East Dunbartonshire Schools continue to make the grade in delivery of school sport

 

Schools across East Dunbartonshire have been awarded a prestigious national award from sportscotland, the national agency for sport, for this academic year.  The sportscotland School Sport Award is given for innovation and achievement in delivering school sport with 13 schools in East Dunbartonshire passing with flying colours.
 

Lairdsland Primary and Oxgang Primary won gold this year, joining Bearsden Primary, Douglas Academy, Killermont Primary, Lenzie Academy and Wester Cleddens Primary in the area’s gold-rated schools. St Ninian’s High, Westerton Primary, Balmuildy Primary, Harestanes Primary, Millersneuk Primary and Turnbull High earned silver.
 

There are now 673 schools in Scotland that hold a School Sport Award, a record number, meaning more schools than ever are putting sport at the heart of their school ethos. The number of gold-rated schools has increased to 284, a record high and a jump of over a third from last year’s total of 212, with 307 schools being awarded silver status and 82 bronze. 
 

Funded by the National Lottery, the sportscotland School Sport Award is a national initiative designed to encourage schools to continuously improve physical education and sport. It puts young people at the forefront of decision making and planning of school sport and physical education while increasing opportunities for pupils to take part.

 

The award also encourages sporting links between schools and the communities around them, providing opportunities for young people to progress.

 

Chief Executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris, said: “Congratulations to staff and pupils across East Dunbartonshire who are putting sport and physical education right at the heart of their school and local community. They should be proud of this fantastic achievement.

 

“Along with our partners, sportscotland is committed to building a world-class sporting system for everyone, and a crucial part of that is putting young people at the centre of our efforts. Working with local authorities and governing bodies of sport, we are creating closer links between physical education, school sport and club sport, which benefits young people by providing more and better opportunities to take part in sport.

 

“It’s great to be able to recognise more schools than we ever have before, it shows that pupils, staff and parents across the country see the undoubted value in having sport as a crucial part of school life.”

 

Councillor Jim Goodall, Convener of East Dunbartonshire Council’s Education Committee, added: “Well done to all our schools in the gold and silver categories. It takes commitment from school staff, hard work from pupils and support from parents to achieve and retain sportscotland awards.

 

“The benefits of physical activity are widely known, so it is good to see pupils in these schools getting the very best start towards a healthy lifestyle. There is huge enthusiasm across our schools for all types of sports, so I hope to see others joining this list in the years to come.”

 

To achieve a bronze or silver sportscotland School Sport Award, schools self-assess their current practice. However, to gain gold status an extensive external assessment is also carried out by an independent panel of experts.

 

The award is supported by the Active Schools Network, a programme that involves sportscotland working in partnership with all 32 local authorities to encourage schools to ensure there are opportunities for all children and young people to engage, participate and reach their potential in this area. 

 

The on-line self-assessment tool supports schools to achieve this by helping them to reflect on their current practice and identify areas for improvement. It also puts the young people in the school at the forefront of the decision making and implementation processes around sport in their school.