Holocaust project sees pupils at Ballantrae Primary win national award

Children at Ballantrae Primary School have been recognised by the Church of Scotland at a special ceremony in South Ayrshire.

The Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt Rev Dr Russell Barr, presented the school with a specially commissioned trophy for winning the Stevenson Prize for Excellence in Religious Observance.

The prize was presented to Primary 7 pupils from Ballantrae Primary School during a session of the General Assembly last month along with £500 prize money. To help recognise the wider work in the school an additional award was handed over in front of the whole school on Tuesday 14 June.

The competition asks schools to show work in helping to build a sense of community, advance pupils' spiritual development and celebrate shared values. This year's theme was 'Chaplains and War'.

Yvonne Templeton, head teacher of Ballantrae Primary, said all 63 of the school's pupils took part in a day of reflection on the Holocaust, "We’re very proud to have been awarded this prestigious award which recognises all the hard work our pupils put into this important project.

“By working closely together the young people saw that they share common links with the wider world, something that’s a worthwhile lesson to take into later life.

“The children were all very excited that the Moderator would be paying them a personal visit and I’m sure this will be a day that they remember for a long time to come.”

The Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt Rev Dr Russell Barr, said, “Having welcomed the children to the General Assembly in Edinburgh, it’s a pleasure to be able to visit their school. Having grown up in Ayrshire I could not be happier presenting the Stevenson Prize to an Ayrshire primary.”