Game on Scotland:
The official education programme for the
Commonwealth Games
1.
Introduction
Background
Game On Scotland is the official education programme for the Commonwealth Games and
its legacy, a partnership programme between the Scottish Government, Glasgow 2014,
Glasgow City Council and Education Scotland. The education programme in its current form
evolved from Education Scotland’s Games Legacy work stream, formerly part of Developing
Global Citizens. Our Game On Scotland website
http://www.gameonscotland.org/index.asp is the outward facing platform for the education
programme.
Aim
Game On Scotland is a far reaching programme designed to enable educators to use the
2014 Commonwealth Games as an inspiring, motivating, relevant and fun context for
learning across the curriculum and for all ages. Working together with education experts,
partner organisations and young people, the programme will encourage participation
across Scotland and the Commonwealth, involving young people in a wide range of
learning opportunities, the majority of them of an interdisciplinary/global citizenship nature,
and delivering a lasting educational legacy.
To this effect the programme contains 4 key elements:

Quality Information
Game On Scotland will provide educators with a breadth
and depth of information related to the Commonwealth,
to the Glasgow 2014 games and to appropriate linked
events.
Quality
Unique
Information
Opportunities
Productive
Inspiring
Engagement
Resources

Unique Opportunities
Working with partner organisations, Game On Scotland will
curate attractive Games-related opportunities for learners and
educators, eg, competitions, Games attendance, visits by Clyde and athletes etc.

Inspiring Resources
Game On Scotland hosts a bank of resources, including images and videos, which
will enable educators to deliver engaging learning experiences, eg. over 40 bespoke,
downloadable learning journeys across all curriculum areas and age groups covering
a wide variety of themes ranging from creativity, global citizenship to engineering
and Games management.
1

2.
Productive Engagement
Game On Scotland pro-actively engages with learners and educators to support
their use of Games-related learning materials through blogs, e-updates, an extensive
Glow Meet programme supported by all curriculum teams as well as (highly rated)
national engagement events.
Main Achievements
Programme Ethos
Game On Scotland was launched in May 2013. Practitioners across Scotland and beyond
have taken the opportunity offered by the Commonwealth Games to their hearts, so much
so that participation has exceeded both our targets and expectations. Key components of
the programme were identified in consultation with practitioners and partners. These
included quality resources, access to the Games for young people and opportunities for
engagement and contact with athletes.
The underpinning principal of Game On Scotland is that the learning designed by schools is
set within the context of their local communities and this forms the basis of the resource.
Therefore, the programme itself is one which is built around learners, constantly evolving and
reflects the local context rather than a series of off the shelf lessons and resources.
Developing the Programme
The success of the programme lies in its response to the needs identified through stakeholder
consultation. What has emerged is an organic resource which provides a wide ranging
approach to learning across all curriculum areas and beyond.
Key elements of the programme include:
 Learning Journeys developed by practitioners. These covered all eight curriculum
areas and themes across learning such as Global Citizenship and STEM. Learning
journeys are available for Early Years, Primary and Secondary, covering a range of
relevant, engaging Games based contexts. Some examples of these include Cycling
– technology, energy and speed , Creating ambition beyond sports, The science of
Sport and Breakfast of Champions. There is free access to all resources and learning
journeys http://www.gameonscotland.org/resources/index.asp
 Individual schools identified their own Game On Challenge. This allowed them to
design Games-focused learning that was relevant to their local community and
context. Schools shared these via the Game On Scotland website where the
interactive map displays posts from across the globe. This allows others to share in the
breadth of learning taking place around the context of the Commonwealth Games.
http://www.gameonscotland.org/yourgames/gameonchallenge/index.asp
By using the Games as a context for learning schools and establishments have demonstrated
a wide range of stimulating, exciting and relevant activities.
2
Partnerships
Partnerships form an important strand of the Game On Scotland programme. Across the
country there are many examples of how schools have actively engaged with others. This
has extended the educational scope of the programme beyond its original conception.
 Within local communities, active schools coordinators/schools have arranged cluster
activities, schools have involved local volunteers and invited local sports clubs to run
demonstration and taster sessions for both children and families.
 Internationally, schools have built on existing partnership links with some developing
new links through the British Council. Formal programmes such as Commonwealth
Class, Inspire>Aspire, or Commonwealth Achievers International have allowed young
people to reflect and connect directly with their peers across the globe.
Working in partnership ensured the establishment of direct, relevant and sustainable links.
Many schools have several different partnerships in place and so the collective impact is
greater than each of the individual components.
Learners
Game On Scotland has provided an exciting opportunity for learners to connect learning
across the curriculum. Through the Game On Challenges we are able to see the variety of
opportunities learners have enjoyed at a local level. These examples provide a very small
snapshot of the exciting and innovative projects taking place:
Global Citizenship:
 Inchlair Nursery youngsters sponsor a child in Malawi and are challenged by the fact
that she never has any shoes
 Crown Primary learners have live link up with schools in Canada as part of the BBC
Commonwealth Class programme
 Inspired by the Commonwealth Games Charter, Cardinal Winning Secondary in
Glasgow have been exploring the values of equality, rights and responsibilities within
the commonwealth and unpacking what the Commonwealth Charter means for
them and their peers
http://www.gameonscotland.org/resources/casestudies/cardinalwinning/introductio
n.asp
Leadership:
 Happitots Nursery youngsters took the lead in supporting younger children as they
tried out new sports
 Learners at Tweedbank Primary have extended their leadership roles through
organising a range of sporting events. This has made them more confident in
presenting their work in other situations
3

Larbert High School Captains planned, initiated, organised and carried out a
systematic campaign challenge at all levels. They organised assemblies, social
media presence, posters, arranged athlete visits inspiring and engaging learners
across the school
Inspired by Athletes:
 Busy Bee children and parents take to the Tay Road bridge for a mini marathon to
raise funds for the meningitis trust
 Learners in Eigg and Muck primary schools researched what sort of goals and
ambitions are set by athletes and applied the concept of setting goals and having
ambitions to their own lives
 Forres Academy Lead 2014 and Young Ambassadors in Sport got to grips with rules
and regulations of athletics by assisting the officials at the North of Scotland Track
and Field Championships
Creativity:
 Colinsburgh Primary School used digital animation to capture their research and
learning around the Commonwealth Games
 Fyvie Primary school learners have been making bows, arrows and slingshots, shooting
pine cones in local woods in a bid to explore the physics of energy transfer
 In Hillhead High School, learners have been applying their laser cutting skills to make
medals they created using the digital design and production software
Practitioner events brought together educators, partners and young people in a way that
provided an opportunity to forge collaborations. Local authorities have arranged many
localised events eg. Falkirk Councils “Going for Glasgow” programme.
Many schools have arranged visits to Glasgow 2014 venues. These have allowed young
people to swim in the pool or cycle around the track that will be the scene of stiff
competition during the games. Opportunities of this type allow youngsters to have a direct
connection with some of the world’s top athletes.
These examples reflect the diversity of experience generated by learners, practitioners and
their communities as a direct response to Game On Scotland. The summary below illustrates
figures for the most significant aspects of the programme to date:
 Over 250 000 learners in Scotland are connected to the education programme with
figures provided by those registered on our network indicating over 1 million global
participants
 200,000 visitors clock up over 1.25 million views on the Game On Scotland website
making it the most successful free standing website produced by Education Scotland
to date reaching a global audience
 Over 9000 pieces of artwork have been handed over to the Athletes’ Village
organisers. These will be displayed in the rooms and social areas across the village
 4300 registrants are part of the Game On Scotland family requesting regular updates
http://www.gameonscotland.org/signup/index.asp
4






3.
1000 legacy tickets have been allocated to schools giving young people a once in a
lifetime experience
Over 1000 Challenges have been posted on the website providing ideas and
inspiration for teachers across the world
http://www.gameonscotland.org/yourgames/gameonchallenge/index.asp
Over 300 plaques have been awarded both in Scotland and the rest of the world to
recognise and celebrate the exciting learning opportunities for young people
http://www.gameonscotland.org/yourgames/gameonchallenge/plaque.asp
Through Game on Scotland, over 150 Clyde Mascot visits have been undertaken to
schools by our Glasgow 2014 partners
Over 100 athletes’ visits have been arranged to inspire learners and raise future
aspirations. Schools and athletes have indicated this has been a very positive
experience
http://www.gameonscotland.org/yourgames/competitions/athletesvisitscompetition.
asp
24 Glow Meet/webcast sessions enabling learners from across Scotland to connect
with people around the Games such as athletes, officials, the Baton designers,
manufacturers etc. One of the most memorable sessions was held in Penicuik High
School with Mark Beaumont, two young baton bearers and the Queen’s Baton
Legacy of Game On Scotland
The legacy of the education programme can be described in two phases:
Phase 1: Continuation and completion. Core activities will include:






The Game On Scotland website has been refreshed to support the legacy ambitions
of education establishments, offering a number of new engagement opportunities for
learners.
As schools complete their Game On Challenge, we will recognise and celebrate their
achievement through the Game on Scotland plaque award
We will share stories and experiences of learners who have attend the games as part
of the legacy ticket programme
Glow meets with athletes and partner organisations
(http://www.gameonscotland.org/yourgames/glowmeets.asp )
Athlete visits to schools will continue, allowing athletes to share their experiences of
the Games, reflect on success and failure and outline the importance target setting,
continuous improvement and identifying future challenges/vision
(http://www.gameonscotland.org/yourgames/competitions/velodromeexperience.a
sp)
Legacy components are being discussed with the Health and Wellbeing team. Data
will be shared in order to help sustain successful school initiatives and provide new
incentives eg. velodrome sessions, new funding streams
5
We will continue to work with partner organisations to promote opportunities
available through their legacy projects
Sessions at the Scottish Learning Festival 2014 will update practitioners on the success
of the programme and the legacy offers available
A number of case studies are being collated and will be published on the Game On
Scotland website
An evaluation focusing on the scope and impact of Game on Scotland is already
underway. This will be completed by January 2015
At our celebration event, leaners and practitioners will come together to celebrate
work and learning undertaken in the context of the Commonwealth Games (30
October 2014, Glasgow City Chambers)
GOS hand over to Gold Coast we will liaise with Queensland Education Department






Phase 2: Long term vision:


The Game On Scotland website will be reconfigured and incorporated in the Games
Legacy component of Education Scotland’s website
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningteachingandassessment/learningacr
ossthecurriculum/themesacrosslearning/globalcitizenship/contexts/gameslegacy/in
dex.asp Resources relevant to particular curriculum areas will be incorporated into
their overall provisions
We will collaborate with Education Scotland colleagues to identify opportunities
where the principles of Game On Scotland can be applied to other learning themes
eg. World War 1, international sporting / cultural events
For more information please sign up to Game On Scotland
(http://www.gameonscotland.org/signup/index.asp) or contact:
Lorna Gourley: Lorna.Gourley@educationscotland.gov.uk
Klaus Mayer: Klaus.Mayer@educationscotland.gov.uk
6