JUDY MURRAY CALLS FOR MANDATORY PE LESSONS TO COMBAT CULTURE OF 'SITTING IN FRONT OF A SCREEN'
Judy Murray has called for PE to be a priority in all schools with children getting at least 40 minutes of exercise each day.
The tennis coach made the plea as she announced an expansion of a scheme to keep girls active.
She pointed out participating in sport helped develop crucial life skills such as leadership, resilience and communication while providing benefits to physical and mental health.
Ms Murray, the mother of champion tennis players Jamie and Sir Andy, said physical literacy was as important as the numerical and alphabetical one.
Her comments came after it emerged young Scots are spending almost 30 hours a week sitting in front of a screen sparking warnings it could fuel the country’s obesity crisis.
Ms Murray’s Learn to Lead scheme, which aims to equip and empower young girls to become Scotland’s next generation of sporting leaders, supporting them to run their own lunchtime and after-school clubs, received a funding boost from Sky enabling it to be spread to another 50 schools.
Announcing the expansion at Dunblane Primary School where she and her sons attended as youngsters, the mother-of-two 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, Ms 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.’
A recent report commissioned by Sky 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.
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.’
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