Unique school celebrates its first birthday

Parents, pupils, teachers and support staff have been celebrating Riverbrae School’s first year.

The school held a big birthday party to celebrate one year in the facility purpose built to transform the learning opportunities available to children and young people with additional support needs.

Riverbrae School is the first one of its kind ever built in Renfrewshire and was joint-funded by Renfrewshire Council (£10.1million) and the Scottish Futures Trust (£8.7million).

During the celebration, eager pupils gave spectacular performances in front of proud parents and invited delegates before Education Convener, Councillor Jim Paterson, unveiled the school plaque.

Councillor Paterson said: “Riverbrae is a fantastic school for children and young people of all ages. The school has been designed to help pupils transition between nursery, primary and secondary school all within the same building, helping those with complex additional support needs to get the best start in life and reach their full potential.

“The school is an inclusive and happy community where every achievement is celebrated, and experience is viewed as an opportunity for learning. We want our children and young people to have success for today and be prepared for tomorrow.”

Riverbrae School Headteacher, Catherine Gilius, said: “It’s been a busy first year for the school, with parasports events, art exhibitions, historical drama and even a muddy puddle walk.

“The school is designed in a very inclusive way, supporting our children and young people not only to move through the phases of their schooling in a familiar environment with familiar friends and staff, but also to learn the skills they need to be included in the wider world

“We pride ourselves on our ability to bring out the best in all our pupils by providing a curriculum which is built around the learning needs of the individual and offer opportunities for success in all areas of learning and development. That’s reflected in the school’s vision and values: leadership, equity, ambition, respect and nurture.

“Our pupils are important to us and their achievement, big or small, make our job worthwhile. We know we can’t achieve this on our own. We need the ongoing support of all parents, carers and partners to make sure Riverbrae remains the happiest and most stimulating school in Scotland.”