Thousands getting Active
Jump in youngsters at sessions
Almost 200,000 visits were made by pupils to Active Schools sessions in Stirling over the past 12 months – a rise of almost 20 per cent.
New data published by sportscotland shows that 8,000 children and young people took part in a wide range of activities across the area in 2018/19.
Active Schools, one of sportscotland’s longest running programmes, aims to provide more and higher quality opportunities for young people to take part in sport and physical activity before school, during lunchtime and after school.
This initiative in Stirling is led by a team of Active Schools co-ordinators, who are assigned to each primary and secondary school to develop sport and physical activity programmes. Volunteers deliver 94 per cent of the sessions.
Nationally, Active Schools continues to have an impact on children’s physical activity levels with 7.3 million visits made to activities across Scotland in 2018-19, an increase of 0.4 per cent on the previous year. The number of people delivering the sessions has also increased nationally, up 3.3 per cent.
The programme also has a part to play in cutting childhood obesity. It was reported in May last year that 29 per cent of children in Scotland were at risk of being overweight and 14 per cent are at risk of being obese.
Chair of sportscotland Mel Young said: “Our mission is to help the people of Scotland get the most out of the sporting system at every level and Active Schools has a crucial role to play in engaging young people in sport and physical activity.”
Convener of Stirling Council’s community planning and regeneration committeer Councillor Chris Kane said: “The benefits of physical activity and sport are well documented, and through schemes like Active Schools, we are breaking down barriers and helping to give our children the best start in life.”
Vice convener of the committee, Councillor Maureen Bennison said: “Increasing participation in physical activity and sport in our children and young people not only has health benefits but is an important tool in tackling inequalities across Stirling, which is a key council priority.
“These Active Schools figures are hugely encouraging, and I would like to recognise the contribution of all the volunteers whose dedication and hard work is achieving such positive outcomes in our schools and communities.”
Councillor Bryan Flannagan, member of the children’s and young people committee and the Tories’ physical activity spokesperson, said: “The more young people we can get involved in physical activity the better so, on the face of it, these figures look encouraging.
“However we need to be seeing figures showing the young people that have, for whatever reason, not wanted to be involved previously starting and staying in these sessions.”