Pupils at Raasay Primary School helped to serve and help out at the recent Community Kitchen lunch held in the local Hall. This is part of their ACORNS Enterprises reaching out to support other events on the island outwith school. The boys really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with those who attended and enjoyed the delicious soup and puddings produced by Raasay Community Kitchen. We hope to be doing this as a regular event every month as part of our community engagement.
Our pupils gained knowledge and skills in what is involved in the role of a on call Fire Fighters and of the role of Crew Commander when the local fire service visited our school in November. First they learnt about all the kit that the crew have to wear and the purpose of the equipment that they have to carry. They provided in depth information about the BA unit, the entry control system used ahead of entering a building on fire. The children got first hand experience of using the fire hose which was great fun! And learnt about what the fire crew do to access water should they not be near a water valve. In one of our pictures you will see that a ladder has been folded into a square and covered in tarpaulin to create a water reservoir. The boys also got the chance to see a lot of the equipment used in the event of a road traffic accident and the process involved in cutting someone free using the jaws of life. The day was rounded off with a chance to sit in the fire engine and sound the siren.
ACORNS Enterprises produced chutneys, shortbread Star David biscuits, chocolate truffles, Christmas cards and crafts to sell at the recent fund raising Afternoon tea. This was held on Wednesday 22nd November and there was a fantastic turn out from the community. Pupils manned the stalls and greeted visitors and also helped out with the Parent Council Cafe. We were very grateful for the amazing support we received from local businesses, near and far, who donated our fantastic prizes for our raffles and 100 square. Thanks to the Parent Council for the wonderful afternoon tea cafe which was greatly enjoyed by all and a big thank you also to all the parents, staff, volunteers and those who supported the event in numerous ways.The total raised on the day was the amazing sum of £2106.00! Some of these funds will be used to buy buoyancy aids for the pupils’ kayaking sessions as identified at a recent Pupil Council meeting. ACORNS Enterprises will be meeting regularly during the course of the session to identify other areas where funds might be best used. Pictured are the pupils manning their chutney and craft stall.
Pupils in Raasay Primary School were invited to join the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Norma Young and Cadet Cpl Bradley Channon for a short memorial and wreath laying service at the War Memorial on Friday 10th November. Pupils had written short poems based on the theme of remembrance which they took turns to read out. Thank you to the Deputy Lord Lieutenant for inviting us. The pupils also carried out a door to door collection which helped to raise a total of £265.30 for the Poppy Day collection. Thank you to all who contributed.
On Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th November, Pupils in Raasay Primary School attended an overnight residential with outdoor activities at the Whitewave Centre, Uig. They stayed overnight in the Wigwam pods and enjoyed a day of outdoor activities before returning home on Tuesday afternoon. Pupils undertook den building, archery and crating and all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Lots of team work and problem solving skills were used in the crating activity which they all excelled in, as you can see from the photos. Pupils were also able to attend the Skye Camanachd Bonfire and Fireworks on the Monday night – all while those at home on Raasay had a power cut!
Jemima Hall, Artist and Educator of ancestral skills, visited the school on Thursday 28th September to deliver a whole day ‘We are Nature’ workshop with the pupils. During the workshop, pupils learnt how to identify different plants and their properties and foraged for wild food. They also collected various materials which they then used as pigments to create a patchwork soil-painted flag. They used cordage (making rope from natural fibres) to tie up their completed flag.
All in all the pupils had a fantastic day, learning new skills and making use of our fabulous, natural environment. Thank you to Jemima for such an engaging and informative workshop.
The pupils of Raasay Primary School are delighted to have been awarded their fourth Eco-Schools Green Flag Award last week. The Education and Learning team at Keep Scotland Beautiful praised the school for their whole school approach with all pupils and staff being involved. Community engagement, partnership and support were applauded and the team were also impressed that the school managed to cover all 10 topics throughout the last three years with so many of these activities now embedded in daily school life. Island support for the school’s eco work was recognised “It’s great to hear that you have so much support from local residents, businesses as well as learning from a wide range of outside agencies”. The school collaborated with the Carbon Neutral Islands Co-ordinator on ‘Beach Forensics’ during a three day Carbon Neutral Islands Project last session. The partnership with the Raasay Walled Garden was highlighted “Your partnership with the Walled Garden is wonderful and it’s so good to read that you are getting deliveries of fresh and tasty fruit and veg”. The school receives a veg box every week which is used for school meals. Last year the school also undertook a project with an eco-yacht which sailed to Raasay from Brittany – this led to twinning between the schools, sharing culture and language.
The school was celebrated for its ‘excellent focus on Global Citizenship through the fundraising taking place for a diverse range of charities’. Head Teacher Wilma Duncan said “The school community is delighted to have received our fourth Green Flag. It recognises all the activities and developments undertaken within our Action Plan over the last three years. It is through the support of parents, local individuals and organisations, like the Walled Garden, that we are able to embed some of these in our daily school life’. We are already looking into getting started with our Eco aims for the next two years and look forward to developing our work around Climate Action in particular, with further workshops planned with CNI while continuing long established projects such as our composting scheme, Enterprise and Charity work and, of course, continuing to enjoy our weekly veg box from the Walled Garden – reducing our carbon footprint and food miles. We also hope to continue to develop our European Schools connection with our twin school in Brittany’. This year the pupils are delighted to be receiving a wormery from the Walled Garden which will help to compost food waste and produce liquid plant food for the garden. Pictured are pupils and Head Teacher with representatives from the Walled Garden, Parent Council and Raasay Primary School Garden volunteers.
On Thursday 24th August, pupils enjoyed a visit to the Portree Police Station where they learnt all about the roles and responsibilities of our Police Officers and had a tour of the Station and cells. The pupils were all really engaged in the experience and all had very interesting questions to ask the officers. Unfortunately, they were all arrested for ‘being naughty’ and fingerprinted! However, this was a total miscarriage of justice and they were all released on good behaviour!
We are delighted to be welcoming our four boys back for the new session – 2023/2024. This term our learning will have the following focus – Safety and Health; Science – Plants, Animals and Energy; Numeracy – Number Process, Addition, Subtraction, Algebra; Gaelic – Animals (younger pupils), School Subjects (older pupils); French – Weather; Art – Lino Print and Mixed Media; Literacy – Punctuation; Writing – Creating Texts. We will, of course, also be resuming our chanter tuition, composting scheme and eco work. The boys are currently enjoying snacks of grapes which have been growing on our vine in the poly tunnel – delicious!
We are also delighted to announce that we have been successful in our application for our fourth Eco Flag – details to follow.
Pictured are our pupils on their return to school after the summer break.
School re-opens Wednesday 7th January 2026. Kodaly sessions on Wednesdays 14th, 21st, 28th January and 4th, 11th February. YMI sessions on Thursdays 15th, 22nd January and 19th February. Weaving Club on Wednesdays from 14th January. Tuesday 20th January - Newton Rooms Science Workshop. Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th February - holiday, Wednesday 18th - InSet Day.
Raasay Primary School 