Students from Abertay University and Dundee & Angus College are playing a vital role in helping children and young people across Dundee become more active, with new figures showing the city significantly outperforms the national average for student involvement in Active Schools delivery.
The latest Active Schools data reveals that 137 further and higher education students volunteered as Active Schools deliverers during 2025/26, accounting for 24% of all deliverers in Dundee. Nationally, FE and HE students represent just 6% of Active Schools deliverers, meaning Dundee's student involvement is four times the national average.
The figures highlight the success of a long-standing partnership between Active Schools Dundee, Abertay University and Dundee & Angus College, which provides students with valuable coaching, leadership and volunteering opportunities while creating more opportunities for local children and young people to take part in sport and physical activity.
The contribution of student volunteers helped Active Schools Dundee engage 7,734 participants and support more than 141,000 visits to sport and physical activity sessions during the year.
James Fenna, Dundee Active Schools Manager said:
"Partnership working is at the heart of everything we do and the support we receive from staff and students at Abertay University and Dundee & Angus College is invaluable.
"The fact that almost a quarter of all our deliverers come from further and higher education demonstrates the strength of these partnerships and the commitment of Dundee's students to supporting young people to be active. Their contribution helps us provide a wider range of opportunities for children and young people across the city."
Steven Lytham, Partnership Manager at sportscotland said:
"This is a fantastic example that shows the mutual benefits and impacts created by strong partnership working across tertiary education and sport sectors. Students gain real-world experience, programmes like Active Schools in Dundee can extend their capacity for young people to be active, and educators add value to their learners. It’s a win-win that builds a workforce for the future and highlights what collaboration can achieve for our young people. Well-done to everyone involved."
Dr Sarah Ramminger, Head of Curriculum, Quality, Sports & Fitness at Dundee & Angus College, said:
"We are incredibly proud of the partnership between Dundee and Angus College and the Active Schools Network. Together, we are equipping students with outstanding coaching experience and the practical skills needed for future careers, while simultaneously inspiring active lifestyles and enhancing the health and wellbeing of young people within our communities."
Professor Andrea Cameron, Vice Principal (Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences) at Abertay University said
"One of the most rewarding aspects of this initiative is seeing the clear, long-term impact of the work. Each year, students step into schools across Dundee and bring energy, creativity and a real commitment to giving children positive, inclusive experiences of physical activity.
It is equally inspiring to see how this experience shapes our students. Many of those who first entered a school through this module are now qualified teachers or Active Schools Coordinators themselves.
Perhaps the most powerful sign of the partnership's impact is that we are now welcoming to Abertay some of the very pupils our students once worked with in primary school. To see former participants return to us as university students, often inspired by the positive role models they encountered through Active Schools, is something that means more than any metric can fully capture."
Active Schools Dundee works with schools, sports clubs and community organisations to provide inclusive opportunities for children and young people to get active, develop new skills and enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity.
The latest figures also show the strength of Dundee's wider Active Schools network, with 560 deliverers supporting activities across the city and 122 school-club links helping create pathways into community sport. Dundee also exceeds the national average for sessions delivered by clubs, with 20% of sessions delivered through club partnerships compared with 9% nationally.