Agroup of senior students at Grangemouth High has been “walking the talk” through its involvement in a pilot of the new SQA Well-being Award, at level 5 of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

“This award has enabled them to develop their citizenship, leadership, teamwork and communication skills as well as building confidence and resilience,” says headteacher Lyn Brown.

A large part of the project has been built around making a difference to the health and well-being of others and their chosen focus has been the promotion of walking.

The students concentrated particularly on the Big Fit Walk, which was started 10 years ago in Grangemouth to get people active. Now all schools and a number of community groups take part in this tour of the area, usually on the second Friday in June.

They have also secured funding for a set of five-a-day fruit and vegetable costumes for every primary and nursery school within Falkirk Council. They hope these will encourage all the schools to participate in the Big Fit Walk this year.

The students launched the Big Fit celebrations last week with a walk around the Helix site - an area of wasteland between Falkirk and Grangemouth that is being transformed into a public space with walkways, cycle paths, an events area, a central lagoon and displays of public art. They were joined by primary children, invited guests and the minister for Commonwealth Games and sport, Shona Robison.

The students all sported T-shirts emblazoned with Shanarri, the acronym for the well-being indicators - safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included - that underpin the Scottish government’s Getting It Right For Every Child policy.

“That is a sure sign that they have grasped the importance of health and well-being in its widest sense,” says Ms Brown.