Pupils should be forced to take part in extra-curricular activities for at least one hour a week in an effort to lose their reputation as Europe’s pariahs, a report published today suggests.

The Institute for Public Policy Research report says that UK teenagers are some of the worst behaved in Europe and spend too much time just “hanging out” with their friends. They were more likely to get into fights, binge-drink, take drugs and have underage sex than teenagers in most other European countries.

The report concluded that they should be made to attend after-school classes and take part in activities such as martial arts, Girl Guides or drama – whether they like it or not – to gain more focus.

The think-tank, which is closely linked with Labour, found that almost half of 15-year-olds were involved in a violent fight while 38 per cent of teenagers had sex in a 12-month period.

British adolescents also ranked highly as binge-drinkers, with more than a quarter getting drunk regularly.

The think-tank, calling for a “legal extension” to the school day for pupils to take part in extra-curricular activities, said teenagers would ignore those options unless they were compulsory.

Regular attendance at extra curricular clubs helped pupils manage their emotions better and cut down on antisocial behaviour, it said.

Julia Margo, senior research fellow at the institute, said although Britain had a “real problem” with its teenagers, it was not their fault.

The think-tank’s call came as the Government prepared to announce its 10-year youth strategy as part of a campaign to tackle teenager delinquency.

The Department for Children said it would provide an extra £265 million over three years to enable schools to offer children two hours each week of group activities during the term and 30 hours over the holidays.

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