Student sports sessions

Active Schools rise

Active youngsters from across Monklands contributed to the busiest year to date for a nationwide sports programme.

New figures on the Active Schools initiative show that 21,418 sessions were held across North Lanarkshire during 2017- 2018, with a total of 397,350 attendances.

Overall, 22,567 individual children across the local authority area tried their hand at sports ranging from football to dance, delivered by both staff and volunteers including senior pupils during early- morning, lunchtime and after-school sessions.

The programme also aims to direct young people to community sports clubs, and the new statistics note: “Schools in North Lanarkshire have identified 2336 examples of links including extra-curricular and holiday programmes.”

Council assistant chief executive Isabelle Boyd said: “Our Active Schools programme is a real success and has transformed the way young people engage with sport and physical activity.

“Activities take place in both school and community settings to help encourage them to become more active by offering a wide range of sports to ensure they get the chance to try something new.

“We provide these opportunities by working with schools and thanks to the invaluable support we receive from our volunteers.”

SportScotland reports that an all-time high of 7.3 million participant attendances were recorded at Active Schools sessions in the last academic year, with an increase of six per cent in both numbers and sessions delivered compared to the previous 12 months.