Active Schools in Action

Read our stories of dedicated volunteers and game-changing inclusive projects. You'll also find new leadership opportunities empowering young people in our schools and local communities.

Woodland View School was awarded the prestigious sportscotland 'School of the Year' title at the Scottish Sport Awards in recognition of its outstanding commitment to physical activity and sport. The national honour celebrates the school's dedication to championing inclusive sport for learners with additional support needs, ensuring every pupil has access to a wide range of engaging activities.  

Over the past year, the Active Schools team partnered closely with school staff to offer pupils the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities such as - dance, tennis, table cricket, football, gymnastics, swimming, softball, taekwondo, rugby, netball, and boccia. This strong collaboration has helped engage local clubs, develop coaches in inclusive practices, support attendance at community festivals, and establish a thriving Young Leader programme.

Volunteering with Active Schools throughout my time at university has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my degree. Delivering after-school sports clubs and completing sport-specific training has allowed me to develop my confidence, leadership, and coaching skills while gaining valuable practical experience working with children.

I would like to give a special thanks to Hannah (ASC), who always took time out of her busy day to meet with me, offer guidance, and help me plan sessions whenever I needed support. Her encouragement and willingness to help made a huge difference to my confidence and development.

I would also like to thank Karen (ASC) for helping me become more involved with Woodland View. This was an invaluable experience that gave me the opportunity to work in a different setting, broaden my skills, and grow both personally and professionally.

Overall, volunteering with Active Schools East Dunbartonshire has been incredibly beneficial to both my university studies and my future career aspirations as a PE teacher. It has provided experiences that I wouldn’t have gained elsewhere, and I have genuinely loved being involved. I am very grateful for all the opportunities, support, and encouragement I have received throughout my volunteering journey.

In partnership with sportscotland and the Youth Sport Trust, the Active Schools team delivered the Fit for Girls (FFG) programme this year to tackle barriers to female participation and empower young women to lead positive change across our schools and local community.  

As part of the initiative, S3 FFG Ambassadors completed two interactive training workshops at Kirkintilloch Town Hall, where they shared their personal sporting journeys and developed practical strategies to engage their peers. Following these workshops, a co-led FFG Workforce Event brought together over 60 delegates - including secondary school staff, local sports clubs, EDLC staff, and Scottish Governing Bodies for Rugby, Golf, and Athletics to turn the Ambassadors' visions into direct action.  

Attendees praised the workforce event as “inspiring”, “inclusive”, and “fantastic”. Ultimately, the Fit for Girls programme has established active female role models in secondary schools while strengthening community club pathways for girls and young women across East Dunbartonshire. 

Thanks to funding secured from the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF), the EDLC Active Schools and Community Sport (ASCS) team successfully delivered free, targeted sports provision for pupils across 13 schools in East Dunbartonshire. Reaching 228 participants across Woodland View ASN School as well as 12 Primary School ELR and Nurture units, the project delivered 6 blocks of swimming, 3 blocks of gymnastics, and 12 blocks of multi-sport activities. By combining curriculum-time activity, extra-curricular clubs, swimming and gymnastics, the initiative broke down participation barriers, built movement confidence and connected families directly with their local EDLC leisure facilities.  

The results were overwhelmingly positive - 100% of surveyed pupils enjoyed the sessions, and 100% of school staff reported an increase in pupil confidence. To create long-term pathways, families received free swim passes upon completion of their child's activity block, alongside family showcase events that welcomed new users into local leisure centres. The project also ensured long-term sustainability by providing schools with inclusive sports equipment and upskilling EDLC coaches through inclusion-specific training and mentoring from the Active Schools team.  

What People Said:

• "Super duper amazingly fun!" - programme participant.
• "There is a mix of pupils who are engaging in lots of activity outwith school and those who do not do any activity outwith school, so we're hoping to change this as a result of the leisure centre visits." - parent. 
• "There would be a good news story for every child that took part. The professionalism of the coaches was outstanding. The sessions were completely invaluable." - school staff.

The partnership between East Dunbartonshire Active Schools Team and Bishopbriggs Golf Club has gone from strength to strength, with over 300 young people introduced to the sport this year and 52 becoming junior members at BGC.

The club once again held junior open evenings, following the success of these events in previous years.Families from all eight Bishopbriggs primary and secondary schools were invited to take part. Young people aged 9-15 years received free coaching, while parents/carers found out about the Learn to Golf programme and various memberships available.

As the open evenings could only accommodate a maximum of 48 pupils, volunteer coaches from the club agreed to also visit local primary schools to deliver taster sessions. These ran at Thomas Muir and Meadowburn Primary Schools during their health and wellbeing weeks. Primary six and seven classes were taught the basics of driving and putting which, as a new activity to so many, was very well received by both staff and pupils.

Going forward, the club are keen to work with Active Schools and local Fit for Girls Ambassadors, to focus on increasing girls’ participation in golf.

This year saw the launch of the Bearsden Academy boccia festivals. Working alongside ELR staff at the school, Active Schools delivered two tailored training sessions for senior ELR pupils using Boccia Leaders resources from Boccia England.

Equipped with new skills, these Young Leaders planned and hosted an initial festival for local schools. The leaders led interactive target games before joining visiting staff and pupils for some matches. The event was such a success that it sparked three additional festivals, driving participant attendance from 6 to 19 pupils, fully supported by 5 Young Leaders from Bearsden Academy.  

Building on this momentum, the Young Leaders expanded their impact beyond the school gates by running boccia sessions at a local care home. Looking ahead to 2026–27, Active Schools aims to build on this foundation by developing a dedicated Primary Schools Boccia League.