Delighted pupils and proud teachers walked through the doors of their new £8 million school for the first time on Tuesday morning.
The newly-built Sidlaw View Primary School will play host to 400 pupils, with Jessie Porter Nursery also part of the impressive facility.
On offer to students as part of the new facility will be a dining and assembly hall, a production kitchen, a gym hall, offices, as well as drama and music provision.
Dundee City Council’s children and families service convener Councillor Stewart Hunter attended the official opening along with dozens of parents and children.
A piper was also on hand to lead students into their new school.
Mr Hunter believes ensuring children have access to the best possible infrastructure can help close Dundee’s educational attainment gap.
He said: “This has been something we’ve been looking forward to for a while. I’m really pleased to be here and it’s great to see the kids so excited.
“We think this helps with the attainment gap because kids are really excited coming into a new building rather than an old building, but it also helps with attendance and if they are here more often then their attainment is better.
“Some reasons why attainment isn’t where we want it to be is not because kids themselves aren’t able or don’t receive proper teaching, it’s because there are maybe issues in the family which we don’t know about.
“So if we can work with families and help them then I think that will help with attainment as well.”
Mr Hunter’s views were echoed by Sidlaw View Primary headteacher Denise McCaffrey.
She said: “I think having access to a building like this will make educating pupils easier and will give them an enhanced learning experience.
“Pupils were in before the holidays to have a look around, but it’s obviously more impressive now that everyone is in and set up. The way that teachers have set up their classrooms, you can’t help but feel excited.”
Fellow teacher Elaina Berry, who has two children presently at the school, said: “The old school was built in the 1950s, so it was time for a change.
“It will boost children’s confidence when they are using the new facilities, my own two have been so excited.”
