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The Physical Education Review Group (PERG) was set up by Scottish ministers as a direct result of the recommendations in Let’s Make Scotland More Active. In my response to the PERG report, I set out my three key aims for physical education: to provide more time, more teachers and more choice.

I have committed to physical education being reviewed as a priority in the 2nd phase of the curriculum review to ensure that there is sufficient flexibility within the curriculum to accommodate the provision of at least two hours of good quality physical education for each child every week.

My commitment to provide 400 additional PE teachers by 2008 will be delivered in a number of ways. The entry requirements for Post Graduate Certificate of Education in Physical Education have already been revised to widen access to a teaching qualification in PE. A further postgraduate initial teacher education course will commence this September at Edinburgh University. We also intend to open discussion with providers of initial teacher education and continuing professional development to provide additional opportunities for existing teachers to develop PE specialisms.

Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) held four regional seminars in March, for local authorities and schools, to raise awareness of the PERG report and my commitment to two hours of PE. The seminars provided a platform to: discuss the key issues; demonstrate a few examples of good practice; and encourage schools to start developing solutions to met local circumstances. LTS will now build on this by working with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education to gather and disseminate best practice delivery of two hours quality and progressive PE programmes.

The Executive funds the employment of Active School Managers, Active School Co-ordinators and School Travel Co-ordinators in each local authority area. Active School Co-ordinators are preparing a coherent programme of high-quality opportunities for children to be active for one hour a day including travel to and from school. School Travel Co-ordinators in most local authority areas are planning events for this year’s “walk to school week” in May and the Executive’s “choose the school walk” posters will be used to promote many of these events. The Executive has profiled the issue of safe and active travel to school through our healthyliving communications campaign.

Local authorities have been awarded allocations totalling £26.61 million over this and the next two financial years for Safer Routes to School and Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets projects. Over the same period allocations totalling £33.9 million have been awarded for 20mph speed limits around schools and related safety projects.

The Scottish Executive is funding a national development officer for Play@Home, a physical activity programme for children from birth to five years. This programme provides parents with guidance on safe and beneficial ways of handling a child to stimulate motor and sensory development within the home. Funding will support all NHS boards to train health visitors in the use of this resource.

In addition, NHS Health Scotland’s resource the Ready, Steady, Baby Book for new parents and children up to the age of three has been updated to include more information about physical activity.

Two websites have been developed to raise public awareness and knowledge of physical activity. One forms part of the Healthyliving national campaign and is available at http://www.healthyliving.gov.uk/physicalactivity/. The other is a new physical activity section which has been added to the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Introduction/Introduction.

We are also establishing a Scottish Physical Activity Alliance - a network of evidence providers, policy-makers and practitioners. One role of the Alliance will be to compile local and national information on physical activity programs, projects and trends and to highlight and publicise current activities nationwide. Information will be disseminated through a range of communication channels such as an electronic newsletter, website and promotional materials. NHS Health Scotland are taking this work forward in 2005-06.

We have created an overall communication programme for physical activity as part of the Healthyliving campaign. The public health education elements of the communication programme, which is designed to support behaviour change, include mass media advertising, PR, website and advice line for the general public.

To develop closer, effective communication with the physical activity workforce and special interest groups we are establishing a Scottish Physical Activity Alliance. NHS Health Scotland are taking this work forward in 2005-06.

Health education is the main function of NHS Health Scotland augmented by the work being carried out across Scotland by the NHS and by all community planning partners.

The Scottish Executive is funding a national development officer for Play@Home, the physical activity programme for children from birth to five years. This will allow all NHS boards to train health visitors in use of this resource from birth onwards.

In addition, NHS Health Scotland’s resource the Ready, Steady, Baby Book for new parents and children up to the age of three has been updated to include more information about physical activity.

With the publication of Let’s Make Scotland More Active in 2003, a designated policy team for physical activity has been established within the Scottish Executive’s Health Improvement Strategy Division.

Delivery of the physical activity strategy is facilitated by key partners including sportscotland, NHS Health Scotland, COSLA, the NHS, Scottish Natural Heritage, Greenspace Scotland, Paths for All, Scottish Sports Association as well as other departments of the Scottish Executive such as education, transport, environment, planning.

Responsibility for the co-ordination of the efforts of all partners to progress implementation of the Physical Activity Strategy lies with the Scottish Executive’s Health Improvement Strategy Division.

In 2005 the Scottish Physical Activity and Health Council was established. This Council comprises of policy, evidence and delivery experts who will advise the Scottish Executive and its partners on strategic issues that affect implementation of the Physical Activity Strategy.

We are seeking to ensure that every child in Scotland has access to services to support them in being active enough to meet the minimum activity level required for health. The Executive has invested £24 million in Active Schools and over 600 Active School Co-ordinators will be recruited by 2007, with some of these in special educational needs schools. They will increase the levels of activity among school aged children, irrespective of ethnicity or ability, by developing programmes of high quality opportunities to enable them to participate in regular, frequent, safe and fun activities incorporating physical activity, sport, play and active travel.

The Executive is committed to the continuous evaluation and monitoring of programmes to ensure that they are effective and are of high quality.

Sportscotland has developed an Evaluation Strategy which aims to:

ensure that adequate systems are in place to evaluate sportscotland’s investments in sport in Scotland;

ensure that the work of sportscotland is informed by sound, objective and independent evaluations;

ensure that necessary resources and experience are available to evaluate the functions of sportscotland, and

outline an initial plan for evaluating sportscotland’s investment in sport for 2003-07.

Integral monitoring and evaluation of Active Schools arrangements will focus on the number of teachers, coaches and leaders involved in delivery and participation numbers across all age groups. An independent evaluation has also been commissioned.

The Physical Education Review Group (PERG) was set up by Scottish ministers as a direct result of the recommendations in Let’s Make Scotland More Active. In my response to the PERG report, I set out my three key aims for physical education: to provide more time, more teachers and more choice.

Within the wider programme of achieving these key aims, Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) held four regional seminars in March, for local authorities and schools, to raise awareness of the PERG report and my commitment to two hours of PE. The seminars provided a platform to: discuss the key issues; demonstrate a few examples of good practice, and encourage schools to start developing solutions to meet local circumstances. LTS will now build on this by working with HMIe to gather and disseminate best practice delivery of two hours quality and progressive PE programmes. We have also begun discussions with providers of continuous professional development to provide additional opportunities for primary teachers to enhance their qualifications to support more physical activity in schools.