Corstorphine Primary School – The NEN

£150,000 boost for school libraries opens new chapters for young readers

FUNDING FOR CORSTORPHINE PRIMARY SCHOOL PROJECT

16 school libraries across Scotland are set to receive a funding boost through the 2026/27 School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF) to help pupils develop the literacy, wellbeing and digital skills needed to thrive in modern life.

Administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) on behalf of the Scottish Government, the fund supports creative initiatives that align with the objectives of Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools – Scotland’s national strategy for school library development.

This year’s SLIF prioritised applications which focused on:

promoting reading for pleasure
fostering whole-school reading cultures
improving equity of access to books, libraries and reading experiences
strengthening digital and information literacy, and
supporting wellbeing, creativity and partnership working to widen engagement with reading

Funding has been awarded to 16 innovative projects spanning 13 local authorities with the successful initiatives aiming to break down barriers to learning, foster a love of reading among children and young people, promote independent thinking and support family learning opportunities.

Many of this year’s successful projects put inclusion front and centre, such as East Ayrshire’s Reading Journeys for All which will strengthen the support that those with Additional Support Needs and who have English as an additional language have access to in their school library with aids, equipment and accessible literature.

Meanwhile, St Winning’s Primary School in North Ayrshire will develop a whole-school reading culture, promoting reading for pleasure and raising engagement with books and storytelling with a particular focus on those from communities where socioeconomic barriers can significantly impact access to reading opportunities.

Education and Culture Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “School libraries are so much more than a collection of books – they are spaces where young people discover a lifelong love of reading, build confidence and unlock new possibilities.

“I am pleased that this year’s Scottish Government-funded School Library Improvement Fund is supporting 16 innovative projects across Scotland, breaking down barriers and ensuring every child, regardless of background or needs, can access the transformative power of reading.

“I thank SLIC, schools and local authorities for their creativity and commitment. Building on over £2 million invested since the scheme began, I look forward to seeing the lasting difference these projects make to pupils, families and communities.”

Below are the successful 2026/27 SLIF projects:

Aberdeen: Greyhope School + Community Campus – A New Chapter for Greyhope School
Aberdeen: Orchard Brae School – Stories for All
Dundee: across four secondary schools and associated primary schools – Read for Discovery – Supporting Transition Through Non-Fiction Texts
East Ayrshire: Darvel Primary School – Reading for All at Darvel
East Ayrshire: six secondary schools – Reading Journeys for All
East Renfrewshire: Barrhead High School – Barrhead High School Book Festival – Raising the Barr through Reading
EDINBURGH: Corstorphine Primary School – Creating a Playground Library to Encourage Reading for Pleasure, Improve Equity and Support Children’s Health and Wellbeing
Highland: Lairg Primary School and Rosehall Primary School – Reading Schools at Lairg and Rosehall Primary
Highland: Crown Primary School and Drakies Primary – Crown Changemakers: Beyond Barriers: Reading Reimagined: Powering Pupils to drive a Reading Revolution through Barrier Breaking Book Boxes, Inclusive ICT and Audiobook Access
Inverclyde: Across secondary school libraries in Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire – ACTIVATE – Young Voices in Action
North Ayrshire: St. Winning’s Primary School – Reading Beyond Walls – Creating a Whole-School Culture of Reading for Pleasure
Renfrewshire: Gryffe High School – Improving Girls’ Wellbeing Through Reading
South Ayrshire: eight secondary schools – READ FOR YOUR RIGHTS – A Project to Educate and Empower Young People to Know Their Rights and Engage with Social Justice Issues Within Their Communities and Beyond
Stirling: Dunblane Primary School – A Library for Everyone: Shaping an Inclusive Literacy and Community Space at Dunblane Primary School
West Dunbartonshire: St Peter the Apostle High School and cluster primaries – Reading Roots – Growing Family Reading Cultures
West Lothian: The James Young High School, Inveralmond Community High School, Armadale Academy, Whitburn Academy, Bathgate Academy – FACT (Factual And Creative Thinkers)

Alison Nolan, chief executive of the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), said: “School libraries play an important role in pupils’ lives, providing a space where they can thrive, broaden their horizons and fulfil their potential.

“The School Library Improvement Fund helps bring this vision to life by encouraging fresh ideas and forward-thinking approaches to what a library can do for young people.

“We were delighted by the remarkably high standard of the applications submitted which reflects the passion, creativity and ambition of school library staff across the country. We look forward to seeing these 16 projects take shape, helping libraries continue to evolve, inspire pupils and make a lasting difference to schools, families and local communities.”

The 2026-27 SLIF brings the total investment from the Scottish Government to over £2 million since the scheme’s inception. Open to all state-run nurseries, primary and secondary schools, the fund allows schools to apply individually or collaboratively, ensuring wide and equal access to this transformative support.

For more information about SLIF and to learn about some of the previous projects, visit: https://scottishlibraries.org/the-school-library-improvement-fund/

Tesco shoppers select Corstorphine First Aid to receive a £1,500 donation

Corstorphine First Aid Support and Training is celebrating after being selected by Tesco customers to receive a £1,500 donation.

Shoppers at Tesco Extra Corstorphine voted for local community causes using Tesco’s famous blue voting tokens, with three groups receiving cash grants as part of the supermarket’s Stronger Starts campaign.

Corstorphine First Aid Support and Training was one of three local charities that customers voted for, receiving £1,500 as part of the scheme after receiving the most votes.

The winning charity is comprised entirely of volunteers, who are trained in first aid techniques and provide medical cover for events in Edinburgh and beyond, as well as first aid training to businesses and community groups.

The funds will allow the group to purchase essential first aid equipment so they can continue first aid training and help to keep people safe.

Dominic Burns, Chair at Corstorphine First Aid Support and Training, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this funding as part of the Tesco Stronger Starts campaign, and would like to thank our local community for their votes.

“Corstorphine First Aid is a community focused charity and this money will be used to support our activity in teaching and providing life saving first aid skills to people across Edinburgh.”

The other groups to receive grant funding from the store’s Stronger Starts blue token votes include The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland [RZSS] and Corstorphine Primary School, as well as Fox Covert Primary School.

The funding will support RZSS and Corstorphine Primary school in their joint initiative, which sees representatives from Edinburgh Zoo get the pupils involved with nature and animals through educational demonstrations within the school.

The grant awarded to Fox Covert Primary School, will support the school’s breakfast club, ensuring that all pupils can have a healthy snack and a good start to their day.

Stronger Starts helps schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, as well as purchasing equipment for healthy activities.

Deborah Brown, Community Champion at Tesco Corstorphine Extra, said: “Our Tesco team would like to thank all of our customers for their help in supporting these three fantastic causes through our Stronger Starts campaign.

“Every vote helps us to provide funding to groups making a difference in our community.”

Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco said: “We are incredibly proud to award Stronger Starts grants to over one hundred schools and local projects, supporting the vital work they do for our children and communities.

“Since we launched our grants programme in 2016, more than £120 million has been given to more than 67,000 local schools and community groups.”

Barratt supports Corstorphine pupils during Walk to School Week

To mark national Walk to School Week, Barratt Developments East Scotland encouraged participation at Corstorphine Primary School by donating a selection of high-vis items to pupils in P1 and P2.

The school held its annual Hands Up survey to find out how pupils normally travelled to school – encouraging those who use vehicles to try walking for the week.

Barratt Developments East Scotland is currently developing Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes sites at West Craigs in north-west Edinburgh.

The Walk to School Week initiative further demonstrates the housebuilder’s commitment to supporting schools in the local community.

Corstorphine Primary School pupils kick off The Big Walk and Wheel

Children at Corstorphine Primary School celebrated the first day of The Big Walk and Wheel with a silent disco, walking bus and cycle obstacle course.

The inter-school walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting challenge, organised by charity Sustrans, encourages primary and secondary school aged children to make active journeys.

The children were joined by Transport Convener Cllr Scott Arthur.

Elizabeth Gilles, Depute Headteacher at Corstorphine Primary School, said: “It is wonderful to see our pupils embrace a range of activities for the Big Walk and Wheel.

“We really enjoy taking part in this every year and we can see how walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling can be great fun for everyone involved. Leaving the car at home can also have a positive impact on local traffic congestion and air pollution near the school too.”

Cecilia Oram, Sustrans Head of Behaviour Change, said: “Hundreds of thousands of pupils have risen to the challenge and embraced active travel each year, and this is such a fun event for schools to take part in.

“There’s a serious element to the Big Walk and Wheel too. Not only does the event help reduce pollution around the school gates but in 2019 it helped parents to save an estimated £1.6million in petrol costs during the fortnight.”

ABOUT THE BIG WALK AND WHEEL:

The Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel takes place 20 – 31 March 2023 and it inspires pupils to make active journeys to school, improve air quality in their neighbourhood and discover how these changes benefit their world.

The competition has been running since 2010, initially as the Big Pedal, and sees schools compete on each day of the challenge to make the most journeys by walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling.

Run by charity Sustrans and sponsored by Schwalbe, The Big Walk and Wheel has become the UK’s largest inter-school walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting competition.

A total of 391 schools in Scotland have signed up for this year’s challenge.

More than 2 million active journeys to 1,519 participating schools took place during the 2022 challenge. This resulted in a saving of 1,335 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of 6,000 return car journeys from Edinburgh to London.

Corstorphine Connections: pupils reimagine their school streets

Children in Corstorphine have become urban designers to help create safer, more welcoming streets in their local neighbourhood.

As COP26 takes hold of Scotland, pupils from Carrick Knowe and Corstorphine Primary Schools have been sharing ideas to help people make healthy, low carbon journeys by walking, wheeling or cycling, as well as improving the environment, in their own corner of the country.

The city council is engaging with the community as part of Corstorphine Connections, a project to introduce a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN), and are asking residents to share their views on proposals to improve the look and feel of the area.

The design proposals have been developed after receiving initial feedback from residents, including these designs for school streets by local children. Amongst their ideas are more trees, grass and flowers, spotty patterned roads and paw prints along the street to signpost safe routes.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “We owe it to future generations to create a city that is healthy, sustainable and safe to move around by foot, wheel or bike. So it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to involve our youngest citizens in the development of Edinburgh’s first LTN – they’ve got some great ideas.

“We’ve seen from neighbourhoods around the world how LTNs can have a really positive impact on travel habits and quieter, more pleasant streets for residents and businesses, so I really look forward to delivering these benefits in Edinburgh.”

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, added: “We really want to bring the Corstorphine community with us as we develop this LTN, and we’ve already been listening to ideas and concerns as we move through the process.

“These designs demonstrate the impact the layout of our streets can have an all members of society, young and old, so it’s been really helpful to hear what local school pupils think.”

Dan Jeffs, Senior Urban Designer at Sustrans Scotland, said: “Sustrans has been working closely with Corstorphine Primary School and Carrick Knowe Primary School to identify placemaking measures for spaces immediately outside their schools and within the wider area.

“These measures will help create safer, more enjoyable and attractive streets and spaces for children and local residents, as well as encourage and promote walking, wheeling and cycling in the area.

“People are being invited to have their say on placemaking ideas for Corstorphine, such as hanging baskets and ‘pencil bollards’ to protect children outside the school on Corstorphine High Street and new seating and colourful road surfaces to prioritise pedestrians on Saughton Road North.

“Two options for a ‘pocket park’ on Featherhall Avenue have also been put forward for feedback.”

Plans to start the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) process to introduce an LTN on a trial basis in Corstorphine were approved by Transport and Environment Committee in August, following engagement with the community on key issues and, subsequently, concept designs.

The LTN aims to create a safer environment, providing more opportunities for residents to walk, wheel, cycle and spend time in by reducing vehicle volume and speed.

In Corstorphine, residents have previously told the council about concerns around the level and speed of traffic there, which is backed up by CEC’s own monitoring.

By implementing an LTN the council hopes to create a calmer, more relaxed environment for travel by foot, wheel or bike. It is planning to introduce the LTN on a trial basis, using an ETRO, in early spring 2022.

LTNs form part of the City Mobility Plan, Edinburgh’s ten-year transport strategy envisioning a better-connected, safer and more inclusive net zero carbon transport system. The council is also working towards the introduction of an LTN in Leith next summer.

Find out more about Corstorphine Connections online and share your views on placemaking designs on the Council’s consultation hub before 14 November.

Corstorphine Primary School pupils meet Jacqueline Wilson at Jamboree

Top children’s authors and illustrators thrilled 2000 Scottish pupils at a celebration event in Glasgow last week. Continue reading Corstorphine Primary School pupils meet Jacqueline Wilson at Jamboree