Lenzie Academy in East Dunbartonshire has been recognised for the second time with a prestigious national award for innovation and achievement in delivering physical education and extra-curricular sport.
The sportscotland Gold School Sport Award was presented to staff and pupils at the school earlier this month by Lorna Jackson from sportscotland. The school initially attained gold status two years ago and have worked hard to retain it.
As part of the National Lottery funded programme, the sportscotland School Sport Award is a national initiative that is designed to encourage schools to continuously improve physical education and sport. The Award also encourages sporting links between schools and the communities around them.
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said: “Congratulations to all the staff and pupils at Lenzie Academy - they should be extremely proud of this fantastic achievement. Not only have they put physical education and sport at the heart of their school and local community, but they have managed to do so in a way that encourages all pupils to engage in physical activity whilst having fun at the same time.
“sportscotland is committed to building a world-class sporting system for everyone, and a crucial part of that is putting young people at the heart. Working with our partners in 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.”
With more applications than ever before, there are currently 212 sportscotland Gold School Sport Award schools. 336 schools have been awarded Silver and 84 with Bronze.
Convener of Education, Councillor Mohrag Fischer, added: “This is wonderful news and a real milestone achievement for the school. Earning Gold status is no mean feat but to keep up that standard and retain the award is testament to the hard work and dedication of pupils and staff at Lenzie Academy. The value of sport and fitness in the lives of children and young people cannot be overstated so to see a school with such commitment is excellent.”
Emma Mahon, an S6 student in the Lenzie Academy Sports Council was delighted to receive the award for the second time. She said: “We are extremely fortunate here at Lenzie Academy to have such a fantastic PE department and so much assistance and input from the Active Schools team.
“We have a brilliant Sports Council too, there are 30 of us within the Council and I have benefited greatly from being a member during my time at Lenzie Academy. I’ve gained so many transferable skills such as leadership, communication and time management skills and have enjoyed taking part in many sporting activities after school and with our local primary schools. Sport within our school is continually developing and alongside my Headteacher, PE teachers, Active Schools Coordinator and fellow council members, I am so proud to receive the sportscotland Gold School Sport Award for a second time.”
The sportscotland School Sport 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.
For more information, please visit https://sportscotland.org.uk/schools/school-sport-award/