Pupils at Keir Hardie Memorial Primary School had a golden celebration with a fun-packed sports day after achieving the prestigious SportScotland Gold Award status.
The top award acknowledged the Motherwell based primary school’s commitment and dedication to providing a wide range of sports and physical activities for pupils to engage in.
With a focus on holistic development, the school offers a number of options for young people including taekwondo, rugby, football, basketball, dance, athletics, cycling and badminton through lunchtime and after-school clubs. Since August, the school has provided 20 different sports clubs, including taster-sessions, with 78% of children participating in at least one club.
Head Teacher Shirley Queen explained: “The Sports Committee began its journey last session and achieved Silver, they quickly realised how close they were to Gold and made it their aim.
“They worked with Mrs Tomney our Principal Teacher and Lauren Gilbert our Active Schools Coach to form their plan. I’m so proud of the leadership displayed by the pupils and the engagement from parents and local sports clubs who have been working with us. The sports activities were not just for the pupils to participate in. We have had parents leading clubs, parents participating in clubs and pupils leading clubs.
“I would just like to say a massive thanks to everyone involved and to the local sports clubs who have come into the school and delivered sessions for our pupils.”
Angela Campbell, Convener of Education, Children and Families visiting the school to congratulate them on their success said: “This is a truly outstanding achievement for the whole school community.
“I’m so pleased for all the teaching and support staff who have put in so much effort to gain this status. The award highlights the commitment to boosting pupils’ physical and mental wellbeing and giving them the chance to participate in activities they might not normally get the opportunity to take part in. Hopefully, these sporting opportunities will inspire these young people to pursue their sporting talents in the years to come.”
The SportScotland School Sport Award is a National Lottery-funded initiative designed to encourage schools to continuously improve physical education (PE) and school sport opportunities.