School Healthy Living Survey statistics 2022

Information from an annual survey carried out in February each year of all publicly funded schools in Scotland on registration for free school meals, uptake of school meals (both free and paid for) and PE.


Chapter 2: Physical Education

Background

Increased physical activity can have a positive impact on a pupil's health, educational attainment and life chances. In 2011, the Scottish Government made a commitment to ensure that by 2014, every pupil will benefit from at least two hours of Physical Education in primary school and two periods (100 minutes) in S1 to S4 per week.

To monitor progress in meeting this commitment, questions on Physical Education provision in schools have been included in the Healthy Living Survey since 2012. The survey reported on here was conducted in the week beginning 21 February 2022.

Last year, the impact of COVID-19 and resulting disruption to schools resulted in data on PE provision being collected from primary and secondary schools in May 2021. The PE commitment information returned was reflective of typical provision in the summer term in 2021, rather than reflecting a single day in February as in all other years. However, COVID guidance at the time of the survey advised that all physical activity should only be taken outdoors. This may have affected some schools' ability to meet the PE commitment.

Key Findings

In 2022,

  • 99 per cent of all primary and secondary schools combined (2,326 of 2,354) were meeting the target level of PE provision, an increase from 96 per cent in 2021 but the same as in 2020.
  • 99 per cent of primary schools (1,983 of 1,999) were providing at least 120 minutes of PE to all pupils, an increase from 97 per cent in 2021 and similar to the almost 100 per cent in 2020.
  • 97 per cent of secondary schools (344 of 356) were providing at least 100 minutes of PE to all pupils in S1 to S4, an increase from 92 per cent in 2021 and 94 per cent in 2020.
  • The data shows that provision is lowest for S4 at 97 per cent, up from 92 per cent in 2021. Focusing on S1 to S3, 99 per cent of secondary schools (354 of 356) were meeting the target, the same as in 2021.

For schools which are not meeting the required amount of PE, the main reasons given are lack of facilities, problems with timetabling, and COVID-related absences and mitigations.

School level PE data is available in the supplementary tables.

Table 2a: Percentage of primary schools meeting PE target 1 by local authority, 2017 to 2022
  Percentage
Local Authority 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Aberdeen City 100.0 97.9 100.0 100.0 95.8 97.9
Aberdeenshire 98.7 98.7 99.3 100.0 98.7 100.0
Angus 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 88.2 96.1
Argyll and Bute 97.5 97.5 100.0 98.8 92.4 100.0
City of Edinburgh 96.6 100.0 100.0 97.7 100.0 100.0
Clackmannanshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Dumfries and Galloway 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Dundee City 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
East Ayrshire 97.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 97.5 100.0
East Dunbartonshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
East Lothian 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 94.1 94.3
East Renfrewshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Falkirk 100.0 100.0 98.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Fife 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.2 100.0 100.0
Glasgow City 97.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 95.7 100.0
Highland 100.0 98.8 100.0 98.8 97.1 95.3
Inverclyde 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Midlothian 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 93.8 100.0
Moray 91.3 100.0 100.0 97.8 100.0 100.0
Na h-Eileanan Siar 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
North Ayrshire 96.0 95.9 98.0 98.0 100.0 100.0
North Lanarkshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Orkney Islands 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 90.5
Perth and Kinross 100.0 97.2 100.0 100.0 95.7 100.0
Renfrewshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 91.8 98.0
Scottish Borders 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Shetland Islands 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
South Ayrshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 97.6 100.0
South Lanarkshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 92.8 100.0
Stirling 100.0 100.0 97.4 100.0 94.7 100.0
West Dunbartonshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
West Lothian 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 97.0 100.0
Scotland2 99.1 99.5 99.8 99.6 97.4 99.2

1. Target provision of Physical Education refers to at least 120 minutes per week in primary.

2. The Scotland total excludes Jordanhill. For more information see background note 3.3.

Table 2b: Percentage of secondary schools (S1 to S4) meeting PE target 1 by local authority, 2020 to 2022
Percentage
  2020 2021 S1 S2 S3 S4 2022
Aberdeen City 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Aberdeenshire 94.1 94.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 94.1 94.1
Angus 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Argyll and Bute 70.0 80.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
City of Edinburgh 95.7 95.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Clackmannanshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Dumfries and Galloway 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Dundee City 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
East Ayrshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
East Dunbartonshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
East Lothian 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
East Renfrewshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Falkirk 75.0 62.5 100.0 100.0 100.0 87.5 87.5
Fife 88.9 72.2 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Glasgow City 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Highland 89.7 79.3 100.0 100.0 93.1 79.3 79.3
Inverclyde 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Midlothian 100.0 83.3 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Moray 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Na h-Eileanan Siar 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
North Ayrshire 77.8 88.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
North Lanarkshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Orkney Islands 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Perth and Kinross 72.7 81.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Renfrewshire 100.0 90.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 90.9 90.9
Scottish Borders 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Shetland Islands 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
South Ayrshire 87.5 62.5 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
South Lanarkshire 94.1 94.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 94.1 94.1
Stirling 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
West Dunbartonshire 60.0 40.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 80.0 80.0
West Lothian 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 90.9 90.9
Scotland2 94.1 91.6 100.0 100.0 99.4 96.6 96.6

1. Target provision of Physical Education refers to at least 100 minutes per week in secondary timetabled periods.

2. The Scotland total excludes Jordanhill. For more information see background note 3.3.

Contact

Email: school.stats@gov.scot

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