Most parents believe the government has not capitalised on an Olympics and Paralympics legacy of increasing sport in schools and communities, a poll has found.

Forty eight per cent of people questioned in the Opinium/Observer poll felt the government had neither increased nor decreased its support for sport in schools and local communities since London 2012.

A further 11 per cent thought it had decreased, 24 per cent thought it had increased and 17 per cent did not know.

The Guardian reported former Olympics minister Dame Tessa Jowell had called for urgent cross-party talks to halt the decline in school sport.

In 2010 education secretary Michael Gove withdrew £168m in funds for the School Sports Partnership programme and abolished the target of two hours physical education each week for every pupil.

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg told The Telegraph the proportion of children doing two hours sport a week had dropped from 90 per cent, under the Labour government, to 50 per cent since the coalition government was elected in 2010.

The online poll, conducted between 22 to 24 February, questioned 2,007 parents of children aged 18 and under.