Tennis coach Judy Murray has issued a call for physical education to be prioritised in all schools across Scotland, as she unveiled the expansion of a programme aimed at keeping girls active.
Ms Murray, mother to tennis players Jamie and Sir Andy Murray, emphasised that engaging in sport fosters crucial life skills such as leadership, resilience, and communication, while also delivering significant benefits to young people’s physical and mental health.
She advocated for a minimum of 40 minutes of daily exercise for youngsters, stating unequivocally that “physical literacy is just as important as numerical and alphabetical literacy.”
This announcement coincides with the growth of her ‘Learn to Lead’ scheme. The initiative is designed to equip and empower young girls, nurturing them to become Scotland’s future sporting leaders by supporting them in establishing and managing their own lunchtime and after-school clubs.
Following an investment from Sky, the scheme will now be available in 50 more schools.
A recent report commissioned by the broadcaster found that girls aged 11-18 miss out on 280 million hours of sport every year compared to boys.
It also found that playing sport as a child was as strong an indicator of future success as earning a university degree.
To announce the expansion, Ms Murray returned on Tuesday to Dunblane Primary School, the school both she and her sons attended as youngsters.
Ms Murray said: “Children are now living lives that are far too sedentary, often spending much of their spare time in front of screens.
“Sporting activities offer children and young people not just fun and fitness, but the opportunity to develop life skills and lifelong friendships in a way that sitting in front of a screen cannot.
“That is why physical education should be made a priority in all schools in Scotland, giving all children equal opportunity to participate.”
As well as encouraging active lifestyles, Murray said she wants her programme to help girls build confidence and take on leadership roles.
She added: “Learn to Lead is about inspiring and supporting the next generation of sporting leaders, keeping them engaged throughout their schooldays and beyond, and perhaps even providing the first step into a career in sport.
“But we also want to create opportunities to build confidence and self-esteem before they move up to secondary school.
“Leadership opportunities for young people are few and far between. For me, the opportunities to first begin developing my leadership skills came from school and having the opportunity to captain my school tennis and hockey teams.
“It’s through this that I started to develop my communication skills, learning how to identify strengths and weaknesses, and how best to get my teams working together.
“The life skills you develop from being part of sport are second to none and really help you to prepare for what adulthood will throw at you.”
Sky chief sports officer Jonathan Licht said: “As the UK’s leading investor in women’s sport, we are committed to using our platform to grow visibility and boost grassroots participation.
“The Game Changing report released earlier this year highlights the vital role that sport plays in developing confidence, communication, and teamwork skills that extend far beyond the court.
“We’re proud to support Judy Murray’s Learn to Live initiative to double the number of schools involved, giving more girls the opportunity and resources to engage in sport and help create the next generation of female leaders.”
.png?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800 "The amount you need to earn to be middle-class in America’s biggest cities – UK Times")