STEPPING up to secondary school can be a daunting prospect for children as they seek to settle quickly into their new surroundings.

But for one new member of Queen Anne High, adapting to a variety of subjects and a timetable of classes was not all she had on her mind as she sought changes to sporting opportunities.

At transition days before the summer holidays, hockey-mad Zahra Kerbalai, who stepped up from Bellyeoman Primary in August, was disappointed to learn that they did not offer an after-school club in the sport.

But, determined that she and her fellow pupils could have the opportunity to play school hockey, the Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club member wrote a petition – gathering more than 100 signatures in the process – and presented it to rector Ruth McFarlane.

In her petition, Zahra outlined the strength of not only Bellyeoman’s hockey team – which attended a national event in Glasgow – but also that of other cluster primaries and, to her delight, her initiative paid off when an after-school club was started in partnership with Carnegie coaches.

The 12-year-old’s proud dad, Syed, said: “I think it’s great and it’s important to inspire girls to play sport.

“Zahra’s been playing hockey for at least three years but, when she went up to Queen Anne on transition days before the summer holidays, she looked at the list of sports there and, although there is a good variety, saw there was no lunchtime or after-school hockey club.

“She thought, ‘What should I do?’, and was inspired to write a petition and collect signatures from P7s, including those in the cluster primary schools.

“We encouraged her but we didn’t expect her to take it to that level!”

He continued: “Zahra has played sport from an early age. She swam with Carnegie, does netball and also ballet and choir signing and, because she’s done all these activities, she built up a good network of friends stepping up to the same high school.

“Zahra, with friends, encouraged other pupils at the Queen Anne cluster disco to sign the petition and all the pupils happily agreed to sign the petition.

“We’re really pleased that she’s finally achieved what she set out to do. She felt like she’d achieved something for the whole class and, on a Tuesday, has hockey in PE, after school and at the club.

“She’s chuffed to bits!”

Callum Imray, Active Schools co-ordinator for the Queen Anne High School cluster, said: “The demand for hockey at Queen Anne has been huge with petitions from both Zahra and Caleece Albans in S5.

"I am delighted that Keith Forster and Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey have been so supportive and I look forward to developing an Active Schools hockey partnership at Queen Anne in the coming months.”