Ford drives home the healthy message

Caption: Scotland and Edinburgh Rugby player, Ross Ford, joins pupils from Peebles High School in admiring their efforts for the Tortilla Challenge

     Scotland and   Edinburgh Rugby player Ross Ford, visited Peebles High School as part of the QMS sponsored initiative – School of Rugby. 

The CashBack for Communities funded programme will offer a catalyst to motivate and develop some of Scotland’s young people. It will also aim to create an environment where sport makes a significant contribution to the delivery of “A Curriculum for Excellence,” playing a central role in the life of the school. 

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) are sponsors of the School of Rugby’s nutritional programme and their Health and Education coordinator and qualified dietitian Jennifer Robertson commented on how the sponsorship builds on the QMS existing health and education programme. 

She said: “Pupils will have an opportunity to ask Ross about his diet and the part red meat plays in his meal plans and the nutritional benefits it provides with everyone involved in playing the QMS Proteens Quiz.” 

“The highlight of our visit is the “wrap challenge” where Ross and some of the pupils are tested to see how much they have remembered, by making healthy tortilla wraps with a range of ingredients offered. The trick is to choose the healthy option!” 

Paul Fagan, Deputy Rector for Peebles High School said “Peebles High School is tremendously pleased with the impact the School of Rugby has had on our pupils. As a result of this joint Scottish Rugby and Scottish Borders Council initiative the 26 pupils involved have a fantastic opportunity to actively develop their capacity to be confident, responsible, effective and successful.   

“The leadership and meticulous management of Mr Bertram who manages our School of Rugby programme, has ensured that already the pupils have shown a more positive attitude toward rugby and sport in general. The pupils have also applied their learning out with the classroom or rugby field and are showing a more positive attitude to school and an increased conviction towards adopting a healthy lifestyle.  These successes have been recognised by staff, pupil and parents.’’   

Scottish Rugby’s Head of Community Rugby, Colin Thomson said: “Scottish Rugby believes that school sport plays an important role in the education of youngsters.  

“Through the Schools of Rugby initiative we aim to develop youngsters into confident and competent individuals, showing the positive impact sport has on them and on the school communities they come from. “So far we have established partnerships with 17 schools in Scotland, all of varying playing levels, who have committed to establishing and developing this initiative in their school community. “We believe passionately that, by working with the education sector and the selected schools, we will demonstrate the educational benefits of rugby to young people and their communities.” 

The initiative will provide a context for learning inside and outside of the classroom, allowing all pupils to experience rugby, and improve their fitness and physical literacy. This in turn will contribute to an enhanced educational experience in each of the participating schools. 

Each School of Rugby will be supported with a package of resources, enabling more staff to deliver a thriving rugby programme across the school including a focused curricular programme for a number of S1 pupils. 

The broad rugby programme consists of rugby teams at all ages, opportunities for the development of girls’ teams and non-playing opportunities for senior pupils, in rugby coaching, refereeing, volunteering and running sport in local primary schools and rugby clubs.