Every primary school in Scotland could have access to a sports co-ordinator within the next three years after a move to extend Sportscotland’s active primary schools programme.

It was originally anticipated that there would be a sports co-ordinator working across every cluster of primary schools throughout Scotland by 2007, but it now appears that aim may be achieved sooner.

Since the project was launched 18 months ago with pound;3 million of funding over three years, building on Sportscotland’s secondary school sport co-ordinator programme, 34 clusters have been defined with sports co-ordinators working with as many as a dozen schools in some areas and as few as three in others.

Another 20 sports co-ordinators are expected to be appointed next year and Sportscotland will extend the scheme into local authorities not currently involved.

Now an additional pound;8 million is to be made available following the 2002 comprehensive spending review and a study of the first year of the pilot scheme which produced positive findings.

A primary school co-ordinator’s function is to provide the link between local clubs, agencies and individuals and build bridges between what is available in the local community. Sportscotland says it of “crucial importance” for the primary co-ordinator to work with the local secondary school sport co-ordinator and primary physical education specialist, where they exist. The aim is to increase the range, frequency and quality of opportunity for young children to participate in sport.

Stewart Harris, who was appointed director of widening opportunities at Sportscotland last March, is excited over the additional funding, although he points out that the full funding package will not be released until 2004-05.

Mr Harris, who headed up Sportscotland’s youth sport team for six years and previously worked in physical education in the primary and secondary sectors, has been given a remit to build a culture of active participation among schoolchildren and young people and build partnerships with local authorities. He points out that his sports initiatives are inextricably linked to health and education and hopes to disprove the popular view that schoolchildren, even the youngest, have become couch potatoes.

Alastair Dempster, chairman of Sportscotland, said recently: “It is vital that we do everything possible to encourage our children to become involved in regular physical activity at an early age.

“We at Sportscotland face an uphill task and initiatives like the active primary schools programme assume an ever increasing importance.”

Mr Harris says that the first 18 months of the programme have been a “revelation”. Having coached basketball to a high level for the past 20 years, he has seen first-hand how children become attracted to particular sports. Putting the correct people in the correct place is of paramount importance, he says.

“I still believe, as I have for a few years, that if children get good quality opportunities locally and are properly led, then there is no doubt that they will participate in sport.

“If there are no such schemes in place or there are not the leaders in place, then children will vote with their feet,” he says.

Twenty-four of Scotland’s 32 local authorities were involved in the active primary schools programme pilot. “That was deliberate, as we wanted to spread it as widely as possible,” Mr Harris says.

“We could have focused it on two or three authorities and put virtually one co-ordinator in each school but we wanted to spread it out as widely as we could.”

There are approximately 2,250 primary schools in Scotland (and 390 secondaries), so it is an ambitious project to get every primary involved. So far around 300 primary schools are taking part in the programme. After “a very positive year one evaluation”, Sportscotland will push ahead with plans to move it to other areas of the country.

“There are still a lot of challenges, particularly with after-school participation but there is a lot going on,” Mr Harris says. “For example, some primary schools within Angus Council are looking at physical activity in classes and taking 10-minute breaks from lessons.”

He believes that now is the time to build on the cornerstones of Sportscotland’s key initiatives, the active primary schools programme, the school sport co-ordinators and TOP Sport, which seeks to develop the skills of seven to 12-year-olds in specific sports. Too often, it seems, sports schemes come and go before they have been given a chance to fully mature.

Mr Harris is keen that Sportscotland’s three main strands, which he has been instrumental in putting in place, are given every chance to take hold, and he knows that the gains may not be experienced for some time.

“When you are investing in young people then, of course, it is a long-term investment and you will not see the full benefits for a number of years,” he says. “But I’d like to think some of the benefits will come incrementally and we’ll see some positive results soon.

“I think we’ll see the benefits in terms of participation pretty soon from the youngsters moving from P7 into S1 and then S2, having come through the active primary schools programme.

“We’re not looking to invent anything new. Now is the time for us to work on the three programmes and develop them fully. We should not be looking to change things for change’s sake.”