New Alloway Primary school is opened

Feb 6 2009

ALLOWAY kids are loving life in the classrooms of their brand new £9m school.

And they could hardly wait to show it off when Scotland’s education secretary Fiona Hyslop paid them a visit.

For the MSP – who is a former Alloway Primary pupil – was in the village to officially open the fantastic new facility.

She said: “It’s a great honour to have been asked to return to open the new school building.

“There have certainly been changes since I attended lessons at the school.

“And the schooling in the area has definitely moved on since the days when Robert Burns received his education – thanks to the forethought of his father who encouraged other farmers to come together to finance a schoolmaster, John Murdoch, to teach their children.

“There can be no better environment for the pupils here than this wonderful new building. This government is committed to lifting 100,000 school pupils out of tired and crumbling school buildings and classrooms by 2011. They will be provided with cutting-edge accommodation and facilities in which to continue their 21st century education.”

Children put on a super show of their many talents for the special guests, including several members of South Ayrshire Council.

They included extracts from their school show Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, dancing displays and Burns poetry recitals.

Head teacher Michael Hunter is thrilled with the new building.

He said: “The new school is magnificent.

“The architects have responded with great imagination to their design brief and the builders have risen to the challenge of creating a dynamic building to serve the changing needs of the community for many years to come.

“The new school has increased learning and leisure facilities inside the school and created additional multi-purpose outdoor space.

“The building will allow us to rise to the educational challenges that lie ahead, facilitating active learning, constructive participation, independent learning and the development of the skills, knowledge and understanding that will prepare our young people for life as they grow up and move on to other schools.”