SCHOOLS throughout Inverclyde are green with envy after a Gourock primary became the first in the district to install state-of-the-art film and TV technology.

Pupils and staff at St Ninian’s have brought a touch of Hollywood to class after taking the wraps off their new £2,500 ‘green screen’ system, which allows for special effects and eye-catching images to be included in footage during or after filming.

The school is thought to be the first in Scotland equipped with the technology, which is widely used in the movie industry and has played a key role in big budget blockbusters such as Spiderman and the recent Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale.

St Ninian’s head teacher Lesley McCabe told the Tele: “We’re thought to be the first school in Scotland to have it.

“It’s enhancing information and communications technology and we have invested nearly £2,500 in it.

“The man who installed it said we were the first school in Scotland to have set this up.

“It’s a big thing for us and we are all very excited about it.” Pupils can use the screen to do all sorts of things, such as live weather reports like those on TV — with maps and forecasts beamed behind them in their very own studio.

They can also learn about major events and stories around the world by broadcasting ‘live’, whether it is front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, outside the Houses of Parliament in London or from the White House in Washington.

The money for the equipment and software was funded partly by a £1,000 grant from the Enterprise Centre in Port Glasgow and the proceeds of a school show last year.

Mrs McCabe said: “Children have been reporting from World War One using backgrounds from the time and for news reports.

“A class in primary one are going to use it for a topic on fairytales and they can be the characters.

“We are also using it to help learn about Europe using backgrounds.

“They are developing all sorts of literacy skills.

“Whether it’s a weather report, news report or topic on Europe, they are using that green screen background and they can import videos from YouTube.

“Every staff member — from teaching staff to support staff — has been trained to use it.”