RECORD numbers of young Scots are taking part in organised sport and physical activity sessions, figures show.

Nearly 300,000 children were involved in sportscotland Active Schools sessions during the last academic year, a 1.5 per cent increase on the previous year. In all, they made more than 6.8 million visits to the extra-curricular sports sessions, where they took part in a broad range of games and activities, according to the figures.

Stewart Harris, chief executive of sportscotland, linked the rise in the number of youngsters taking part in Active Schools sessions to Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

He said: “Four years on from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games we are continuing to see the positive power of sport in schools across the country thanks to the Active Schools programme.

“We have seen a year on year increase in participation in Active Schools sessions and that is a result of the strong partnerships between Active Schools coordinators, education staff, sports development teams and sports clubs.

“We are committed to helping build a world-class sporting system for everyone in Scotland, where sport is a way of life, and nowhere is that more evident or important than our work in schools across the country as part of the Active Schools.”

Active Schools sessions are run in all 32 Scottish local authorities in partnership with sportscotland. They are designed to improve sport and physical activity opportunities for children and young people, as well as connecting them to sport opportunities in their communities and supporting school physical education.

Last year saw a 4.5% jump in the number of visits to Active Sport sessions. There was also a 5% increase in the number of sessions on offer, to over 368,000. Last year alone there were more than 100 different sports and activities delivered during Active Schools sessions.

The number of people delivering Active Schools sessions was also at an all-time high of 23,200 in 2016-17, a 4.% increase on the previous year.

Aberdeen has seen particular success, with the number of young people taking part in the extra-curricular sessions showing a 100% rise over a five-year period.