Access to PE is failing children with special needs and disabilities, as around 320,000 do not get enough exercise, i can reveal.

It comes as the Paralympic Games commences in Paris on Wednesday, with more than 4,000 athletes from around the world set to inspire children with disabilities across the UK.

But Adam Blaze, chief executive of Activity Alliance, warned that “many layers of barriers and attitudes” against disabled people playing sports must be broken through for a legacy to be created.

“Once the gold dust settles in Paris, we won’t see a huge surge in activity unless there is a more concerted effort across society to change attitudes and embed better practices,” he told i.

A ParalympicsGB spokesperson said all disabled children must “have the opportunity to take part in PE and sport at school”, and teachers and schools must be empowered to deliver “inclusive PE and sport for all children”.

“Asking children to sit on the sidelines cannot be the right thing to do,” they told i.

Experts called for sports such as wheelchair basketball to be available in mainstream schools.

Research by the charity Sense found that four in five people with complex disabilities were at increased risk of illness due to lack of exercise.

This means that around 1.3m people in the UK who are living with these complex conditions are not active enough to be healthy, according to the charity.

In a poll of more than 1,000 disabled people, nearly half said they would like to be more active, but are prevented due to societal barriers, such as inaccessible venues and a lack of trained staff.

Professor Greg Whyte OBE, a former Olympian turned leading sport and exercise scientist, condemned “mass disability neglect at a time we are focused on elite disability sport”.

The latest data from Sport England, covering 2022-23, reveals that 29 per cent of children with long-term, limiting disabilities enjoyed less than an average 30 minutes of exercise per day – equivalent to 195,600 children.

Similarly, in the same year, 27.2 per cent of children with disabilities that are not long-term or limiting took part in less than the 30-minute average, equating to 123,600 children.

“Not long-term or limiting” indicates that their disabilities do not have a big effect on their life and are unlikely to last for a year or more.

Therefore, a total of 319,200 children with disabilities got less than the recommended amount of exercise in 2022-23 – meaning they are classed as “inactive”.

The NHS recommends that children and young people aged five to 18 should aim for an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity a day, across the week.

Sport England recommends that disabled children undertake 120 to 180 minutes of physical activity per week at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity – such as walking or cycling.

Activity Alliance – a charity and advocacy group – said that activity levels among disabled children were “not changing” compared with previous years, according to data collected by Sport England in its annual Active Lives Children and Young People Survey.

In 2021-22, 30.5 per cent of children with long-term, limiting disabilities got less than an average of 30 minutes per day; a year earlier this was slightly higher at 31.5 per cent; and in 2019-20, it was marginally lower at 30 per cent.

Adam Blaze, of Activity Alliance, said: “We know the importance of meaningful and inclusive PE and sport for disabled children in schools. The physical and mental health benefits for children and young people being active can’t be overstated.

“The fact that almost one in three disabled children and young people are classed as inactive shows the amount of work that still needs to be done.”

He said disabled children face “deep-rooted inequalities” when trying to be more active, and called on leaders to “create comfortable environments”.

Mr Blaze told i: “Teachers and providers should be supported to take children’s impairments and needs into account, rather than seen as a reason for them not to take part. Support should be in place for parents to guide their child to live an active life.

“Government also has a role to play, with not just financial backing of high-quality inclusive PE in schools, but by putting inclusivity at the forefront of society.”

Sport England data also reveals that the percentage of disabled children getting an average of 30-plus minutes of exercise per day during school hours has fallen slightly.

In 2021-22, 48.3 per cent of children with long-term, limiting disabilities has access to 30 minutes or more in school hours, falling to 46.9 per cent a year later.

However, this was still higher than in previous years – just 45.7 per cent got more than 30 minutes of exercise per day in 2020-21, and 43.8 per cent in 2019-20.

Anna Scott-Marshall, director of communications and social impact at ParalympicsGB, said: “Whilst we cheer on our Paralympians at these Games as they compete at the highest level, we must ensure that all disabled children have the opportunity to take part in PE and sport at school.

“Actually the solutions to this are quite simple. It’s about empowering teachers and schools with the right information and confidence to deliver inclusive PE and sport for all children, and to understand that asking children to sit on the sidelines cannot be the right thing to do.”

Anna Bird, chair of the Disabled Children’s Partnership said the inspiration set by Paralympians was at risk of being “lost” without the facilities, resources and staff needed to help disabled children participate in sports.

She told i: “We love that in the next week our fantastic Paralympians will inspire disabled children to take part in sport.

“But without the proper facilities, resources and skilled staff to participate in races or team games, that magic moment of inspiration will be lost, leaving children unable to enjoy the social, mental and physical benefits that sport brings.”

Research by the Disabled Children’s Partnership found that just one in four disabled children have the support required to enjoy hobbies outside of school, leaving them “incredibly isolated”.

Ms Bird called for activities like wheelchair basketball and boccia – a Paralympic ball sport – to be introduced into mainstream schools and community centres, meaning disabled children could have “access to as much sport as their non-disabled peers”.

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She added: “Thirty minutes of activity a day is just not enough. We need a culture change where physical exercise is seen as an essential part of a disabled child’s education and life rather than an optional extra.”

Ms Bird is also chief executive of Contact, a group that supports the families of disabled children.

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “PE and sport are vital for developing life skills in children and young people, positively contributing to their mental and physical wellbeing.”

They said the DfE is “committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and getting more children active”.

The spokesperson said children with special educational needs and disabilities are being encouraged to be more active through the Inclusion 2024 programme, a government-funded initiative which aims to improve the quality of schools’ physical education.

They added that the Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, launched last month to improve schools standards, will also consider how best to “open up access to creative subjects such as sport, music, art and drama”.