A PARTY of senior councillors and council officers yesterday saw for themselves how pupils and staff at Breadalbane Academy in Aberfeldy have been settling into their temporary home on the school site.

Work is continuing apace to build the new Breadalbane Community Campus, as part of the Perth and Kinross Council’s multi-million pound Investment in Learning Programme.

Lifelong learning convener, Councillor Liz Grant; vice-conveners, Councillors George Hayton and Bob Band; and the depute director of education and children’s services, Maria Walker visited the decant accommodation which the school is currently occupying.

Breadalbane Academy moved into the decant facilities in October. It comprises a nursery, primary and secondary classrooms, school dining hall and sports provision, including new all-weather pitches.

These have proved popular with pupils, with their use at lunchtime and in the evenings increasing.

The school will be in its temporary home until the new school and community facilities are completed in late 2010.

While touring the decant, the councillors and officers also found out about a project which P4 pupils have been working on as part of the Curriculum for Excellence.

The project uses the ‘Big Question’ approach, encouraging active learning where the children collaborate to develop their knowledge in depth, and enhance their reading, writing, listening, talking and thinking skills.

Active learning also benefits pupils by helping them make connections between what they learn and the world around them.

All primary classes at Breadalbane Academy have selected and started work on their Big Question.

In P4 the children have focused on ‘Why don’t elephants fly?’ The pupils have come up with other questions which will help them answer it, leading to groups investigating flying insects and mechanical flight.

The class teacher then plans the pupils’ learning through a range of activities, which will shortly include a visit to Perth Airport to find out how microlights fly.

Councillor Grant said, “Good progress is being made on the new community campus, and in the meantime it is very much evident that pupils and staff here at Breadalbane Academy have settled into the decant accommodation well, ensuring that the high quality of teaching and learning continues.

“I am also pleased as part of our visit to see the work being done for the Curriculum for Excellence.”