New school gets top marks from pupils
Youngsters and staff love £4m St Fergus’ Primary
Paisley pupils have started making themselves at home in their newly-built school.
Youngsters from St Fergus’ Primary are settling in at their new state- ofthe- art learning space following the regeneration of their old school building.
The £4 million single-storey building accommodates 175 pupils and features a mix of flexible teaching spaces, independent learning areas and opportunities for outdoor learning.
Councillor Jim Paterson, Renfrewshire Council’s convener of education and children’s services, visited the school this week and received a tour of the building from some of the pupils, along with headteacher Mhairi McDonald.
The school opened around two months ago.
Councillor Paterson said: “The building will help support the future of our children and young people by providing the best possible environment for them to learn and keep them engaged.
“It was clear from my visit that the children are excited and enthused to learn in their new school.”
The new school was built as part of the council’s multi-million pound schools investment programme.
It includes features aimed at maximising the children’s levels of engagement, such as a bespoke library space with recessed seating, a playground performance space with canopy, picnic benches, eco growing area, climbing wall, wobble board, spiral climbing net, and an all-weather sports pitch.
Ms McDonald said the new space will have a positive impact on the children’s learning and development.
She explained: “The learning environment is fantastic, bright and airy with lots of natural light and has great opportunities for collaborative and active learning, both indoors and outdoors.”
St Fergus’ was also presented with the Secured by Design award by Chief Inspector Martin Gallagher and PC Craig Geddes, architectural liaison officer from Police Scotland, during the visit.
Secured by Design (SBD) is a national police initiative that aims to reduce the opportunity for crime in buildings.
This award shows that by working in partnership with the police, the school has met approved security standards that have been developed to address criminal acts such as anti- social behaviour, vandalism and break-ins.
Under Police Scotland, this is the first school in Renfrewshire to be awarded the SBD accreditation.
This will ensure that the school children will have a safer learning environment.