In 2024, sportscotland celebrated 20 years of Active Schools, a long-term investment programme in health and well-being, providing positive experiences of sport and physical activity from a young age.
Each year, over £13M of Scottish Government funding is invested into local authorities to deliver the programme. The network consists of over 400+ managers and coordinators dedicated to developing and supporting the delivery of high-quality opportunities for young people to take part in sport and physical activity before school, during lunchtime and after school.
The 20th anniversary was an opportunity to celebrate the programme, the partnership between all 32 local authorities, and the contribution to the Government’s national outcomes on health, education, children and young people.
Across this 20-year period, there has been a staggering 62.5 million visits by pupils and over 3 million Active Schools sessions which have helped to develop effective pathways between schools and sports clubs in the local community.
The beginning of a sporting journey
The Active Schools network is a hugely important part of Scotland’s sporting system and for many young people it is where their sporting journey begins. Programmes are free for all children and young people across the country, fulfilling the on-going Programme for Government commitment.
First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, said:
“The success of the programme is why we pledged to remove any last-remaining charges by the end of the parliamentary term in 2026. We wanted to make sure cost was no barrier to the enjoyment of sport and physical activity. I’m delighted that we’ve been able to deliver on that commitment early.”
The impact of Active Schools extends far beyond the playground and PE, with many young people seizing opportunities linked to the programme. These include becoming Young Ambassadors, earning the School Sport Award, participating in young leader programmes, volunteering, and even supporting care home residents, fostering community engagement and leadership development.
Funded by the National Lottery, the School Sport Award is presented for innovation and achievement in delivering school sport and physical activity. It recognises schools that put young people at the forefront of decision making and planning of school sport and PE, while also increasing participation opportunities.
Active School spotlights
Young Ambassadors and Kit for All: Newbattle High School
The Young Ambassador (YA) programme at Newbattle empowers pupils to shape PE and sport within the school, ensuring their voices influence decisions. Through leadership and inspiration, YAs encourage fellow students to actively engage in sport and physical activity, fostering a positive and inclusive environment.
The YAs have been integral to school sport and physical activity delivery, resulting in an 80% increase in extracurricular participation over the last 18 months.
YAs have engaged in Active Schools networking events to develop their leadership skills and collaborate with peers from across Midlothian. These skills have been put into practice through presentations at local primary schools, promoting sport, physical activity, and the opportunities available. At Newbattle, both junior and senior Young Ambassadors work together to drive positive change within the school and its community.
Gib McMillan, Head Teacher at Newbattle High School, said:
“The collaboration between Active Schools and our Young Ambassador programme has been fantastic. We can see huge impact with regards to participation rates, the number of clubs and it has just exploded it is exponential! Our PE department in particular with wide range of courses examinable and non-examinable is amongst the best in Scotland.”
The PE staff at Newbattle lead the extensive extracurricular programme with 15 clubs running all year round, delivering sessions before school, at lunchtimes and after school. There is a passion and commitment to young people thriving and doing well in sport through participation, coaching, volunteering or as a young leader.
The PE team also ensure pupils can compete within their sport. Active Schools lead several competitions for secondary schools in Midlothian, and Newbattle High School have competed in several.
The school have also launched their own ‘Kit For All’ initiative, ran by Newbattle YAs and supported by Active Schools. The project seeks to help remove barriers to participation and from discussions with pupils, they identified the kit that was most in need to remove any financial barriers and support participation.
Preloved, recycled and purchased kit provides the stock available through Kit for All, and any pupil can borrow the kit they need to participate in PE. In a 68% Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 1-4*, the initiative has been pivotal to pupil engagement both within curricular and extracurricular time.
‘Choose to Lead’ Leadership Programme: High Life Highland
The ‘Choose to Lead’ leadership programme, created and delivered by High Life Highland equips young people aged 12-25 with essential leadership skills through accredited training and volunteering opportunities across a variety of activities, such as sports, play, community service, environmental conservation, youth work, libraries and music.
The programme has been hugely successful in enabling hundreds of young people each year to deliver thousands of volunteer hours of activity while gathering key leadership skills and qualifications along the way.
Reaching some of the most remote, rural and deprived regions, the volunteering delivered by young leaders supports a huge number of young people, charities and public sector organisations, including NHS Highland.
The programme has seven award levels with each level requiring additional hours and training to be completed. The young people receive a coloured hoodie for each level they reach. Over the last year, there were 912 young leaders registered, and 926 hoodies awarded to recognise the 23,150 leadership hours gained.
Deanna Lundie Active Schools Co-ordinator Nairn Academy Cluster, said:
“Being part of the HLH Leadership Programme has shaped who I am today. It gave me the confidence, experience and passion that lead me to where I am today as an Active Schools Co-ordinator. It showed me the power of sport and leadership to inspire others and helped me realise I could be part of that impact.”
sportscotland has provided £15,000 per year since 2016 to part-fund a post which oversees the development of the programme. This is built into the partnership agreement in place with High Life Highland allowing progress and outcomes to be regularly reviewed. As a result, secondary pupils continue to be the biggest volunteer deliverer with 398 pupils (34% of total deliverers) currently supporting the delivery of the Active Schools Programme (a direct result of the leadership programme).
Through a combination of education, mentorship and real work experience, support systems are being developed that will prepare our Young Leaders to thrive in the workplace and provide a seamless transition from the Leadership Programme to employment within High Life Highland Leisure Centres and Sports Development team.
Inclusive Sports Forum: East Dunbartonshire and Woodland View ASN School
From March 2024, Active Schools in East Dunbartonshire in partnership with Woodland View ASN School have developed an ‘Inclusive Sports Forum’.
The aim of the forum has been to raise the profile and increase opportunities for children, young people and adults with additional support needs (ASN) to engage in sport and physical activity through community engagement and partnerships - working to result in better health outcomes for those with additional support needs within East Dunbartonshire.
The forum meets three times a year and includes partners from education, East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust, social work, health, Scottish Disability Sport, Disability Sport Glasgow, sportscotland, inclusive sports clubs and sport governing bodies.
As a result of the forum, East Dunbartonshire has been successful in discussing the needs and wants of pupils, along with challenges and barriers to sport.
The forum has been used to update attendees on new opportunities, such as Team United Neurodiversity Football, Kirkintilloch and Kilsyth Inclusive Water Polo, Peace Yoga and inclusive dance opportunities.
Active Schools work with schools in the area to support vulnerable pupils who are not participating in regular activity with information on clubs, taster sessions, progression into to extra-curricular clubs and community clubs.
East Dunbartonshire has seen an increase in the number of pupils attending ‘Inclusive Festivals’ including sports and activities like football, table cricket, gymnastics, and ceilidh dancing.
Find out more
- Active Schools - sportscotland the national agency for sport in Scotland
- First Minister Celebrates Active Schools Anniversary - Sport First
* Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020 - gov.scot