Greenock Telegraph | News | PM praises our schools

Friday, 9th January, 2009

Published: Friday, 29th August, 2008 12:30

PM praises our schools

By Eric Baxter

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THANK YOU: Wendy Metcalfe makes the presentation to the PM.

Pic by: George Munro

PRIME Minister Gordon Brown opened the new Newark Primary in Port Glasgow yesterday — and praised everyone involved in creating it.

He was invited to open the school by the head teacher, Lilian Hasson, who was in the same year as him at Kirkcaldy High School.

Mr Brown said he was highly impressed with the £10.5 million facility, which took 18 months to build and brings together Slaemuir, Highholm and Clune Park primaries, as well as incorporating a nursery made up of Slaemuir, Highholm and Barmoss nurseries.

The school has a capacity of 595 pupils with a current roll of 500, and the nursery takes 80 children in the morning and another 80 in the afternoon.

Explaining how she managed to get the Prime Minister to the school, Mrs Hasson said: “It was a shot in the dark. I haven’t seen him since high school, but I thought I’d try writing to him anyway.”

She said she remembered the Prime Minister as ‘a small, studious boy who was good at sports’.

They met again at the entrance to the school when the Prime Minister breezed out of his car, shook her hand and said: ‘Great to meet you again’.

Mr Brown did a whirlwind tour of the school and nursery and chatted to youngsters about their work.

And declaring the school open for business, he described it as ‘wonderful’ and ‘a tremendous achievement’.

He said: “I want to congratulate everyone who has contributed to the rising standards of performance seen in all the schools in this area.

“This is something of which you can be very proud. Newark is an example of the whole community coming together to build an extraordinary new facility that will benefit generations of young children.”

He said the purpose of education was to help every child realise their potential, to bridge the gap between what they are and what they have it within themselves to become.

He added: “I am proud of what we have been trying to do over the last 10 years to increase the amount of investment in every child in every school in every part of the country, but nothing can be as good as what you have achieved here and I congratulate you all.”

Inverclyde MP David Cairns, who was also there to welcome the PM to the school, said: “This is a great day for Port Glasgow. This is a state-of-the-art school serving a traditional working-class community, and it means the kids will get the best possible start in life.

“And the Prime Minister being here is an added bonus. His commitment to education is second-to-none.

“His visit is a great boost for Port Glasgow. It’s a real sign the area is regenerating.”

Inverclyde council leader Stephen McCabe said: “This is a great honour for the school, for the council and for Inverclyde in general.”