Pupils graduate with life skills to be proud of

The school, for youngsters with additional needs, had a graduation ceremony recently from pupils taking part in the ‘Get Set & Go’ initiative. The youngsters had just undertaken a seven week project designed to help and support them make informed life choices.

Funded by the council, teachers at Merkland School and Active Schools Officers worked alongside Ceartas Advocacy and Clyde FC Community Foundation, the aim of the course was to give the secondary pupils skills such as healthy eating advice and how to keep active.

Council Leader, Rhondda Geekie, attended the event to congratulate the young graduates.

She said: “This is the first time the Get Set & Go course has been delivered at Merkland School and having spoken to the young people who took part, it has been a great success. The enthusiasm shown by the coaches who hosted this programme has definitely rubbed off on the pupils who were extremely positive about the course and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.”

And she added,”Get Set & Go has encouraged the young people to consider the options available to them as they move on from school and will stand them in good stead for making important life choices in the coming years.”

Deputy headteacher at the school, Jim Paterson, said: “We are delighted with how well the programme has gone. The pupils have loved it! It has been a fantastic experience for every single pupil involved and one which we are hoping to repeat next session.”

Chief Executive of Ceartas, Gordon Thomson, said: “Ceartas is East Dunbartonshire’s independent advocacy service. We developed Get Set & Go as a means to engage with younger people as we recognised the value of sport in reaching out to individuals. The course consists of short classroom sessions followed by time on the pitch which have all contributed to pupils gaining confidence but also knowledge about advocacy, self-directed support and other key life skills. We hope this will be the first of many courses.”