David Bell, the chief inspector of schools and head of Ofsted, has called for old-style PE lessons akin to those of the 1940s to be re-introduced in schools in a bid to tackle obesity among children, according to the Daily Mail.

Bell said today’s pupils would benefit from no-nonsense exercise and military-style drills such as the physical training (PT) lessons which used to be taught in schools across the UK over 60 years ago.

Back then, lessons were based on tough military lines and involved children having to march, run, jump or hop to a teacher’s whistled commands.

“Drills have given way to dance, gymnastics, outdoor and adventurous activities and the study of health and fitness,” said Bell.

“At the same time, modern living has seen the ascendancy of fast food outlets, computer games and television, resulting in many young people living far less physically active and healthy lifestyles.”

Mr Bell also claims that poor facilities in schools are a growing problem. “There’s no doubt that if schools don’t have proper facilities it’s harder for children to exercise,” he said.

He added that children in the 1940s were not affected by issues of safety or lack of sports fields, more than 200 of which have vanished since 1998.

In light of growing levels of obesity in children, ministers want three quarters of children to be receiving two hours of high quality PE a week by 2006.