Part of Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at 2:30 pm on 9 January 2025.
During the pandemic, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—UNESCO—reported that, with schools closed, there was a significant loss of school-based physical activity, with many children becoming socially isolated and lacking in movement opportunities. The research by Huggett and Howells, which was completed post-lockdown, observed in four to five-year-olds that there was a significant difference compared with expected age-related physical development. The researchers understand that one in six children aged five to 16 are now likely to have mental health conditions, which is an increase from one in 10 children prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Does the Scottish Government recognise the need to educate young people about their mental and physical health in conjunction with reversing the continuing decline in the opportunities that are available to be active in schools? Does it agree that that is one of the greatest health education priorities that we face?