Ireland has been given a mediocre mark in an international grading scale of children's physical activity levels.

The new international scale has graded Ireland with an overall D minus.

The relatively low rating has increased concern over the planned removal of physical education (PE) from junior cycle secondary school education. And under some physical activity headings, no grade was given for Ireland as adequate benchmarking or data does not exist to give an accurate score.

According to data from for the island of Ireland, only between 12% and 43% of children get enough physical activity.

Ireland sits in the middle of the other countries in the new international physical activity grading and, according to Irish experts, is neither leading nor lagging on how supportive we are as a country to children's physical activity.

Fifteen countries from around the world have published grades based on children's physical activity at the Global Summit on Physical Activity of Children in Toronto, Canada.

Ireland's grades on child physical activity are:

* Overall Physical Activity Levels - D minus

* Organised Sport Participation - C minus

* Physical Education - D minus

* Active Play - Inconclusive

* Active Transportation - D

* Sedentary Behaviour (TV viewing) - C minus

* Home (support from family) - Inconclusive

* School (extra-curricular sport) - C minus

* Community and the Built Environment (perceptions) - B

* Government (strategies and investments) - Inconclusive.

Active Play, support for physical activity from the home setting and Government strategies and investments were given an inconclusive grade, as data or a clear benchmark do not currently exist under these headings.

A number of gaps were highlighted in the report, including the absence of a systematic surveillance system for monitoring children's physical activity levels.

Dr Sarahjane Belton, Lecturer in Physical Education at Dublin City University and member of the team that developed the report card, said: "there is concern that the planned removal of PE as a subject from the junior cycle curriculum by the Department of Education and Science in the Republic will affect the PE grade in the future and this is something highlighted as a gap that the Government should address."