Primary debut

Outdoor learning

The new pound;7 million Milton of Leys Primary in Inverness will open its doors to 190 P1-7 pupils and 64 nursery children on 17 August. The school has 11 classrooms and a community room, but the design is flexible, meaning classrooms can be added. Each classroom opens on to its own dedicated space outside, with decking area for learning and planters for growing vegetables or plants.

Wonder walls

History

Children can travel back 500 years at Stirling Castle this weekend and learn about life for a child in the royal court. They can discover how to be a knight, what noble people wore, why boys wore long dresses until they were seven, and be instructed in courtly pastimes.

Tunnels of love

Art

Young artists from Houston and St Fillan’s primaries in Renfrewshire have transformed underpasses in their village with murals of a seascape and an enchanted forest. Children worked with professional artist Meredith Crone on a project to encourage greener and safer ways to and from school.

Green machines

Environmental ed

Cornbank St James Primary is the first Midlothian school to achieve its third green Eco Schools flag. Every class has learnt about sustainable development: nursery children focused on gardening, recycling and composting; P1 learned about the importance of bees; P2s grew rhubarb and made a crumble; P3s planted potatoes and made soup; P4s focused on healthy, sustainable living; P5s created a croft garden with all the ingredients for their own bread; P6s created fruit and vegetable gardens and P7s designed a bee and butterfly meadow.

Small wonder

Citizenship

Cowgate Under 5s Centre is celebrating an award for Investing in Children. Head Lynn McNair said: “We truly believe that children, no matter how small, have loud voices, they can and do shape the service we offer.”