Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Schools hit sports gold
Experts give top marks for delivery
Ten Monklands schools have struck gold by earning prestigious accreditation from sportscotland.
St Ambrose, St Andrew’s and Coatbridge high schools have all earned the gold level of the organisation’s school sport award – as have All Saints, Glengowan, Golfhill, Rochsolloch, St Andrew’s, St Augustine’s and Victoria primaries.
It is awarded for “innovation and achievement in delivering school sport”, assessed by an independent panel of experts – with criteria including increasing pupils’ participation opportunities, involving them in planning and decision- making; and making sporting links with the local community.
Responding to the Airdrie school’s accreditation, a Victoria Primary spokesperson told the Advertiser: “We are delighted, and extremely proud, to have won a gold school sport award.
“Three years ago we recognised that we needed to make improvements in school sport; the sportscotland self-assessment tool helped us identify the key areas for improvement.
“Our whole school community was committed to progressing these developments, so having this hard work and commitment recognised at this level is very important to us and makes it all worthwhile.
“It is evident that the increased opportunities provided in school sport have had a positive impact across different areas of the curriculum.
“We now see children who are better focused and motivated to learn, allowing them to find more success in their learning as a result.
“Having reached the gold award standard, we will continue to self- reflect to ensure children’s opportunities and engagement in PE and school sport are maintained in the school.”
The new awards more than double North Lanarkshire’s tally of gold-standard schools, with the 2018 recipients joining 12 existing local award holders including Chapelhall, St Aloysius, St Bartholomew’s, St David’s, St Serf ’s and Tollbrae primaries.
A further 13 Monklands schools currently have silver awards and three have bronze in the scheme, funded by the National Lottery.
Sportscotland chief executive Stewart Harris congratulated the award winners, saying: said: “They’re putting sport right at the heart of their school and community and should be proud of this fantastic achievement.
“It’s great to be able to recognise more schools than ever and shows that pupils, staff and parents across the country see the undoubted value in having sport as a crucial part of school life.”
North Lanarkshire education convener Frank McNally added: “The awards demonstrate the commitment of our schools, supported by Active Schools coordinators and other staff, to put sport and physical activity at the forefront of pupils’ minds and ensure it’s exciting, accessible and available for all.”