Sportscotland Gold status for two Uist schools

The sportscotland Gold School Sport Award was presented to staff and pupils at the schools on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th January by Jacqueline Lynn, sportscotland Head of School & Community Sport.

The School Sport Award is a national initiative that is designed to encourage schools to continuously improve physical education and sport. The Award also encourages sporting links between schools and the communities around them.

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland said: “I would like to congratulate all of the staff and pupils at Daliburgh and Balivanich for putting physical education and sport at the heart of their school and local community. They should all be extremely proud of this achievement.

“At sportscotland we’re building a world-class sporting system for everyone, and a crucial part of that is putting young people at the centre of our efforts. Working with our partners in local authorities and governing bodies of sport, we are creating closer links between physical education, school sport and club sport, which benefits young people by providing more and better opportunities to take part in sport.”

To achieve a Bronze or Silver sportscotland School Sport Award, schools self-assess their current practice. However, to gain Gold status an extensive external assessment is also carried out by an independent panel of experts.

Cllr Catriona Stewart, Chair of Education & Children’s Services at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said: “What a fantastic reward for the hard work of the staff and pupils of Daliburgh and Balivanich Primary Schools.. We are extremely grateful to the continued support from sportscotland and also proud of the work carried out by our Sport & Health team.”

Iona Brown, Acting Head Teacher, from Daliburgh Primary School said: “We believe that physical activity is an important factor in the school curriculum and enhances the development of our pupils.

Anne Graham, Head Teacher, from Balivanich Primary School said: “The staff, pupils and parents of Sgoil Bhaile a’ Mhanaich work extremely hard to provide the best possible experiences for our children and the fantastic support from our volunteers and Active Schools demonstrates how important physical activity is to us all.