Sport Minister Maree Todd has today launched a new sports concussion awareness programme which will improve the knowledge of concussion for pupils and the wider school community.
The launch marks the 10-year anniversary of the Scottish Sports Concussion Guidance, a world first when it was published in 2015, bringing together medics, academics, parents, sports, Scottish Government and sportscotland to produce a single set of advice for all grassroots sports for the first time.
The programme will be trialed through Active Schools during the current school year, initially starting in West Lothian at Deans Community High School and Winchburgh Academy with the aim to roll it out over the coming years across the Active Schools network which includes all 32 local authority areas.
The pilot will be a mix of in person and remote learning which will identify the most appropriate and scaleable approaches for rolling out concussion education across the country, with the core message of ‘if in doubt, sit them out’ at its heart.
The sessions will be delivered by Dr Stephanie Adams, founder of ConcussED, is an educator contracted by sportscotland to deliver concussion education. Dr Adams is also co-chair of the Scottish Sports Concussion Advisory Group alongside Dr Katy Stewart, the team of experts behind the guidance which includes representatives from Scottish Rugby, Scottish Football Association, the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling and the sportscotland institute of sport.
Earlier this year an online session that over 200 Active Schools staff and people working in various other roles across the sports network attended, where they were given an overview of the current guidance.
With an estimated 50% of sports concussions going unreported, and young people aged between 10 and 19 most affected by sports concussion, upskilling teachers and students to give them the tools they need to identify and manage suspected concussion appropriately, will be a huge step forward.
The Sport Minister joined a session with pupils at Winchburgh Academy on Friday afternoon to speak to teachers and pupils and see the programme in action
Sport Minister, Maree Todd, said:
“As we mark the 10-year anniversary of our world-first ‘If in doubt, sit them out’ guidance, I’m pleased that we continue to lead the way in helping everyone involved in sport to recognise and respond to concussion.
“This new programme, delivered through the Active Schools network, is a vital step forward in raising awareness among those most affected by sports-related concussion.
“It was a pleasure to attend a session today and witness young athletes, coaches, and educators actively engaging with this important message - all concussions are serious so if in doubt, sit it out.”
Peter Robinson was a key driving force behind the introduction of the Scottish Sports Concussion Guidance and education programme. Peter’s son Ben was 14 when he lost his life due to second impact syndrome, suffered during a school rugby match.
The Scottish Sports Concussion Guidance was updated last year, with key changes reflecting the latest research advances in sports concussion and its management.
It details the latest recommendations for managing concussion in grassroots sports, from awareness of possible concussion symptoms through to the graduated return to activity and sport.
There have been other significant advances in the area in the 10 years since the guidance was first published. Other nations are now adopting the ‘if in doubt, sit them out’ message. This includes UK-wide guidance published in 2024 and more recently in Australia and New Zealand.
A new partnership, launched in 2023, between sportscotland, ConcussED and the University of Edinburgh means that all first and fourth year PE teaching students at Moray House School of Education and Sport at the University of Edinburgh are now required to complete mandatory concussion courses during their degree, ensuring the next generation of PE teachers will have the knowledge and skills to deal with concussion.
Sports-related concussion education in Scotland has also seen significant progress. A free e-learning module has been made available to bring the updated guidance to life in a learning environment. Similar to the guidance, the module is designed for the general public and anyone involved in grassroots sports in any capacity, with strong user numbers showing that it has built a greater understanding of concussion across the country and in a range of sports.
Dr Stephanie Adams said:
"Concussion education is a life skill - in and outside of sport. We need to start learning about this critical topic from a young age.
"That's where we can begin to truly shift the culture to respect and protect the brain but also encourage safe, lifelong, sport and exercise participation.”
Dr Jonathan Hanson of the sportscotland institute of sport:
“Significant steps have been taken to build concussion awareness across the sporting sector in the 10 years since the guidance was first published. Concussion can have very serious consequences if it is not identified and managed properly.
“The safety and wellbeing of everyone who takes part in sport is paramount. As our understanding of this serious issue continues to evolve, we will continue to work with partners, in sport and beyond, to ensure that more and more people become confident in recognising and managing a concussion in sport.”
