More than 1,000 pupils have been supported by a maths and fitness scheme run by the Scottish Building Society and Edinburgh Rugby.

The Tackle Maths scheme, which launched two years ago, helps pupils aged between eight and 12 to gain practical maths skills by using rugby and real-life examples of the subject in everyday life.

This has included students measuring the length of a rugby pitch to work out the capacity of a stadium, and estimating the height of posts.

Pupils involved have also visited venues including the Murrayfield Stadium, which is used by the national team.

“When we started Tackle Maths our aim was to help at least 175 children get to grips with maths,” said Scottish Building Society chief executive Paul Denton.

“Just over two years later it is incredible to have massively surpassed this, providing a thousand children across the country with a practical learning environment which shows why maths is important to their everyday lives.

He added: “As a mutual organisation giving back to communities is incredibly important to us and this programme is a fantastic way of inspiring kids to think differently about learning.”

Edinburgh Rugby managing director Douglas Struth added: “This programme is all about getting kids out of the classroom and learning in a practical manner.

“Having helped 1,000 children across the country to get excited about maths, we’re pleased to say it’s worked to great effect and look forward to supporting many more in the future.”

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