More kids are doing sport
Increase is very welcome news
West Lothian has seen an increase in school pupils joining sports sessions.
School pupils across the county have made more than 128,000 visits to Active Schools’ supported sport and physical activity sessions in the past year – a three per cent increase on the previous 12 months.
The figures released by sportscotland, the national agency for sport, show that during the 2015/16 academic year the number of individual pupils attending extracurricular clubs has increased by eight per cent to over 7700, with 26 different sports and activities on offer.
The number of people delivering these sessions also increased to 589, an increase of nine per cent, with 516 of these volunteers.
In supporting the development of these volunteers, an inaugural coach education week was organised by the Active Schools team in October 2015, which saw 36 volunteers gain qualifications across five different sports.
Many of these volunteers were secondary pupils and opportunities to support and deliver extracurricular activity in schools saw 139 involved in Active Schools supported sessions, a 20 per cent increase on 2014/15.
Executive councillor for education Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “West Lothian Council, in partnership with sportscotland, has delivered the Active Schools programme for more than a decade. Active Schools offers opportunities for school pupils to get involved in sport and physical activity before school, during lunch and after school.
“It’s fantastic to see the number of school pupils engaging in sport and activity increasing across West Lothian. I would also like to thank the dedicated volunteers who support the Active Schools programme are playing a vital role in the learning and development of children.”
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said: “We are continuing to build a world- class system for all and now have better and stronger connections between schools, clubs, and performance sport with more opportunities for people to participate and progress.”