Sport
Sport covers a wide range of activities that can encourage children and young people to be physically active. The lead organisation for developing sport in Scotland is sportscotland, which has many programmes that support schools, councils and sport governing bodies to provide sporting opportunities for young people across the country.
Research shows that young people who experience a wide variety of sports activities are more likely to be active adults. Therefore it is important that they have opportunities to try different sports throughout their school years. It is also vital that they have qualified coaches who understand and enjoy working with young people.
Sport can contribute to a positive and supportive school ethos. Recognising and celebrating sporting achievements, at any level, is an important part of school life. Sport can also help pupils to develop skills like balance, flexibility, hand–eye coordination, stamina and concentration.
Team sports can give pupils a sense of belonging, as well as challenging them to work in a group and to develop team skills. It is important that team sports are inclusive and allow all pupils to develop at their own pace in a supportive and secure environment.
Sports leadership
There are many opportunities to develop leadership skills through sport at school – either by means of formal qualifications or simply through participation. Many schools use sports leadership as a way to develop enterprise and citizenship skills in their senior pupils. There are a variety of leadership programmes being delivered through the Active Schools programme, at both primary and secondary levels.
Sports Leaders UK offer training to schools and community organisations through a variety of different awards. For more information contact Gary Coupe (tel: 01324 874983 or e-mail: gcoupe@sportsleaders.org).
Coaching qualifications
For sport to be enjoyable and worthwhile, it is vital that the leader has appropriate experience and qualifications. The majority of Scottish sport governing bodies have developed coaching qualifications that support schools and community groups working with children and young people. Schools should ensure that their coaches have the appropriate qualifications and undergo the necessary disclosure checks; school coaches should also show empathy and enthusiasm for working with young people of all abilities.
For more information on coaching courses and in service training tel: 0131 317 7200 or visit the sportscotland website.
TOP programmes
TOP programmes support primary schools and community organisations as they work to increase childrens' physical activity and skill levels and encourage involvement in sport.
The TOP programmes are:
- TOP Play, introducing children aged between four and nine years to core sports skills, such as throwing, catching, running and jumping
- TOP Sport, helping children aged between seven and 12 years to develop the skills needed for specific sports.
The three key components of the programmes are training, resource cards and equipment. These are designed to provide easy-to-understand and accessible support, giving children a high quality, fun introduction to physical education (PE) and sport.
TOP programmes are delivered through the PE primary specialist network and the Active Schoolsand sports development network. For more information, contact the National Development Officer, Hazel Williamson (tel: 0131 472 3327) or visit the Youth Sport Trust website.
Sporting Champions
The Sporting Champions scheme arranges for top sporting stars to visit schools, encouraging young people to participate in sport and to adopt healthy, active lifestyles.
Not everyone has the ability to make it to the top, but giving young people an insight into the lifestyle of top athletes can encourage them to make positive life choices. Although the scheme uses prominent personalities who have been successful in their sport, it focuses on participation in sport rather than on sporting excellence.
Champions are involved in a range of activities, including:
- visits to primary, secondary and special schools
- presentation of cups, certificates and badges
- speaking about their experiences at school assemblies and to small groups of young people
- coaching groups of young people, passing on their knowledge and enthusiasm.
For further information please contact Tina Reid at PMP Consultants (tel: 0131 243 2594).
Awards for All
This is a lottery funded programme that gives small grants of between £500 and £10,000 to help small groups with community-based projects.
Grants are available to groups that help people take part in sport, arts, heritage, social, environmental, health-related, educational and other community activities.
For further information visit the Awards for All website.
London Olympics 2012
'On Your Marks!' is an online education toolkit focusing on the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The website provides schools and young people across the UK with a range of up-to-date information about the Games - including factsheets, news articles and a bank of images for use at home or in school.
Targeted at 7-14-year-olds, it also provides a number of cross-curricular teaching ideas to help teachers and support staff to integrate these resources into their teaching within the classroom. The materials are the first step in the development of the London 2012 Education Programme.
