FERGUSLIE SCHOOLS

St Fergus primary have just had a glowing report from HMI and now as their local councillor I will bask in their reflected glory. The 'heedie' Maureen Haney informed me of this and she was chuffed by it and quite rightly so, as I've said before the schools, teachers and kids in Ferguslie are a match for anyone and I'm proud to represent them. St. Fergus were given high praise for their accommodation, their inclusive ethos, their excellent community links, their excellent and hard working school board and the quality of the teaching staff as well as other things too numerous to mention, well done to all.

Anyone driving or walking through the estate will notice an almost completed new school building, this will replace the Craigielea and Ferguslie primaries and will be called Glencoats Primary.

All three primaries have served the Ferguslie community well over the years and they continue to do so, the closure of any school is a mixture of sadness and optimism for the future. Some parents will have a last look at where they were taught as infants and the memories will flood back, they will also look with pride at the new school and the state of the art surroundings and facilities and be delighted that their children will be part of it.

I regard it as a privilege to be associated with the education of the children of the area and I pay tribute to everyone involved, above all I'm proud to be part of Renfrewshire's Labour Council who have delivered these schools despite our opponents saying that we would never do it.