HAVERING’S youngsters are set to loose out on �500,000 worth of funding for sports in schools after the Government has scrapped the borough’s School Sport Partnerships (SSP).

As part of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, Education Secretary Michael Gove announced that he will be ending the ring fenced funding for sports in schools from next year.

Sports Partnership Development Manager at Coopers’ Company and Coborn School, Leigh Marshall said:“I think it is a complete travesty, the work that has been done over the years in getting kids into schools is just going to go backwards.

“It is a big joke because it’s not a cut in funding, it is just going to go completley and the kids are the only ones that are going to suffer.”

As part of the Government’s cuts it will also see a loss of 162 million nationally in sports funding.

Currently in Havering the two schools with specialist sports status, Coopers’ Compnay and Coborn School and Emerson Park School currently run a programme working with other PE teachers to organise specialist sport activities and clubs.

But as part of the cuts it would see an end to the sports clubs and activities for youngsters and the borough’s two Sports Partnership Development Managers also face the threat of loosing their jobs.

Leigh said: “This is going to impact every single child in Havering and it won’t just be for the next few years but the impact will be felt for a whole generation, we are supposed to be encouraging sports in the run up to the Olympics but the Government just seem to be kicking themselves in the foot”.

There are also fears that the funding could have adverse affects on levels of childhood obesity and the well being of children in the borough.

Joint Secretary of the Havering branch of the NUT, Dave Malbon said: “A large part of the programme was the healthy eating agenda and it was the sports coordinators who played a huge part in delivering this so to remove it is just going to undermine all their hard work.

“At a time when there is worry about childhood obesity, it is really crucial that the programme should stays in place.”