Good physical and mental health can positively impact young people’s educational performance, social skills and employment opportunities, as well as reducing obesity and anxiety.
For more than a decade, we have been promoting sport and physical activity as a route to enriching the health and wellbeing of young people, and have delivered multiple initiatives to encourage positive lifestyle choices.
In a pilot of our On Our Marks programme at Saracen Primary School in north Glasgow, we helped:
62% of children achieve 60 minutes or more of daily activity – an increase of 51% from the pre-intervention measures.
55% of their parents stated they now also achieve 60 minutes or more of daily activity – an increase of 50% from the pre-intervention measures.
“We have been able to make important links between the school and parents, our staff are more confident in delivering an active curriculum, and our Pupil Council has been involved in reviewing and improving the school's healthy eating policy by banning sweets and chocolate, in favour of fruit snacks” Evelyn Gibson, Head Teacher, Saracen Primary School
We also recently piloted our Positive Coaching Scotland programme with a small number of community sports groups who help young people in care, children living in areas of deprivation and young people with learning difficulties.
We supported their teachers and coaches to help the youngsters they work with develop life skills through sport, improving their:
understanding of how physical activity can help young people achieve more at school
ability to help young people learn from mistakes during sport / physical activity
understanding of growth and fixed mindset traits and behaviours
“The session provided education staff with coaching tools to engage young people positively in the learning process. Teachers were reminded of the importance of building a positive learning environment with young people at the centre. The emphasis on effort, challenge, struggle and learning from mistakes provided knowledge in helping pupils achieve greater levels of success.” Tom Laurie, Head Teacher at Kibble School for children who are at risk
And through our Mindset in Education programme, we are helping to reduce anxiety and develop greater self-esteem among young people as they progress through school.
“We’ve had really positive feedback from the children. We wanted to see an increase in confidence, self-esteem and that ability to bounce back. Now we’re seeing them say things like ‘I’m using my growth mindset today because this is tricky and I don’t want to give up.’ This is empowering for certain children who have historically found it tricky to bounce back when something has been difficult.” Clair Harvey, Callander Primary School, Stirling
health and wellbeing stories...
Challenging fixed mindsets to increase resilience of S2/3 pupils
Teachers revisit their school days for a lesson in growth mindset
Growth mindset making a difference in the care sector
Mindset Teams programme creating powerful impact in Scotland
Whole school approach to creating a growth mindset culture
On Our Marks project helping children be active at home and at school
Growth mindset raises aspirations of Dundee pupils
Growth mindset is building the confidence of Dundee pupils
Growth mindset creates a more positive learning environment for pupils
On Our Marks activity card - Traffic Lights - great for spatial awareness!
On Our Marks activity card - Huff & Puff with newspapers!
Mindset Teams course descriptor for 2021-22 academic session
