Active Scotland Delivery Plan

Outcome 2: We encourage and enable the active to stay active throughout life

We know from the evidence that the amount and type of physical activity we do can vary significantly throughout the courses of our lives. Establishing healthy patterns of behaviour early in life and developing basic movement skills is associated with subsequent physical activity levels. Sustaining physical activity habits through key transitions in life, as well as developing new activities and interests in line with our changing circumstances, can help us to remain active as we move through different life stages.

Ensuring the availability of a wide range of opportunities to take part in regular physical activity as part of our daily lives – in our places of study and work, as well as following retirement – is key to helping all of us to find ways to remain active which are best suited to our needs, interests and environment as these evolve throughout the course of our lives.

Key Achievements

• Between 2015 and 2019 we will have invested £50 million in Active Schools. The number of participants has risen from 270,691 in academic year 2013/14 to 293,878 in academic year 2016/17 – a rise of 8.6% in 3 years. Recent research highlighted that Active Schools participants spent an average of almost 2 hours a week on activities, and 94% said they were more motivated to be more active in the future. We are encouraging people from deprived areas to engage with sport through the programme in support of our ambitions to raise attainment.

• This investment is succeeding in addressing inequalities, as female participation is higher than male, and there is almost equal participation across Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation areas:

  Active Schools participant profile

  

  Source: sportscotland, Our Contribution to the Active Scotland Outcomes Framework

• We have invested nearly £1 million in 2017-18 to support older adults in care to become active through the Care About Physical Activity programme. Initial evaluation indicates significant impact in improving independence and mental health as well as improving balance and grip strength.
• Scotland's inaugural Women and Girls in Sport Week was held from 1-8 October 2017 to raise awareness of sport and physical activity among women and girls and the barriers to participation, and to highlight Scottish Government action to support increased participation, help women and girls to overcome barriers, and wider ambition for change.

Our Actions

1. We will encourage more pupils to take part in activity, and to be able to continue their activity in local clubs by:

• Providing more and higher quality opportunities to participate in sport in schools, before school, during lunchtime, and after school (sportscotland);
• Supporting and developing effective pathways between schools and clubs to improve the transition of pupils from schools to clubs (sportscotland).

2. We will encourage and support clubs and communities to retain participants through community sport hubs, Sports Governing Body regional development posts, and Direct Club Investment (sportscotland).

3. We will drive forward our commitment to become the first Daily Mile Nation in the world, with Scotland's nurseries, schools, colleges, universities and public and private sector undertaking and reaping the health benefits from 15 mins of daily exercise through walking, running or jogging (Active Scotland).

4. We will work to ensure everyone has access to opportunities to be active, regardless of their race or ethnicity, their disability, their gender or sexual orientation, their age or religion by:

• Working with equalities organisations to encourage the removal of barriers to participation in sport and physical activity for all under-represented groups (Active Scotland);
• Supporting the Cycling Without Age project to expand across Scotland (Active Scotland);
• Working in partnership with sports bodies to encourage participation in sport for older adults, e.g. through walking sports such as walking football, walking netball, etc. (Active Scotland);
• Expanding the Care About Physical Activity programme to support the improvement of levels of physical activity and reduction of sedentary behaviour in the care and care at home sector (Care Inspectorate).

5. We will support the promotion of physical activity in workplaces by:

• Embedding the Exemplar Physical Activity Employer programme within the Healthy Working Lives Award ( NHS Health Scotland);
• Supporting Cycle-friendly Employer and other active travel promotion programmes (Transport Scotland).