Head Teacher

Location and Access

Taynuilt Primary School is situated in the village of Taynuilt, which lies nineteen miles north east of Oban in the county of Argyll. Taynuilt is a thriving village with good amenities including grass and all-weather sports facilities, a nine-hole golf course, various small shops, two hotels, two churches and a village hall. Many of residents commute to their place of work in Oban. The nearby Cruachan Power Station and Inverawe Fisheries and Smokery provide jobs locally, and there are several small businesses located in the village. There is a bus service which passes through Taynuilt linking central Scotland, Glasgow and Oban. The Oban railway line also provides a link with Glasgow.

The school’s catchment area includes the area of Inverawe to the east of Taynuilt, and extends to Achnacloich to the west of the village. Children who live on the east coast of Loch Etive would also attend the school, as would those living at the northt end of Glen Lonan. Most children walk or come to school by private car, while others are transported by contracted minibuses and cars.

Taynuilt’s Historical Background

Taynuilt sits under the imposing Ben Cruachan, site of the famous power station. Taynuilt’s recent history was greatly influenced by the location on the north side of the village of the Bonawe Iron Furnace in 1753. Here, up to 600 workers were employed processing imported English iron, often for use as cannon ammunition, using locally-produced charcoal until the Furnace closed in 1873. It was a site of great military importance, and remains a popular tourist attraction.
Still operating to the present day is the other major historical landmark seen from Taynuilt, Bonawe quarry, on the opposite side of Loch Etive and formerly a ,major employer, accessible until the mid-seventies by ferry boat from Kelly’s Pier in the village.

Building and Grounds

The school is situated in an elevated position within the village and close to Muckairn Parish Church.

The main part of the school was completed in 1989 to replace the original nineteenth century building and comprises an office, a staffroom, 4 semi-open plan teaching bases arranged around an general purpose open area, a spacious gym/dining hall and a small multi-purpose room. In addition, a building has just been completed in the school grounds which from August 2008 will house the nursery unit. There is a tarred playground area as well as grass areas around the school.

A fenced-off area within the grounds is regularly used as a wildlife garden. A rocked area proves popular with children who wish a quiet chat, and a wooden play hut is well frequented during playtimes.

The Co-operative

Taynuilt Primary School is part of a co-operative cluster along with Kilchrenan and Dalmally Primary Schools The aims of the Co-operative are to reinforce the values of the rural schools by reducing the restrictions imposed by the environments in which they are situated, and by the numbers in attendance at each school. The schools get together on a number of occasions during the year to participate in a variety of activities including swimming tuition at Atlantis Leisure Centre in Oban, an annual residential outdoor education visit by the P6 and P7 classes to Newtonmore, and a visit to Glasgow for the national ‘Choices for Life’ event. Many other initiatives are promoted by the co-op, including working together on the annual P7-S1 transition programme.

Resources

The school is very well resourced in all areas of the curriculum. There is a wide and comprehensive selection of reference, fiction and non-fiction books available to cater for all needs, organized in an attractive library, from which children may borrow books to take home.

A major focus over the last few years has been the development of Assessment is for Learning (AifL) within the school. As a result, financial resources have been targeted at the development of co-operative and collaborative learning techniques throughout the school. There is a wireless network within the school and all computers link to a network printer. The recent arrival of a fast Broadband Internet connection has seen a surge forward in the use of Online Educational Interactive resources and has provided the children with tremendous opportunities for research in all areas of the curriculum.

The school is actively moving towards addressing changes related to Curriculum for Excellence. Learning and teaching addresses the importance of developing successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. The school has begun to address the development of interdisciplinary learning and teaching, ensuring that pupils have the opportunity to experience breadth and depth in their learning. Attractive displays throughout the school reflect these developments

Partnerships

Taynuilt Primary School promotes positive partnerships with all members of the school community, and also wider the community which it serves. The School Board (now Parent Council) and the PTA have been hugely supportive over the years, helping the school to forge links with the community through fund-raising activities and also by championing the school to get the best for the pupils who attend.

School based activities which involve the community include annual events such as the Retired Residents Teas and the Spring Fayre.

The school is heavily involved in the “Active Schools” Programme which has seen development programmes for football, badminton, golf, swimming and Scottish Country Dancing taking place at the school. A pupil led playground buddies project promotes health and well-being at playtimes.

The school is well-known for its musical performances, which includes annual participation at the local music and dance festival, and regular school concerts. The school choir, singing in both English and Gaelic, has enjoyed much success over the years.

Parents are invited to regular whole school assemblies, church services and to twice yearly parent-pupil open evenings. A recent innovation has been the staging of guided tours around the school during which parents can view the school at work and find out about the new ‘Curriculum for Excellence.

Conclusion

Taynuilt village and its surrounding area offers a safe, caring and secure environment for its children and provides them with the opportunity to live a healthy outdoor life. It provides the advantages of life in a beautiful, quiet, rural setting but still has close proximity to the town of Oban with its leisure centre, cinema numerous hotels and restaurants and supermarkets. .The school offers children a positive, caring environment, within which climate and relationships were deemed by HMI recently to be ‘excellent’. The size of the school provides the best of both worlds; opportunities for productive peer group co-operative work and activities, and also a place where everyone knows and can look out for each other.

For further information about the area, please visit:

www.taynuilt.net  
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/taynuilt/taynuilt/index.html  
www.britinfo.net/index_Taynuilt.htm
www.aboutbritain.com/towns/taynuilt.asp