Thousands of children from across Renfrewshire donned their uniforms and made their way into school today for the first day of a new academic year.
After a long break off for the summer holidays some will have returned to their schools whilst others will be attending for the very first time.
Almost 1,900 young children started primary one across the area, with Barsail Primary in Erskine welcoming 51 excited children to start at the school.
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One of those youngsters taking his first steps into primary education today is Jackson, his mum Kayray said: “He is definitely ready. I’m not worried about him. The transition process has been fantastic. He’s been talking about the toys in the classroom, and he knows exactly where he is going. He’s confident about it, which makes a big difference. He’s also been talking about the school lunches. He’s having fish and chips today.”
The school went above and beyond to make the new arrivals feel excited and welcome for their first day, even sending them a poem and some confetti to use as a celebration to mark the beginning of their education journey.
New P1 pupil Erin's mum, Megann, said her daughter had been incredibly excited for school.
“She was excited to go to bed. She’s most excited about playing with her friends and making new ones. She has made some friends already; we met up with other parents and they played in the playpark together, so she knows people in her class already," said Megann.
It's not all smiles however, with the emotion of the day getting the better of some parents.
Gillian, mum to Olivia, said she found it difficult to let her little one go.
She said: “This is my first going to school, so I was a bit emotional this morning but we’re good now. Olivia is very excited. It’s been a long summer for her waiting to start school. Most of her nursery came here so she knows a lot of the kids already, but she is excited to make new friends, too.”
Likewise, some of the pupils were feeling the nerves this morning.
Mum Angela said her son, Luke, is nervous but excited.
“He will be fine. He has lots of nursery friends here and he’s got his big brother here, too. He also has his buddy, Austin, who he’s met a few times now,” said Angela.
Headteacher Emma Mavers said: “I am delighted to welcome our new primary one pupils to the Barsail family. They will be nurtured and cared for by all staff and by their doting primary seven buddies. It is hard to believe that they will be with us until 2029! We know that they will have a wonderful seven-year journey in Barsail. They are happy and they are already having fun.
“We feel like we know them well thanks to our fantastic links with local nurseries as well as the various transition visits they took part in. In June, they joined us at Health Week for a Parent Council run disco event. They had a teddy bears picnic with their buddy and they had outdoor play sessions as well as classroom experiences. We look forward to building positive relationships with all of our new families.”
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