellbeing and happiness, matched by a decline in their physical activity levels and access to Physical Education hours. We know in the last decade, 2,387 qualified PE teachers have been lost and almost 50,000 hours of PE time have been squeezed from the curriculum.

“Looking ahead, if we’re to help our children be among the healthiest and happiest in the world, we need to make their wellbeing central to recovery plans. We support calls for a national wellbeing measurement programme to inform and target action and monitor key issues.

“Sport, PE and physical activity are a crucial part of this conversation and we’ve formed an alliance with Sport England, NGBs and other sport and physical activity providers to support schools out of the pandemic. There is a strong commitment across the sector to ensure the next 10 years look very different to where we are now. As a charity, we support the Well School Movement and are committed to listening to young people’s and school’s needs.”