Published: Tuesday, 1st December, 2009 12:17pm

Lauder school opens doors to pupils

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HEADTEACHER Alan Vannan, staff and members of the parent council welcomed Lauder Primary School children back to a bright new school today (Tuesday).

The children were accompanied by two pipers when they walked from the old school to the new one. Many parents and local people braved a freezing cold morning to witness this very special day.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was performed by the Leader of Scottish Borders Council, David Parker, assisted by five year old Tamsin Unthank, the youngest primary one pupil.

Councillor Parker said: "I am absolutely delighted that the new Lauder Primary School is now open. The community of Lauder has waited very patiently and worked extremely hard to secure their new primary school. The building is fantastic and the quality of the new school has impressed everyone. The school boasts some excellent facilities and is designed to meet the needs of modern education.

"I would like to thank the parents and pupils for their patience during the development and a huge thank you must go to the design team and building contractors who have worked so tirelessly to make this day happen."

Councillor Parker added: "I would also like to pay tribute to Alan Vannan, the school's head teacher, and all of his staff for the tremendous job that they have done getting the school ready for today, but more importantly, for spending so much time and effort during the development of the school to ensure the success of this truly first class facility."

Catriona Bhatia, Executive Member for Education, said: "This is a very special day for the staff and pupils at the school. They have a fantastic new facility to take them into the next phase of their education.

"This marks the achievement of another milestone in the Border Primary School Project, and it is superb to see the excitement on the faces of the children as they enter their new classrooms."

Headteacher Alan Vannan commented: "We have had a lot of support from the local community, council members and technicians, the builders and design teams and the parent councillors and we would like to say a huge thank you to them all. The staff have worked extremely hard to prepare the school for the opening today and we are delighted to be here."

The new school is designed to meet the demands of the growing population. It comprises 10 classrooms, is capable of accommodating up to 275 primary pupils, and includes a nursery. It benefits from looking out onto open countryside and having landscaped grassy play areas. The design also takes advantage of natural light and heat through floor to ceiling windows and light tunnels in the corridors.

Building on this site was made possible due to the generous sale of land by Richard Baillie, who lives adjacent to the school and made the school site available to the Council for this project.