Fife School Aquatic Group is an exciting partnership between East Fife Sports Council, Fife Sports and Leisure Trust/Cupar Sports Centre, Bell Baxter High School (BBHS), Active Schools and Cupar and District Swimming Club.
In the academic year of 2021-22, the group funded a pilot to introduce and qualify local high school pupils in aquatics and lifeguarding, and to then deliver water safety lessons and a summer holiday camp to selected disadvantaged pupils in catchment primary schools. The work also set-up Cupar Sports Centre as a training hub in partnership with the swimming club, which has a clubhouse behind the centre that acts as the dryside classroom. The project’s aims are to deliver increased employability, to boost provision of swimming lessons locally while also supporting the local leisure industry and our community sports centre, which suffered cuts to opening hours in 2019.
In 2022-23, the group delivered swimming back into PE for all S1 pupils at BBHS, and worked with Sports Leaders to deliver water safety lessons to non-swimmers in P6 pupils at primary schools in the BB catchment area. Following on from the previous year, the project continued its employability aims by offering pupils over 16 the opportunity to take the lifeguarding (NPLQ) or swim teaching (SSTQ) qualifications. In March 2022, the project won a Sustainability Award for improving delivery of a sport and encouraging community participation.
In 2023-24 the partnership plans to continue all of the previous work, with a priority focus on school swimming for S1 pupils and ensuring this age group receive lessons in water safety. The group would also like to introduce a new leisure apprenticeship to an early school leaver, who may otherwise not consider working in the leisure industry, which would be the first of its kind.
Over the two academic years the project has delivered swimming to 368 pupils (156 girls/177 boys) and qualified 24 lifeguards and 6 swim teachers with another 6 booked to take the course in late summer (19 girls/18 boys). In its first year, 8 (5 girls/3 boys) pupils secured employment and a second recruitment drive is due.
WITH GREAT THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS
2021-22
The Scottish Government’s Rural and Island Communities Idea into Action Fund, delivered by Inspiring Scotland
2022-23
The Scottish Government’s Rural and Island Communities Idea into Action Fund, delivered by Inspiring Scotland
The Bruce Charitable Trust
Fife Properties
Essentia, administered by Foundation Scotland
