Parents and pupils at Neilston Primary have marked the official launch of the school’s innovative Skills Academy.

The new initiative is seen as a fresh way of delivering the curriculum to young pupils, helping them prepare for life in the workplace.

Those in attendance were given the opportunity to work with five local businesses and take part in workshops designed to give them a taste of the work the pupils are undertaking.

Principal teacher Andrew Howie said: “It was great to see the school full of families, here to learn about our Skills Academy project.

“We are designing something really special here – a new curriculum designed to teach the pupils the skills required for learning, life and work.

“We were able to deliver an excellent evening for our families.”

Among those to support the Skills Academy are creative arts organisation Mango Music, child relaxation experts Relaxkids, local artist Bryan McEleney, also known as The Dandy Tiger, and TotNosh, which provides creative cookery classes for little chefs.

Special thanks have also been offered to long-serving technical teacher Allan Whiteford for his efforts to help children taking part in the initiative.

And there was a financial boost when Kirsty McGill, head of sales for housebuilders Taylor Wimpey West Scotland, presented the school with a cheque for £1,500, which will be used to sponsor the design and manufacture aspects of Skills Academy.

Experts from Taylor Wimpey will also be visiting the school throughout the year to demonstrate what is needed to work on a building site, discuss the process of building a house and give insights into what it takes to be an engineer.

Mrs McGill said the company is delighted to support the Skills Academy.

“The work we do is a lot more than just building high-quality homes,” she added. “Being able to get involved with organisations that surround our developments means a great deal to us.”

Neilston Primary headteacher Gerard Curley thanked Taylor Wimpey for its ongoing support.

He said: “Their sponsorship of this project will allow our teachers to be ambitious and innovative in their planning, meaning we can continue to deliver excellent experiences for all our learners.”