27/03/2026
👏 Well done to our hub members Ross High Sport Active Schools and P.E Tranent Active Schools and East Lothian Active Schools.
A brilliant write‑up highlighting the incredible impact Active Schools has across Scotland, especially here in East Lothian. This really showcases the power of partnership working in our communities, and the vital role our hub plays in connecting clubs, schools, volunteers, and local organisations.
We’re proud to see the difference being made through collaborative efforts that help children and young people get active, stay engaged, and try new sports and activities.
👇 Read the full story below — it’s well worth a look!
New research has highlighted the positive impact of Active Schools programmes across Scotland. This has come as no surprise to our team here in East Lothian where they develop opportunities for all age groups and interests.
Active Schools Team Leader Gareth Hill is passionate about helping children and young access sports and physical activities across the county.
Launched 20 years ago, the programme promotes healthy lifestyles in schools which pupils can take forward with them into adulthood.
Since joining the team in 2012, Gareth has seen thousands of youngsters benefit from their involvement in everything from swimming to shinty.
“If it’s an activity or sport which gets a child moving, that’s what we’re looking to provide,” he said. “It’s about removing barriers to participation and making sure every child has a chance to receive the best start in life.”
A report published earlier this month showed the difference the Active Schools scheme is making, with 280,000 children and young people on Scotland’s school roles taking part in its activities.
The figures in East Lothian are equally impressive, with more than 6000 participants in free Active Schools programmes ranging from P1 to S6.
Gareth said: “We try to create opportunities for children to participate in sport and physical activity either before, during or after school. We recruit volunteers to run these activities, whether that’s parents, carers, teachers, or local coaches, clubs and groups.
“A club may have spaces available and, through working in partnership, we can arrange free spaces for a number of weeks so new youngsters can come along. Cost can be an issue for some parents, so this gives their child a chance to try a sport to see if they like it before signing up.
“We want to offer as wide a range of activities as possible, whether that’s football, rugby, tennis, badminton, netball, running, the list goes on.
“And that brings with it all kinds of benefits from improving a child’s health and wellbeing to encouraging social engagement and making friendships.”
Active Schools East Lothian is a joint initiative between us and sportscotland which provide its funding. Each primary coordinator is in charge of building programmes for between five and nine schools while secondary coordinators in individual high schools are responsible for developing sport and physical activities.
Gareth is also the coordinator for the primary schools in Dunbar, East Linton, Innerwick, Stenton, West Barns and Athelstaneford.
He added: “At the moment, 33 per cent of children and young people in East Lothian are active through Active Schools. That’s an increase of seven per cent on last year and we’re always trying to find ways to expand further.
"We work with a number of schools on the sportscotland School Sport Award. Currently, there are two Gold Award schools in the county, with numerous schools having achieved Silver and Bronze, and two more schools are aiming to achieve Gold by this summer.
“In addition, we have our Future Leaders scheme, which starts in P6 and P7 and goes to S6, where a pupil can assist in the running of an activity or club. As well as developing transferrable leadership skills, that will help to create the next generation of volunteers.”
Find out more about Active Schools East Lothian here: https://orlo.uk/y89bF
