CLYDEBANK youngsters are making use of an outdoor learning space on the site of their old school.

Melfort Park, one of Scotland’s newest urban parks, sits on what was the former site of St Eunan’s Primary.

The old school is long gone, but a new build is only a short distance away, and pupils have been experiencing outdoor learning on the old site.

Melfort Park is one of the most recent spaces to benefit from Scotland’s Green Infrastructure Fund.

Jan Williamson, who teaches the 10-year-olds in P6, makes regular use of the park with her class.

She said: “We have been coming down to the park on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for the last term. We used it across the curriculum for a number of areas but particularly to support health and well-being aspirations.

“To come down here and see what plants grew, what trees were here, and being able to look at the details of trees and how they grow has been an excellent and rewarding experience.

“I’ve really appreciated being able to tie visits to the park into difference areas of the curriculum such as science and maths.

“For example, we came down and measured the circumference of the trees to estimate their age, we looked closely at the bark, and we did bark rubbings.

“We recorded the different types of trees and used the data to make interesting bar graphs. We also used technology apps to identify different plants.”

Claire Dunphy, who is one of the deputes at St Eunan’s, said: “Coming here has helped the children’s self-esteem and confidence, because they would meet some of the older people that live in the sheltered housing nearby, and share the lovely park with long standing elderly residents.

“Not all of them are used to meeting people in a school day outside their own age range and they enjoyed discussing what we are going to do in the park