Welcome to the second blog in our Insight series, showcasing innovation, achievement and best practice across Scotland's colleges as employers.

In this latest instalment, Xsara Murray, pictured, Active Campus Coordinator at Edinburgh College and a finalist in the 2026 Herald Education Awards, shares how sport and physical activity are strengthening staff relationships, helping to create a more connected college community and delivering benefits for learners.

Xsara is part of the Active Campus Network, a partnership between sportscotland, Scottish Student Sport and Colleges Scotland. Made up of 18 colleges across Scotland, the network aims to place sport and physical activity at the heart of college life, creating opportunities that support wellbeing, engagement and student success.

 

There's something about sport that creates honesty. 

As an Active Campus Coordinator at Edinburgh College, I see it all the time. My role as one of 18 coordinators in Scotland’s colleges is to help more staff and students experience the benefits of sport and physical activity. Those benefits go far beyond physical health. Sport creates opportunities for people to naturally connect, build trust and develop relationships that might not happen elsewhere.

When people come together for a gym session, a game of football or some yoga, they’re just people. Job titles and role differences matter less, conversations become more open, and working relationships become stronger.

That's where the honesty comes in. Through sport and physical activity, I often find myself having conversations that start with an idea for an activity session and quickly become something much broader. College staff talk about challenges they're facing with learners, new approaches they'd like to try, or sometimes simply what's going on in their lives. Those moments build trust, and trust makes collaboration easier.

I think that's especially important at a time when colleges are facing so many different demands. When staff are dealing with heavy workloads and competing demands, having opportunities to connect, think differently and work creatively with colleagues can make a huge difference. I would say that sport provides that space. It helps people step back, recharge and approach challenges from a fresh perspective.

Just as important, openness and collaboration often lead directly to innovation for learners. A great example is our Fit For Work programme, in partnership with the college’s Construction department. This programme supports learners who may face challenges outside the classroom that can affect their confidence, wellbeing and ability to engage with learning.

Working closely with teaching staff, we developed an approach for learners who might not respond to more traditional forms of support, such as counselling. For one hour each week, we brought students together for activities they chose themselves: gym sessions, team-building exercises or football. The aim was simple: use physical activity as a way to support wellbeing, confidence and resilience, and to create open spaces for conversation and personal development.

The programme helps learners on introduction to trades and pre-apprenticeship programmes prepare for employment, both meeting the physical demands of a site and the mental and social demands of entering a new environment, while giving staff another way to support students and ease some of the pressures they face in the classroom.

For me, that's the real value of sport in a college setting. It builds respect-based relationships, strengthens workplace culture and creates the trust needed to try new ideas. Ultimately, learners benefit from the openness and collaboration that sport makes possible.

Demand within the college for access to sport continues to be huge. Sport has the power to bring people together, improve wellbeing and transform the college experience, and I'm determined to continue championing those opportunities for everyone.