A look at how Dumfries & Galloway Active Schools Network are using Active to improve competitive sport in their area.

Geographical location: South-West Scotland1
Area: Covers around 600,000 hectares
Population: Approximately 148,0302
Main towns: Dumfries (31,100 residents), Stranraer (10,900 residents), Annan (8,400) and Locharbriggs (6,100)
Population density: 60 people per square mile compared with the national Scottish average of 1684
Number of pupils: Primary- 12,138 / Secondary- 96565
Number of schools: Primary- 105 / Secondary- 176

“The furthest distance between schools measures 124 miles”

One of the primary issues that faces competitive school sports in Dumfries and Galloway is the sheer distance between schools and the costs that mount up in order to cover the travel expenses.  Dumfries and Galloway is the third largest local authority area in terms of geographical size in Scotland and yet the population density figures above reflect how remote an area it truly is.  The furthest distance between schools measures an impressive 124 miles, between Langholm Primary School to Portpatrick Primary School, which takes 3 hours and 22 minutes travel time according to the RAC.

“opportunity to break down these barriers”

The objective for Dumfries & Galloway Active Schools Network  is to provide their Leisure and Sport Service with the opportunity to break down these barriers so that physical activities and sporting prospects can be optimised.  Dumfries & Galloway have opted to set up virtual competition throughout the schools in the area using Active. This eradicates any need for travel as schools can take part in virtual competitions within their own grounds.

“a huge driver to pupils’ enthusiasm and sustained interest”

Dumfries & Galloway have found that measuring scores against other teams has been a huge driver to pupils’ enthusiasm and sustained interest in an activity.  The core of the Active software is to use comparative scoring as a basis for competitive sports.  The scoring can be put into context as it is calculated using an average so that no school is disadvantaged due to its size.  It also allows the Council to customize and reflect its target/priority sports and allows a vast range of traditional and non-traditional sports to be offered to young people.  Active also enables Sport Development Officers to identify talented individuals at a glance and for Active Schools Coordinators to offer more support to those scoring below average.  In addition, Dumfries and Galloway are given the capacity to monitor user figures, participant feedback, popularity and pupil experience of an activity without having to distribute costly and time consuming questionnaires.

Testimonial from Dumfries & Galloway Active Schools Network

A representative of Dumfries & Galloway has written a testimonial to explain how Active will improve the quality of school sports throughout the area:

‘One of the biggest barriers to inter school sport is the cost of travel. Running virtual competition using Active removes travel costs while still offering both competitive and non-competitive opportunities for pupils to participate against other young people either individually or as part of a team. Virtual competition aims to enhance and offer new inter school competition and not replace young people physically coming together to participate in sport/physical activity.

Schools can take part in a range of activities through virtual competition, and many could be new initiatives. There is no cost to schools to set up competitions, resulting in less pressure if they prove less popular or desirable.  Students will eventually be given their own passwords so they can access competitions at home and try and improve their personal performance.