Sanderson's Wynd Primary is on the move

SANDERSON’S WYND PRIMARY’S PURPLE PARADE FROM OLD TO NEW SCHOOL

Sanderson’s Wynd Primary and the former Tranent Primary organised a "Celebration Purple Parade" to mark their move to new premises. All staff and pupils, dressed in purple, said a fond farewell to their old school on Monday 1 September. Their route took them from the old Sanderson’s Wynd Primary at 9.30am, up Robertson Avenue, along Lindores Drive and down past the former Tranent Infant School, returning to open the new building at Sanderson’s Wynd. Lots of parents and members of the local community took part, dressed in purple too.

The new school has 12 classrooms, two specialist activity rooms, a nursery unit and provision for 15 children with additional support needs in The Hub. Home-Start and Children 1st will also be using the new premises, and the school will be able to provide wrap-around care, working with local playgroups and after-school clubs. East Lothian’s Community learning team will also have base there.

The school also benefits from a range of eco-friendly features, including automatic lighting that reacts to the amount of daylight in the room and switches itself off when there is no one there, a windmill and solar panels on the roof to provide some of the school’s electricity and a panel in the school hall to show children how much energy they are generating at any one time.

The state-of-the-art lighting system will only light up areas where people are working, so if a teacher is working alone at a desk at the end of the day, only that area will be lit. Other environmentally friendly features include recycling rainwater from the roof to flush the school’s toilets. Any extra rainwater will go into the school’s pond and aquatic garden.

The new school will be highly insulated and double-glazed to the same standard as Windygoul Primary School.

Education and Children’s Services Convener Peter MacKenzie says:

‘The purple parade is a great way to celebrate the new Sanderson’s Wynd, and to say good bye to the old school buildings. There will be a formal opening later in the year, but this is a really fun way of marking the fact that the new is building up and running. I am very impressed with the new facilities. I think they will provide an ideal learning and teaching environment, and a fine community resource.’

ENDS

Issued by Jane Ogden-Smith, Public Information Officer, Education and Children’s Services on Wednesday 27 August 2008

Phone: 01620 827199/07990 540 738

e-mail: jogden-smith@eastlothian.gov.uk