Edinburgh’s Schools Sports Academy is celebrating unprecedented success after 80 per cent of its pupils were selected for regional or national squads last year.

Some 90 pupils from 19 Edinburgh secondaries attend the academy, which offers badminton, basketball, cricket, cycling and football programmes.

Last year, the council set up two additional talent development programmes: an advanced player development centre for football at Meggetland Sports Complex and, for cycling, an advanced rider development centre at Liberton High.

A key focus of the Scottish Government’s 2014 Commonwealth legacy plan is the introduction of “community sporting hubs”.

Marilyne MacLaren, the city council’s education convener, said: “It’s fantastic that more young people are taking part in sport and that budding talent is being recognised and allowed to flourish through our Sports Academy. It is a benchmark for sporting excellence, and I am glad to see more pupils achieving regional and national squads.”

The council has ambitions to extend the sports academy to primary school- age children and to develop a possible collaboration with independent schools.