With just 59% of school-aged children meeting the recommended daily levels of physical activity, the start of the new school term is the perfect time to get kids moving. Edinburgh Leisure is encouraging families to help their children discover their next big passion through sport by signing up for one of its fun and engaging coaching courses.
With a spotlight on three exciting sports – Diving, Climbing, and Tennis – the campaign encourages children aged P1 and up to try something new, build skills, and have fun in a supportive, expert-led environment. Whether they’re scaling new heights, making a splash, or smashing their first serve, there’s something for everyone.
Angela McCowan, Sports Development Manager at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We want to encourage parents to give their children a new exciting hobby to look forward to this term and sport could be their next big thing. As the leading provider of sports and leisure facilities, we have a wide range of
coaching opportunities available across our venues for all abilities.
“Sports coaching offers so much more than just learning the game or skill – it helps children build confidence, develop strong listening and communication skills, and stay active in line with recommended exercise levels. It’s about nurturing life skills through movement, teamwork, and fun – giving every child the chance to grow both on and off the court, pitch, or pool.”
It is recommended that children and young people aged 5-18 years should aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity daily, with some of this activity being bone and muscle strengthening.
Preschoolers, aged 3-5 years, should be active throughout the day, with at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.
In Scotland, it is estimated that approximately 69-71% of children aged 5-15 meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, including school-based activities. When excluding school-based activities, this figure drops to about 59%. There’s a notable age-related decline, with younger children (5-7 years old) being more active (around 80%) than older teens (13-15 years old) (around 60%).
Why Join?
- Fun and friendly coaching for all abilities
- Expert instructors to guide every step
- A great way to stay active, make friends, and build confidence
- Flexible options across the city
Parents and guardians are encouraged to visit https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/coaching-activities/ to explore available sessions and sign up.
Let this term be the start of something big – because Diving, Climbing, or Tennis could be their next big thing.
Primary school-aged children in Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool experienced a vital water safety lesson when visited by Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray MSP.
Together with preschool lessons, the water safety session was a firm reminder of the importance of children learning to swim and having basic water safety skills to keep them safer in and around water.
Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray MSP commented, “I was pleased to hear about the children’s positive experiences on their journey to become safe and competent swimmers thanks to water safety lessons at the Royal Commonwealth Pool. “We will continue to work closely with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and other partners to help ensure that every child is given the opportunity to learn to swim.”
John Lunn CEO of Scottish Swimming commented,“Learning to swim is a critical life skill and the core skills of floating and treading water that we have seen today are crucial to give children the water safety skills they need to be safer in, on and around water. Our unique geography in Scotland with thousands of lochs and miles of coastline means danger is never far away so it is critical that children learn vital water safety and swimming skills through school swimming and learn to swim programmes.”
The Scottish Swimming National Learn to Swim Framework, supported by Scottish Water and delivered by 37 providers across Scotland, including Edinburgh Leisure, teaches over 80,000 children every week to be confident, safer and competent swimmers.
Angela McCowan, Sports Development Manager at Edinburgh Leisure commented: “We take pride in being the largest provider of swimming lessons in Edinburgh, with a strong emphasis on water safety in all our teachings. Ensuring that this vital life skill is accessible to everyone is paramount to Edinburgh Leisure and is demonstrated by the 7694 children who learn to swim with us weekly. For School Swimming, Edinburgh Council deliver sessions across the city reaching around 5000 children.”
As well as Learn to Swim, the Scottish Swimming National Primary School Swimming Framework, piloted in 10 Local Authorities, offers flexible school swimming delivery models while maintaining a consistent approach to ensuring all children learn the basics of water safety and swimming skills to be safer in, on and around water.
As an island nation with 11800 km of coastline and 30000 inland waters, water safety is a life-saving skill which all children need access to. School swimming is the only way to ensure fair and equal access to basic swimming and water safety skills for all children.