Retiring janitor has honour of opening Shieldhill Primary's new nursery

Shieldhill Primary School asked Jim Wilson to perform the formalities at its newly built Early Learning and Childcare Class facility on Monday.

Mr Wilson will call it a day in December, and staff felt the offer was a fitting gesture to thank him for all of his efforts.

Work on the building began during the school summer holidays, and children and teachers alike are full of admiration for their new surroundings.

Belinda Tomasik, the acting headteacher, said she was proud of her colleagues who have worked tirelessly to ensure little ones have enjoyed a seamless transition.

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She said: “The Scottish Government was wanting to have 1140 free hours of early learning and childcare for children by August 2020.

“Unfortunately, that has been delayed due to Covid. We’ve been working really hard, day and night, to make sure the children could have a purpose-built environment to play and explore.

“The children and staff are absolutely loving the new building. They’re really enjoying their new environment and it has a lovely outdoor area.

“We did a virtual tour for the parents to see the inside as we’re not allowed any visitors at the moment until Covid is over.”She added: “I’d like to thank all of the staff for their hard work, because they were still running the old nursery and put in a lot of hours.”

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